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Technical Assistance on Poverty Analysis and Social Statistics
Mission on the Census of Buildings and Dwellings
March 21 – April 19, 2009
Project Design and Management
- Draft -
Consultant Report - Document II
May 5, 2009
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Project Design and Management 2
Contents
Introduction
1. Planning the census of buildings and dwellings
1.1 Stages of the census
1.2 Project management
1.3 Options for collecting socio-demographic data through the census
1.3.1 Cost estimate for a concurrent household survey
1.4 Example of planning: Data entry
2. Preparation
2.1 Government support of the census project
2.1.1 Legal/administrative ruling in support of census field operations
2.1.2 Recruitment, training and supervision of field workers
2.1.3 CAS staffing issues
2.1.4 Vehicles and temporary office space for field operations
2.2 Enumerator maps and related materials
2.2.1 Objectives
2.2.2 Production of maps
2.2.3 Enumeration area maps
2.3 Communications program
2.3.1 Purpose of the communications program
2.3.2 Channels and mechanisms of communication
2.3.3 Logo and branding
2.3.4 Budget for communications program
2.4 Risk analysis
3. Field operations
3.1 Duration and timing of enumeration
3.1.1 General considerations
3.1.2 Period of enumeration for the census of buildings and dwellings
3.1.3 Time of enumeration
3.2 Plan and method of enumeration 3.2.1 Enumerators, group leaders, controllers; Management of field work
3.2.2 Group leaders
3.2.3 Controllers
3.2.4 Enumerators
3.3 Management of field work
3.4 Logistics
3.5 Quality control
4. Data processing
4.1 Forms management
4.2 Editing, coding and data entry
4.3 Data security
Project Design and Management 3
5. Dissemination
5.1 Tabulations and tables
5.1.1 Terminology
5.1.2 Specification of tabulations
5.2 Diagnosis and presentation tables
5.2.1 Diagnostic tables
5.2.2 Presentation tables
5.2.3 Example
5.3 Analysis
5.3.1 What is “Analysis?”
5.3.2 Limited utility of classical statistics
5.3.3 Coverage and content error
5.3.4 Limited utility of the „coverage error‟—„content error distinction
5.3.5 Role of analysis in the national statistical office
5.3.6 Analysis can use simple methods
5.3.7 One aim of analysis: Design user-friendly “presentation” tables
5.4 Print publications
5.5 Dissemination events
5.6 Special request services 5.6.1 Draft a policy and procedures document for special requests
5.6.2 Institute system for capturing and compiling information on special requests
5.6.3 Advertise the availability of these services widely to all prospective users
5.7 Website 5.7.1 Draft Policy Document Governing CAS Website
5.7.2 Create email announcement list that site visitors can subscribe to
5.7.3 Conduct informal surveys of user needs, interests and capabilities
5.7.4 Define a position within CAS to have overall responsibility for the website
6. Evaluation
Annex 1: Calculation of time required for data entry
Annex 2: Budget for the 2010 population and housing census in Indonesia
Project Design and Management 4
Introduction1. This note addresses the questions related to the Design and Management of
the Census of Buildings and Dwellings considered as a Project. The note draws from the
main conclusions of the assessment phase. The note identifies the recommendations related
to project design and management in order to make the planning of the coming census
effective, relevant and comprehensive. In the following, six main stages for the conduct of
the Census as a project are identified. These stages are (i) Planning, (ii) Preparation, a crucial
stage where cooperation with other administrations have to be secured and choices between
different options of questionnaires and data coverage have to be made, (3) Field Work, (4)
Data Processing, a stage where choices in terms of analysis and tabulation are made, (5)
Dissemination, a stage where among other elements choices are done in term of presentation,
and (6) Evaluation. While the questionnaire is a crucial part of project planning, options on
questionnaire design are treated separately and in details in two other documents.
1. Planning the census of buildings and dwellings
The first stage of conducting the next census of buildings and dwellings in Lebanon, already
underway, is planning. Subsequent stages include preparation, field operations, data
processing, dissemination, and evaluation, as described in the Handbook on Census
Management for Population and Housing Censuses (UN Statistics Division, 2001), hereafter
referred to as the Census Management Handbook. The census of buildings and dwellings is
not a population and housing census, but the Census Management Handbook contains much
information relevant to the census of buildings and dwellings.
This section provides a high level overview of project design and management and addresses
key issues for planning of the next census of buildings and dwellings in Lebanon, including
those identified in the working document prepared following the meeting with CAS staff on
Tuesday 07, April 2009.
1.1 Stages of the census
The following highly stylized Gantt chart identifies the main stages of conducting a census
and suggests dependencies and approximate time scales.
Table 1. Stylized Gantt chart for Census of Buildings and Dwellings Project
Stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
1 Planning
2 Preparation
3 Field work
4 Data Processing
5 Dissemination
6.a- Ongoing Evaluation
6.b- Wrap-up Evaluation
Months
Planning is the first stage. It is shown as extending nearly the whole extent of the project
because planning for subsequent stages is usually further developed as work on previous
1 The note is based on the assessments done by Griffith Feeney in the period March 21-April 4, 2009 and on a
brainstorming meeting held on Tuesday 07, April 2009 in the office of the Central Administration for Statistics
in Beirut. The following persons attended to this meeting: Alissar Nasser (CAS), Ibtissam Jouni (CAS) Nader
Keyrouz (CAS), Ziad Abdallah (CAS), Vicken Ashkarian (CAS), Griffith Feeney (Consultant) and Chadi Bou
Habib (World Bank). Other persons involved in the process are Najwa Yacoub, Lara Badre, Marleine Bakhos
and the Director General of CAS, Dr Maral Tutelian.
Project Design and Management 5
stages proceeds. Plans for dissemination, for example, may be refined during months 23-29,
and plans for wrap-up evaluation may be finalized during months 30-34.
Preparation refers to everything that must be done to prepare for field work. It is shown in
the Gantt chart as beginning two months after planning, since the first preparatory activities
must be planned before being initiated. This encompasses many diverse tasks, some of which
are discussed in detail below. Of particular importance for the next census of buildings and
dwellings are the support activities to be undertaken by the government. Field work cannot
begin until all preparation is complete. Thus the beginning of field work marks the end of
preparatory work.
Field work refers to the census enumeration proper, the period during which census
enumerators and their group leaders and field controllers are deployed throughout the country
to carry out the enumeration. It begins with recruitment of field staff and related central
office staff and ends when the enumeration is complete, all census forms delivered to the
central office, and all temporary field staff paid and terminated.
Data processing may begin as soon as the first completed census questionnaires reach the
CAS central office in Beirut, though it is shown in the chart above as beginning only at the
completion of field work. Data processing includes the reception, logging and temporary
storage of all census forms and manual editing and coding operations as well as data entry
and other computer processing work. Data processing ends when all designated information
on the census forms has been captured in digital form, with appropriate quality checks.
Dissemination refers broadly to the work of delivering the results of the census to those who
will use it. It should be emphasized, however, that it includes more than the publication of
traditional printed census reports. According to the Census Management Handbook, for
example, it includes user consultations and development of statistical products and services.
It also includes analysis of census results aimed at establishing data quality and the
preparation of appropriate metadata for all products and services. Some dissemination work
may begin when data processing has produced computer records for a small number of
enumeration areas, but full scale dissemination work cannot begin until data processing has
been completed. On the Gantt chart, dissemination is shown as beginning when data
processing ends.
Evaluation is the last stage of the census project in the sense that an evaluation report on the
census as a whole will be the final project deliverable. As noted in the Census Management
Handbook, however, ―It is important that a complete evaluation takes place at the end of each
phase of the census.‖ Whether or not stage by stage evaluation occurs, however, it is critical
to collect information on every stage that will allow subsequent evaluation. The final census
project evaluation must be based on this information. It may be useful to distinguish the
evaluation work that goes on throughout the period of the census (Ongoing Evaluation) from
the final evaluation that begins only when all other stages of the work are complete (Wrap-up
Evaluation).
1.2 Project management
Project management is a discipline concerned with planning, organizing and managing
projects. A project involves a defined outcome, resources necessary to achieve the outcome,
and a timescale within which the outcome is to be achieved. Three critical considerations in
any project are time, quality, and cost.
Project planning consists of a series of steps, beginning with a statement of the outcome to be
achieved. Subsequent steps include: identification of the ―deliverables‖ that will achieve this
Project Design and Management 6
(a census publication, for example); the tasks that must be carried out to produce the
deliverables; the time and resources necessary to carry out these tasks; dependencies between
tasks and groups of tasks (field workers must be trained, for example, before the enumeration
can begin); assessment of risk; identifying milestones (deliverables or other outcomes to be
completed by specific dates; e.g., printing of the questionnaires completed three months prior
to the scheduled beginning of field operations); and identification of persons who will be
responsible for carrying out tasks, meeting milestones, and producing deliverables.
It is generally accepted that a project plan should be capable of being summarized in one two
pages, but the plan for a large project such as a census of population and housing may run
into scores or hundreds of pages. Data entry, for example, one task among dozens, requires
detailed calculations of the numbers of keystrokes required to capture the data on the census
forms; planning the numbers of work stations and data entry staff required to complete data
entry within a given time scale; developing training materials for data entry staff, computer
programs these staff use for data entry, procedures for quality control, and so on.
1.3 Options for collecting socio-demographic data through the census
Following extensive and intensive discussions with CAS staff during the first three weeks of
the mission, the following three options for conducting the next census of buildings and
dwellings and for generating a maximum of relevant socio-demographic data have been
identified.
Option One Conduct the census of buildings and dwellings only in 2010 or 2011.
Unfortunately, the practical possibilities of generating socio-demographic data using
the census only are nil. The reasons for this are detailed in the note on questionnaire
development for the next census.
Option Two Conduct the census of buildings and dwellings in 2011 and, concurrently,
a large-scale household survey incorporating a select list of population census type
topics. See the note on questionnaire development for the concurrent household
survey. It is estimated (see below) that the additional cost to conduct a concurrent
household survey of one in ten households would be approximately 15 percent of the
total cost of the census.
Option Three Option Two and, in addition, a follow-on survey of living conditions
along the general lines of the surveys CAS carried out in 2004 and 2007.
1.3.1 Cost estimate for a concurrent household survey
Payments to enumerators (when enumerators are paid) are a very large component of census
costs. According to CAS statistical staff, enumerators in the 2004 census of buildings and
dwelling were paid LPD 500 for each building enumerated, 1,000 for each establishment
enumerated, and 250 for each unit enumerated. Given that there were approximately 500,000
buildings, 400,000 establishments, and 1.1 million units enumerated, this implies total
payments to enumerators of approximately LPD 980 million, or about 650,000 US$.
Based on the number and complexity of the questions on establishments in the 2004 census
and the number and complexity of the questions that might be included in the concurrent
household survey, it is reasonable to assume that enumerators would require the same
payment for completing a household survey form as they required for the establishment
portion of the 2004 census questionnaire, i.e., LPD 1000.
Project Design and Management 7
Given a one in ten sample of 1.1 million households, this implies an additional cost, in 2004
census terms, of LPD 110 million, or 73,000 US$. This represents 11 percent of the 2004
payments to enumerators. Since carrying out the survey would increase costs to some extent
in all stages of the census project, it is appropriate to apply this percentage to the total census
budget, and in view of the uncertainties involved, the percentage has been rounded up to 15
percent.
CAS administrative staff indicated a total budget for the 2004 census of LPD 976 million, or
650,000 US$, suggesting that essentially the entire budget went for enumerator payments, the
remaining costs were absorbed into the regular CAS budget.
It is expected that the cost of the next census will be substantially higher, partly due to
inflation, and partly because the 2004 census was under budgeted. CAS administrative staff
suggested that the cost of the next census would be at least 50 percent higher than the 2004
census and might be twice as high as the 2004 census. CAS statistical staff suggested that the
budget for the next census might be two or three times the budget of the 2004 census, in large
part because payments to enumerators in the 2004 census were seriously inadequate.
The budget for the next census had not been prepared as of the end of this mission, and there
is some uncertainly as to what it will be, but it is expected that the estimated 15 percent
additional cost for conducting the concurrent household survey will be robust against
variability in the level of the budget.
1.4 Example of planning: Data entry
One of the tasks of project planning for the census is to decide how much time will be
required for data entry, the process of keying the data written on the census questionnaires
into a computer for further processing.
The basic unit of work is the keystroke, which transfers one character written on the census
form into its digital equivalent. The general approach to planning time and resources required
for data entry is to (a) calculate or estimate the basic process parameters and (b) work out the
implied time in weeks that will be required.
The basic process parameters are the number of keystrokes required to enter all the data that
will be collected; the average number of keystrokes per hour that data entry operators will be
able to achieve while maintaining a high degree of accuracy; average hours per week that
data entry operators will work; and the number of workstations available for data entry.
The most complicated step in the process is estimating the total number of keystrokes
required. It is necessary to take account of the different information obtained for different
units of enumeration (in the case of the census of buildings and dwellings, these are
buildings, residential units, non-residential units and establishments) and of the variability of
the number of strokes required for each unit.
For the purpose of this example, it will be assumed that there are 500,000 buildings, 1.1
million residential units, 400,000 non-residential units, and 400,000 establishments. These
are round numbers based on the 2004 census of buildings and dwellings.
The census questionnaire includes 23 items/questions for buildings. For the purpose of this
calculation it will be assumed that entries for all 23 items will be made for every building.
This will slightly overestimate the number of keystrokes required because some items will
not apply for some buildings. For the purpose of this calculation, over estimation is
preferable to under enumeration.
Project Design and Management 8
The number of keystrokes required for each item will depend on certain parameters or
assumptions. In the case of names, for example, the number of characters recorded by the
census enumerator will vary according to the length of the name, but if names are entered
into the computer records, they will probably be truncated to some upper limit, 20 characters,
for example.
Annex 1 reproduces a computer spreadsheet containing five panels, one for each unit of
enumeration followed by a concluding panel for total keystrokes and the parameters required
to determine number of weeks required for data processing. The panels for each enumerated
entity list the questions on the questionnaire, the number of keystrokes required for each
question, and notes on any assumptions on which the number of keystrokes is based.
The first item for buildings, for example, is serial number of the building in the enumeration
area (EA). If this number is always less than 100, two keystrokes will be required (leading
entries are counted as keystrokes here, whether or not they require keying); if it may be
greater than 100 (but less than 1,000), three keystrokes will be required. Annex 1 indicates
that it has been assumed that no EA includes more than 100 buildings.
Adding the number of keystrokes for each of the buildings items gives a total of 45.3
keystrokes per questionnaire. The fractional number arises because some answers to the
―year construction completed‖ question are given as a one digit code, whereas others are
given as a year, which requires four digits. The calculation assumes that 90 percent of all
buildings will be assigned a code, and 10 percent a year, and calculating keystrokes as a
weighted average.
Multiplying this by the total number of buildings, 500,000, gives 22.6 million keystrokes.
Similar calculations give 18.7 million keystrokes for residential units, 14 million keystrokes
for non-residential units, and 58.4 million keystrokes for establishments, for a total of 113.8
million keystrokes. This is multiplied by 1.2 to allow an extra 20 percent for verification of
data entry operator’s work, for a grand total of (rounding to the nearest whole number) of 136
million keystrokes.
A reasonable assumption is that data entry operators can entry 10,000 keystrokes per hour,
implying that a total of 13,650 person hours of data entry. The remaining calculations are
elementary, requiring only the number of data entry operators who will work simultaneously,
that is, the number of data entry workstations available. Based on space currently available
within CAS, this has been set at 15.
The end result of the calculation is that just under 7 months will be required for data entry.
The Gantt chart shown above allows 7 months for data processing, it being assumed that
editing and coding take place simultaneously with data entry and will take no longer than
data entry. Similar calculations must of course be made for editing and coding, with time
required for data processing increased if necessary.
It should be emphasized that the point of this example is to illustrate the process of planning
the time required for data processing, to identify the necessary parameters, point out the role
of assumptions, and illustrate the calculations. This is the process CAS staff will follow as
one step in planning the data processing stage of the next census of buildings and dwellings.
2. Preparation
Preparation refers to everything that must be done to prepare for field work. This section
provides a high level overview of preparatory work identified in the working document
prepared following the meeting with CAS staff on Tuesday 07, April 2009. It should be
Project Design and Management 9
emphasized that, as in the case of planning, this represents only selected aspects of the work
of preparing for the next census of buildings and dwellings.
2.1 Government support of the census project
2.1.1 Legal/administrative ruling in support of census field operations
As documented in the Census Management Handbook, it is standard practice for
governments to create, using a suitable legal/administrative instrument, a national census
committee to support the census organization (in Lebanon, the Central Administration for
Statistics) in conducting the census. It is common for census organizations to draw heavily on
other government agencies in the preparation and conduct of the census. One role of the
national census committee is to identify and mandate these contributions. It is recommended
that CAS work with GoL to create a national census committee to support the conduct of the
next census of buildings and dwellings.
2.1.2 Recruitment, training and supervision of field workers
The field work experience of the 2004 census of buildings and dwellings has been described
as ―a nightmare.‖ Extensive and intensive discussions with CAS staff members and records
of the operation confirm that this colorful, if non-technical description is apt. The problems
were due to administrative inflexibilities that made it impossible for CAS to recruit and
remunerate field workers on a timely basis.
To proceed with the census of buildings and dwellings in 2010, it is recommended that CAS
and relevant authorities in Government cooperate swiftly to remove the administrative
inflexibilities so that CAS will be able to recruit, train, supervise, when necessary dismiss
and replace, field workers as necessary to the conduct of a quality enumeration and will be
able to pay field workers without delay the remuneration to which they are entitled.
Otherwise, the conduct of the coming census would be at best difficult if not impossible.
2.1.3 CAS staffing issues
2.1.3.1 Mandated staffing The statistics law of 1979 and related administrative decrees
stipulate CAS staffing in detail. Of the 256 posts stipulated in these documents, CAS reports
that, as of April 2009, 55 are filled and 201 are vacant. This deficit of nearly 75% is partially
ameliorated by 18 non-permanent staff, including 13 contractual workers.
2.1.3.2 Staffing at Civil Service and CAS Levels 2 and 3 These numbers are only approximate
indicators of staffing issues, however, because they include all staff, including staff at lower
levels for which developments in information and communications technology has reduced
the need.
It is important therefore to note the situation with respect to staff at higher levels, specifically
at Civil Service and CAS levels 2 and 3. The demand for staff in these categories has either
remained steady or increased over the three decades since the 1979 law was promulgated.
As of April 2, 2009, there were over 90 posts at levels 2 and 3, of which only 21 were filled,
a deficit of over 75%. The heads of all 7 CAS departments (Administration, Population
Statistics, Households and Social Statistics, Field Operations and Regional Statistics,
Computer, National Accounts, and Documentation, Printing and Publication) were vacant. Of
Project Design and Management 10
the 8 senior statistician posts, all were vacant. Of the 16 statistician posts, 3 were filled and
13 were vacant. These vacancies alone total 28 mandated senior staff CAS lacks.
2.1.3.3 Staff turnover Staff turnover statistics indicate that the staff deficit has not been
significantly reduced over the past five years. From January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008:
In Category 2 (Head of administrative department, Statistician head of department,
Senior statistician, etc.), no staff were recruited; all posts in this category were vacant
at the beginning of the period and remained vacant at the end of the period.
In Category 3 (Department chief, Statistician, Economist, etc.), 6 staff were recruited
and 5 staff left, for a net gain of 1 staff.
In Category 4 (Writer, Typist, Accountant, etc.), 8 staff were recruited and 14 staff
left, for a net loss of 6 staff.
The lack of growth in Categories 2 and 3 is far more serious than the loss in Category 4.
2.1.3.4 Critical mass is lacking CAS staff numbers are below the critical mass required for
sustainability. There are so few senior staff that the loss of even one could substantially
impair the organization’s ability to carry on operations.
The pool of individuals in the labor force with the knowledge and experience, as well as the
qualifications, to carry on the highly specialized work of a national statistical office is very
small. In some cases it may be nil. For senior positions responsible for field work, for
example, the knowledge and experience required to function effectively can usually be
obtained only by working in a national statistical office with knowledgeable and experienced
senior colleagues. Critical mass, if lost, may therefore require many years, perhaps a decade,
to recover.
2.1.3.5 Additional staff required for the census It is strongly recommended to recruit a
minimum of 10 additional permanent staff in Categories 2 and 3 for the purpose of
conducting the census in appropriate conditions of time schedule and workload. Relevant
authorities in the Government are invited to consider this issue of recruitment as a priority
since at least the quality of the census if not the census as a whole would be at risk if lack of
critical personnel is not addressed swiftly and properly.
The number of 10 additional permanent staff takes account of (i) the large component of
newly recruited staff time that will be occupied by on-the-job training and learning, during
which time their contribution to work will be attenuated; (ii) the large component of existing
staff time that will be required to provide this training, and will thus be substantially lost to
work; (iii) the possibility that labor market conditions and the remuneration CAS is able to
provide will limit the suitability of some of the staff recruited; and (iv) the likelihood that
some of the people recruited and trained will leave for better paying positions before
contributing substantial work. It is recommended that the recruitment be of permanent staff
because temporary staff will have less motivation to learn all what must be learned for
effective performance.
The number of 10 additional staff reflects a balance between the desired number of additional
staff (a reasonable minimum number would be the department heads, senior statisticians, and
statisticians noted in section 2.1.3.2 above, 28 persons) and the number of staff CAS can
Project Design and Management 11
absorb in a limited period of time given the constraints noted in the previous paragraph. No
exact calculation is possible, given the uncertainties of the labor market, but 10-15 is
suggested as a plausible maximum number of additional staff CAS could effectively absorb
during the period leading up to the census.
If the option is taken of carrying out a large-scale household survey to collect socio-
demographic information concurrent with the census, it is recommended that this minimum
number be increased to 15 additional permanent staff in Categories 2 and 3. Given sufficient
staff, the additional time required to carry out the census together with a concurrent
household survey might be negligible. As it is, additional time will be required to absorb the
additional staff that would be required, and it seems reasonably certain that this would
require the census to be carried out in 2011 instead of 2010.
It is recommended that these new staff be recruited a minimum of one year prior to the start
of field work to receive the necessary training. Given the time required for recruitment,
taking the census in October-November 2010 would require recruitment to begin almost
immediately.
2.1.4 Vehicles and temporary office space for field operations
A census enumeration requires the deployment of field staff and the movement of census
forms and related materials throughout the national territory. Vehicles are required to
transport staff and materials from the CAS central office to and from field locations. It is
recommended that CAS be supplied with a minimum of 7 automobiles and 3 vans suitable
for traveling throughout the country.
CAS has no regional offices, though these are mandated by the 1979 Statistics Law. Modest
offices are needed at various locations throughout the country for the period of enumeration
and for approximately three months prior to and one month following the period of
enumeration. If facilities cannot be provided by other government departments, commercial
space may be rented. It is recommended that CAS be supplied with, at a minimum, seven
office locations appropriately distributed throughout the country.
It should be noted that these offices are required for storage of materials and meetings
between CAS central office staff and field staff. They would not necessarily be staffed, and if
staffed might not require more than one staff member of modest rank. It is essential that they
be secure, however, and suitably equipped with electricity and telephone lines.
2.2 Enumerator maps and related materials
2.2.1 Objectives
The principle objectives of mapping work are to generate (a) enumeration area maps that will
be used by census enumerators to conduct the enumeration and (b) smaller scale maps (maps
of larger areas) that locate enumeration areas within the country and facilitate planning and
execution of field work, including communications, logistics and enumeration proper.
2.2.2 Production of maps
Maps will be produced by computer using GIS facilities available in CAS. Consultant David
Rain met for two days with members of the CAS staff managing mapping operations and
concluded that technical capacity for computer mapping was generally strong (Mission with
the Central Administration for Statistics to assess GIS work and capacities, February 2009).
Project Design and Management 12
The GIS resources used to create the enumerator maps are described in this report and need
not be repeated here.
2.2.3 Enumeration area maps
According to the current plan, the enumeration areas used for the last census will be used for
the next census. There are a total of 16,119 enumeration areas. Production of these maps will
require an additional 6 months of field work (several months of field work was completed
last year) and 3 months of central office work to produce ―soft copy‖ enumeration area maps
and smaller scale maps to support the enumeration. An additional month will be required to
print ―hard copies‖ of the enumeration maps.
Printing of the maps will require a high speed printer and a large format plotter. A suitable
printer is available (it was donated about two years ago), but only one. Should this printer
fail, it would need to be replaced to produce the enumeration area maps on schedule.
CAS has a five year old plotter that has not been used in several years. CAS considers this
plotter unsuitable, and given the expected working life of such devices and the pace of
technological change, considers that a new plotter should be obtained. As an illustrative
specification, HP produces a plotter that supports print sizes up to 42" wide by 150" long at a
print speed of 85 square feet per hour with a resolution of 1200 x 600 dpi and a memory of
160 MB. It is recommended that CAS procure a printer with these or similar specifications by
the end of December 2009.
Production of the enumeration maps requires one resource that CAS does not yet have, a GIS
―coverage‖ of the national road network. Coverages are available from the Army and/or the
Ministry of Transportation, but it is not known whether the coverages will include detail on
local roads required for the enumeration area maps. If the coverages do not include this
detail, it will be necessary for CAS to create the additional coverage of local roads using
satellite images. This will require an additional three months of central office work to
produce the enumeration area maps. This work can be carried on concurrently with field
work, so that maps will in any case be available by February 2010. CAS expects to receive
the road network coverage by the end of June 2009, at which point it will know whether the
coverages include the necessary detail on local roads.
2.3 Communications program
2.3.1 Purpose of the communications program
The purpose of the pre-census communication program is to facilitate the smooth operation
of field work and maximize the quality of the data collected. The communication program
would ensure insofar as possible that the people that field workers encounter as they do their
work, including but not limited to respondents, (i) know that the census of buildings and
dwellings is an official undertaking by the Government of Lebanon with which they are
obliged to cooperate, (ii) understand enough about its purpose and that it will be to the
advantage of their families, communities, municipalities, etc., and, as a consequence (iii)
provide their full cooperation.
2.3.2 Channels and mechanisms of communication
Channels include the government administrative hierarchy, particularly that of the Ministry
of the Interior, newspapers, radio and television. Mechanisms include meetings with local
authorities, schools, religious and community organizations.
Project Design and Management 13
2.3.3 Logo and branding
It is customary for censuses to adopt a logo that is used in all census communications to
facilitate branding the census project. The logo would appear, for example, on brochures, on
the satchels enumerators use to carry materials in the field, on the caps and jackets that may
be provided to enumerators, and on T-shirts distributed to advertise and promote the census
enumeration.
2.3.4 Budget for communications program
Most national statistical offices will use past experience as a guide to the resources that
should be allocated to communications. It is recommended that CAS devote more resources
to a communication program than was the case for the 2004 census, both in the number and
variety of channels and mechanisms used and in the budget allocated for communication.
As a rough guide to the proportion of the census budget for the year of enumeration that may
be devoted to communications, the budget for the 2010 population and housing census of
Indonesia suggests a minimum of one percent. For Indonesia this comes to 1.37 million USD
out of a total of 137 million spent during 2010, out of a total budget of 204 million spent
during the years 2008-2012. See the budget given on page 7 of ―Planning for the 2010
Population and Housing Census in Indonesia,‖ by Rusman Heriawan, Director-General, BPS-
Statistics Indonesia (paper presented to the 11th Meeting of the Heads of National Statistics
Offices of East Asian Countries, 6-8 November 2006, Tokyo, Japan), reproduced in Annex 2.
2.4 Risk analysis
It is recommended that CAS staff prepare a risk analysis identifying what might go wrong
during enumeration, how likely each contingency is, how serious each contingency would be
if it materialized, and what will be done should the contingency arise and what is the
expected cost of the contingency measure.
3. Field Work
Field work refers to the census enumeration proper, the period during which census
enumerators and their group leaders and field controllers’ travel are deployed throughout the
country to carry out the enumeration. This section presents several key aspects of fieldwork
for the next census of buildings and dwellings.
3.1 Duration and timing of enumeration
3.1.1 General considerations
A census is by definition an enumeration of some population (buildings, dwelling units,
persons, etc.) at a point in time. Since it is not possible to enumerate any but the smallest
populations at a single point in time, censuses of population stipulate a ―reference time‖ to
which census information is supposed to refer. The enumeration occurs over a period of
several weeks immediately following the reference time and enumerators are instructed to
obtain information as of this reference time. The period of enumeration is kept as short as
practicable to minimize errors arising from the difference between the reference times at the
time of interview, including errors arising due to the mobility of the population.
3.1.2 Period of enumeration for the census of buildings and dwellings
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For the census of buildings and dwellings, it is far less important to keep the enumeration
period short, because buildings do not move, and because characteristics of buildings,
dwelling units and establishments tend to change more slowly than characteristics of people.
Because a short enumeration period requires more field workers, it complicates management
of the enumeration and raises field worker training costs. In this perspective, a longer
enumeration period is, to a point, preferable.
The 2004 census field work in Lebanon was planned to occur over 8 weeks. It is
recommended that the period of enumeration for the next census be planned for not less than
8 weeks and not more than 10 weeks.
3.1.3 Time of enumeration
The best periods for a census enumeration in Lebanon are April-May (following the Easter
holiday) and October-November. December, January and February are less suitable on
account of weather conditions. The summer months are less suitable on account of population
mobility. September is unsuitable on account of Ramadan. The higher chance of poor
weather conditions during October-November makes April-May the preferred period. Also,
major religious events should be taken into consideration (i.e. Ramadan).
The municipal elections scheduled for May 2010 might make April-May 2010 inappropriate.
If the census is to be taken in 2010, therefore, it is recommended that it be taken in October-
November.
3.2 Plan and method of enumeration
3.2.1 Enumerators, group leaders, controllers; Management of field work
As in the previous census, enumeration will be carried out by enumerators supervised by
group leaders, with each group leader normally supervising 5-6 enumerators. For the
upcoming census, however, it is recommended that the role of the controllers be redefined as
described below.
Enumerators, group leaders and controllers are all responsible for the security of the forms
they handle, including blank as well as filled forms, to ensure their security against loss,
damage and unauthorized access. The first two conditions bear on the quality of the census
results. The quality involves enumerators correctly filling census forms for every building,
dwelling and establishment in the country, but also that every one of these forms reaches the
CAS central office data processing facility with no information lost through physical damage.
3.2.2 Group leaders
Responsibilities of group leaders will, as in the last census, include (i) assigning enumerators
to enumeration areas; (ii) providing them with blank forms and related materials (pencils,
satchels, hats, etc.) at the beginning of each day (or other suitable period); (iii) collecting
completed forms from enumerators; (iv) maintaining records of forms dispersed and
collected on control forms provided by CAS; (v) providing regular reports on the progress of
the enumeration in the areas for which they are responsible; (vi) addressing day to day
problems encountered by their enumerators; (vii) requesting assistance from their supervisors
with problems they cannot handle alone; (viii) monitoring and reporting on the performance
of enumerators; and (ix) dismissing (following stipulated procedures) enumerators whose
performance is unsatisfactory.
Project Design and Management 15
3.2.3 Controllers
It is recommended that controllers work be defined as reviewing on a daily basis the forms
filled by enumerators, meeting with enumerators on a daily basis (or as frequently as
practicable, not less than once per week) to discuss anomalies, omissions, and apparent errors
and to advise enumerators as to how forms ought to be filled. Controllers would also meet
regularly (preferably daily, not less than once per week) to discuss issues arising from their
review of the work of enumerators.
The role of controllers under this plan is not only to identify and correct errors in the work of
the enumerators, but to understand why enumerators make the errors they make and coach
them to improve their performance so as not to make these errors in the future. It is
particularly important that controllers meet frequently with enumerators during the first
weeks of the enumeration, making this period in effect a continuation of enumerator training.
These meetings serve both to reinforce and continue the training enumerators received during
formal training and to put enumerators on notice that their work is being constantly
scrutinized for quality, thus reinforcing the emphasis on the importance of quality work.
Controllers should however be trained to behave toward enumerators as coaches, answering
enumerator’s questions and facilitating their work.
Controllers will work closely with group leaders, as noted, but they will be supervised either
by the position that supervises the group leaders or by a controller supervisor whose principle
responsibility is quality control during the enumeration.
3.2.4 Enumerators
It is a truism, but worth repeating, that the results of any census cannot be better than the
work of the enumerators. It is the enumerators who record the information on which the
entire edifice of the census rests. Everyone who interacts with enumerators should understand
this and communicate this message to them in appropriate ways during every personal
interaction.
Responsibilities of enumerators include (i) receiving blank forms and related materials from
their group leaders; (ii) knowing precisely the boundaries of the enumeration area they have
been assigned; (iii) completing the census forms for every building, dwelling and
establishment in their enumeration area; (iv) carrying out their work in accordance with their
training, not just in respect of filling the forms, but in all interactions with respondents and
any other persons they encounter; (v) ensuring at all times the security of all forms from loss,
damage and unauthorized access; (vi) returning completed forms to their group leader; (vii)
meeting regularly with controllers to discuss any issues that have been identified with forms
they have completed; and (viii) using prescribed census materials, such as satchels, jackets,
hats, etc.
For planning purposes, it may be noted that enumerator’s work following training consists of
(i) travel to and from their place of residence (usual or temporary) to the areas they are
assigned to enumerate; (ii) travel between buildings within the enumeration area (in sparsely
populated areas this travel may occupy much of their time); (iii) travel to and from meetings
with group leaders and controllers; time spent in meetings with group leaders and controllers;
and (iv) time spent traveling to and from and re-enumerating buildings (dwelling units,
establishments) that require re-enumeration.
3.3 Management of field work
Project Design and Management 16
Management of field work refers here to the support and supervision that must be provided
by the CAS central office to group leaders and field controllers leading up to, during and
following the enumeration. This will require approximately 5-10 staff to support and
supervise group leaders and 5-10 staff to support and supervise field controllers. Given the
experience of the last census and the lack of regional offices, these staff may best be located
at the CAS central office in Beirut. Given the shortage of CAS staff, most of these staff
would probably be short term, hired for the enumeration. They would need to spend a
significant portion of their time in the field, for which they would require vehicles and
provision for accommodation expenses. These persons would be supervised by one or two
senior CAS staff with overall responsibility for execution of field work.
3.4 Logistics
Logistics refers generally to movement of people and materials for the enumeration.
Enumerators must be transported to and from the areas they enumerate. Blank census forms
(control forms as well as the census questionnaires) must be distributed to enumerators
before they arrive at their enumeration areas (it is obviously important that they have enough
forms, else enumeration be delayed), collected after they have been filled in, checked in the
field, returned to enumerators for re-enumeration as required, and transported to the CAS
office in Beirut. The security of enumerators and forms must be looked after. The entire
hierarchy of central office and field workers that support the enumerators similarly require
transport and supply. It is recommended that CAS prepare a logistics plan for the
enumeration detailing all materials, transport, holding points, and so on.
3.5 Quality control
Quality control consists in monitoring field operations to ensure, to the extent possible, that
field staff carries out their work in accordance with the plan of enumeration. This requires
regular communication between field operations in every part of the country and project staff
at the CAS office in Beirut.
Monitoring operations should result in a written record that is preserved for the purpose of
review and evaluation once the field work is complete. Controllers, for example, should be
provided with forms on which to record the results of their examination of enumerator’s
work. Variances above certain limits should trigger a report to the group leader and the group
leader’s supervisor.
Project staff at the CAS office in Beirut should maintain a record of every census form
printed, of the progress of forms into the field, of their completion in the field, and of the
progress of their return to the CAS office in Beirut. CAS should know on a daily basis how
many forms have been completed and where completed forms are.
The recommended procedures for quality control of enumerator’s work were discussed above
in section 3.2 above, ―Plan and method of enumeration.‖
It is recommended that CAS prepare a detailed plan for monitoring field operations,
including the forms that will be used to record the results of monitoring, the instructions to
the persons completing these forms, and the actions to be taken when variances arise.
4. Data processing Data processing includes the reception, logging and temporary storage of all census forms
and manual editing and coding operations as well as data entry and other computer
processing work. This section presents an overview of key aspects of data processing.
Project Design and Management 17
4.1 Forms management
A plan for forms management would address, (i) process of reception of completed forms,
logging, transfer to storage to await further processing; (ii) batching of forms for efficient
handling; (iii) quality control measures to prevent forms from being damaged, misplaced or
lost; (iv) signing out forms for coding and data entry and return to storage; (v) tallying
progress of coding and data entry and process quality indicators; (vi) prominently displaying
this information in work areas; (vii) paper control forms and/or computer procedures for
capturing information on progress in processing; (viii) which positions are responsible for
monitoring which progress indicators; expected rate of processing; and (ix) actions to be
taken when variances from the expected rate exceed some prescribed minimum. It is
recommended that CAS prepare a detailed plan for forms management at the central office in
Beirut.
4.2 Editing, coding and data entry
It is recommended that CAS prepare a detailed plan for recruitment, training and supervision
of editors, coders, and data entry operators. Recruitment and training should be reasonably
straightforward; whatever time and effort they require. Supervision is not so straightforward,
and inadequate quality controls over data entry can have the effect of severely degrading the
quality of the data collected at such great expense in the field.
Quality control of data entry (the same applies to coding and editing) requires that every data
entry operator receives, at the end of every day, a report on the accuracy of their work in a
form they can readily understand. The underlying principle is that if operators receive
accurate feedback on their performance, the majority will rapidly learn to perform to the
desired standard; those who do not should be dismissed or reassigned to other work,
otherwise they might do serious damage to the data they are processing.
This principle implies the necessity for the persons responsible for the processes to constantly
monitor errors and anomalies and compile suitable defined statistical measures performance.
Some data entry software provides built-in facilities for this purpose. If the software used
does not, appropriate facilities must be designed, programmed and tested. The plan should
provide detailed specifications for this work.
4.3 Data security
Security here refers to loss or corruption of data, whether inadvertent or malicious, and to
unauthorized access to data (i.e., violations of confidentiality). CAS has a system in place for
backing up computer files, and with some degree of geographic dispersion (needed to protect
against the risk of catastrophic damage to the building holding the equipment on which the
files are stored.
A data security policy may address, (i) the staff position responsible for enforcing the policy;
(ii) the backup system(s) implemented to avoid data loss resulting from equipment failure
and natural or human catastrophe (the latter requires geographically dispersed backups,
which must be appropriately secured); (iii) routine procedures used to test backup systems to
ensure their proper functioning; (iv) control of physical access to computer equipment on
which data and metadata are stored; (v) procedures to ensure against loss of data through
deterioration and obsolescence of media; (vi) network security; and (vii) periodic review and
revision of the policy to align it with advances in information and communication technology
and with changes in the security environment. It is recommended that CAS adopt a written
Project Design and Management 18
data security policy dictating what measures are taken to ensure the security of data and
metadata for which the organization is responsible.
5. Dissemination
Dissemination includes three broad components. (1) Internal scrutiny and analysis of the
census results within the census organization to assess the quality of the results and to
identify results most likely to be of interest to users. (2) Consultation with users (including
prospective users) for the purpose of developing statistical products and services that will
best meet user’s needs. (3) Development and delivery of products and services to users and
prospective users, including the general public.
In principle, at least, user needs drive the entire census project, so consultations with users
take place at every stage, from defining overall objectives to final evaluation. Consultations
during the dissemination stage are accordingly the culmination of an extended series of
communications with users. Consultations with users during the final evaluation stage will
incorporate perceptions of users on how well the census results meet their needs.
The first stage of the dissemination process, internal scrutiny and analysis of census results, is
least adequately documented in the Census Management Handbook and the UN Principles
and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses Revision 2. It is accordingly
given particular emphasis in the following sections, with specific examples based on the 2004
census of buildings and dwellings.
5.1 Tabulations and tables
5.1.1 Terminology
Usage of ―tabulation‖ and ―table‖ is not well standardized, but there is an important
distinction to be drawn. ―Tabulation‖ tends to refer to a table that shows the total number of
entities (buildings, dwellings, persons, …) classified by one or more characteristics, e.g., ―all
persons‖ enumerated in a population survey classified by ―age‖ and ―sex.‖ ―Table‖ tends to
refer to any display of information organized by rows and columns. ―Table‖ in this sense is a
far more general designation, and it subsumes tables that are tabulations.
5.1.2 Specification of tabulations
Precise specification of tabulation requires specification of (a) the group of entities
enumerated, (b) the ―dimensions‖ of the tabulation (―age‖ and ―sex‖), and (c) the values or
categories for each dimension. In the case of age, for example, age may be ―single year of
age‖ or ―age in five year groups,‖ and in either case there is usually an ―open ended‖ group,
e.g., ―98 years old and older.‖
The preceding paragraph refers to what might be called the ―content‖ specification of
tabulations, which is usefully distinguished from ―format‖ (or ―layout‖) specifications.
―Format‖ specifications refer to the size of the page (in the case of printed tables) on which
the table is displayed, which dimensions are shown as rows, which dimensions are shown as
columns, how many pages long the table is, whether columns are separated by vertical lines,
the size and style of font used for numbers and textual matter, justification within table cells,
whether digit spacers are used, and if so what they are (commas, spaces, periods, etc.), etc.
The distinction between content and format specification is particularly important in
connection with dissemination in digital form. Digital data are not constrained by the limits
Project Design and Management 19
of a fixed page size, for example, and it is inappropriate to format digital tables in the same
way as printed tables.
5.2 Diagnosis and presentation tables
The concept of diagnostic versus presentation tables is not standard, but it is very useful in
designing user-friendly statistical products and is presented here for this purpose. CAS is
strongly encouraged to constantly observe this distinction in analyzing census data and
designing publications and other statistical products.
5.2.1 Diagnostic tables
―Diagnostic‖ tables are intended for use by professional statisticians. Often they are
tabulations that ―dump‖ full information on responses to questionnaire items. They are used
to identify ambiguities or problems with the data, and design user-friendly ―presentation‖
tabulations.
5.2.2 Presentation tables
―Presentation‖ tables are intended for end users. They may merge information derived from
many separate tabulations, and may present means, percentages, and other non-count
statistics. They are designed to make it as easy as possible for users to gain the information
they are interested in.
5.2.3 Example
To illustrate, consider the 2004 census table showing buildings by status (usable, unusable
due to war damage, etc.) and use (residential, non-residential, mixed, etc.). As a diagnostic
table to be used by statisticians, this table is unexceptionable.
As a presentation table for users, however, its design can be substantially improved on
several dimensions, as indicated below.
The ―status‖ variable serves a primarily technical purpose that is of little interest for
the final user. The census aims for a complete enumeration of buildings. To ensure
the most complete enumeration possible, a two stage process is followed: first, ask
enumerators to capture anything that might be a building; second, have them capture
information that will enable CAS statisticians to ascertain whether each entity
captured is a ―building‖ for the purpose of the census. The typical user should not be
burdened with having to understand this statistical stratagem,
The principal entities of interest are establishments and dwelling units. Most users
will be interested in one or the other (or perhaps both, but generally not at the same
time). Tables for users should focus on dwelling units or establishments, with
classifications appropriate to the one or the other,
The ―building status‖ variable mixes multiple dimensions—usable versus non-usable
versus partially usable buildings, buildings under construction versus buildings whose
construction has been abandoned, buildings rendered unusable or partially usable by
war damage versus buildings rendered unusable or partially usable for other reasons,
buildings versus nomad camps versus open spaces (not ―buildings‖ at all in the usual
sense of the word), buildings proper versus improvised buildings—in a way that
makes comprehension of the information in the table next to impossible for a user
who is not a statistician. Indeed, it is already problematic for statisticians, and CAS
Project Design and Management 20
staff observed that the classification caused problems in the 2004 enumeration and
should be revised for the next census,
User-friendly presentation tables will present a more manageable focus. We may be
interested in buildings rendered unusable by war damage, for example, in relation to
the totality of usable buildings. In this case we would be well served by a table
showing the buildings lost to use due to war damage as a percent of all buildings that
would have been usable if the war had not occurred. And if this is our interest, we
will want to see the results not just for Mohafazat, but for Caza, and probably for
lower levels as well (municipalities). In the case of partial damage, we might be
interested to know not just whether buildings were ―partially unusable,‖ but what
proportion of the units in the building are (were at the time of the census) usable. This
in turn might lead us to want to know about the percentage of dwelling units lost to
use on account of the war. Designing a table that brings ―war losses‖ into focus in this
way is what we mean by designing a user-friendly table. This work does not require
advanced statistical concepts or methodology, but it is by no means trivial work.
5.3 Analysis
5.3.1 What is “Analysis?”
―Analysis‖ may be defined in this context as the process of scrutinizing data, mainly tabular
data, to arrive at conclusions about the data and the reality it purports to represent that are not
immediately evident from the data itself. The result of analysis will generally be a document
describing the conclusions and the evidence and argument that leads to them.
5.3.2 Limited utility of classical statistics
Because census data are complete count data, the statistical theory of sample design and
sampling error is largely irrelevant, and because the aggregates counted are generally very
large, the ―statistical significance‖ issues that preoccupy classical statistics are also largely
irrelevant (not entirely, as breakdowns eventually lead to small numbers and random
variability). A more useful starting point for most census analysis is the perspective of what
has been called ―exploratory‖ data analysis (Exploratory Data Analysis, by John W. Tukey,
Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts, USA, 1977).
5.3.3 Coverage and content error
The errors that need to be addressed by analysis are mainly what are called, not particularly
aptly, ―non-sampling‖ errors. It is customary and useful to distinguish between coverage
error, which refers to differences between the set of entities the census was intended to
enumerate and the set of entities that actually were enumerated and content error, which
refers to differences between the true characteristics of the enumerated entities and the
reported values.
5.3.4 Limited utility of the „coverage error‟—„content error distinction
In practice, the errors that are most important, errors in the numbers that appear in census
tabulations and in statistics derived from them, often reflect both coverage and content error
and in ways that make it difficult or impossible decompose errors in the tabulated numbers
into components representing coverage and content error.
Project Design and Management 21
In the case of population age distributions, for example, age-misreporting is ―content‖ error
and under-enumeration is ―coverage‖ error. What matters to the user of a census age
distribution is how accurate (for example) the number of children shown as being zero
competed years of age is. Whether this is due to age misreporting (enumerated children
whose true age is zero but whose reported age is above zero) or age-selective completeness
of enumeration (children whose true age is zero are less completely enumerated than the rest
of the population) may be of little or no interest to the user, though it may interest the census
taker concerned with how to obtained better age distribution data in the next census.
There is in fact no simple, general relation between content and coverage error in a census
and errors in counts of persons in different statistical categories derived from the census. If a
census omits one percent of the population it was intended to enumerate, for example, but
includes an equal number of persons that it was intended not to enumerate, the total
population enumerated will be precisely accurate. In practice, incorrect omissions tend to
exceed incorrect inclusions, so the usual result is a net under enumeration.
For a more detailed discussion of this subject see the ―Data Assessment‖ entry in the
Encyclopedia of Population, edited by Paul Demeny and Geoffrey McNicoll (New York,
Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.
5.3.5 Role of analysis in the national statistical office
As noted in the Statistical Master Plan, analysis undertaken by the national statistical office
should in general focus on clarifying methodological issues and assessing data quality.
Policy-oriented analysis should generally be left to others who use data provided by the
national statistical office as one input to their analyses.
It may be mentioned that this leaves a great deal of analysis to be done within the national
statistical office; more specifically analysis of data quality. See for example Luisa T.
Engracia, ―The 2000 Round of Population and Housing Census in the ESCAP Region:
Lessons Learnt and Emerging Issues,‖ paper presented to the Expert Group Meeting on
Population and Housing Censuses, 9-10 December 2004, Bangkok, Thailand.
5.3.6 Analysis can use simple methods
Statistical sophistication should be brought in as needed, but the purpose of analysis is to
benefit users. Toward this end, very simple methods—calculating percentages, rearranging
rows and columns in cross-tabulations, visual representation of data in plots and/or maps,
asking and answering simple questions—often suffice.
The 2004 census tabulations include, for example, a tabulation (Table 9) showing ―Units in
Beirut‖ by ―Caza‖ and ―Type of residential unit.‖ The ―Type‖ categories for residential units
are ―Principal,‖ ―Secondary,‖ ―Vacant,‖ and ―House for a guard.‖
For Beirut as a whole, there are 97,272 principal residences and 1,626 secondary residences.
If every secondary residence in Beirut belongs to the owner of a primary residence in Beirut,
the proportion of occupants of principal residences who possess a secondary residence is 1.7
percent—not particularly high.
It is presumably reasonable to assume that every secondary residence belongs to the owner of
a primary residence (else what would ―secondary‖ mean?), but it is clearly not reasonable to
assume that every owner of a principle residence in Beirut who has a secondary residence has
this residence in Beirut. The owner of a primary residence in Beirut may have a secondary
residence in some other part of the country. And of course the owner of a primary residence
Project Design and Management 22
in Beirut may own multiple secondary residences in different part of the country, or for that
matter, abroad (though these would not be enumerated in the census).
Nor is it reasonable to assume that every secondary residence in Beirut belongs to the owner
of a primary residence in Beirut—it may belong to a party whose primary residence is
elsewhere.
To get a better indication of the proportion of the population with both a secondary and
primary residence we would need to look at these numbers for the country as a whole. The
(digitally) published 2004 census tables do not include tabulations for the entire country, only
for Mohafazat and Caza. It is possible of course to sum over Mohafazat, but having
tabulation for the whole country would make better justice to the efforts deployed by CAS to
collect data under adverse conditions.
At this point we might note that the numbers in the table are simply of residential units
identified as ―primary‖ or ―secondary,‖ without reference to ownership. Do ―secondary
residences include residential properties owned by a landlord who leases them out to
different individuals at different times? If so, is it appropriate to call these ―secondary‖
residences? Or does ―secondary residence‖ imply a second property used as an occasional
residence by a party who owns a primary residence?
If we look at the same figures for Mount Lebanon, we see 296,829 ―Principal‖ residential
units and 28,445 ―Secondary‖ residential units, for an implied (on the assumptions noted
above) percentage of secondary units of 9.6 percent. This suggests that something like 10
percent of persons whose primary residence is elsewhere have secondary residences in Mount
Lebanon.
This discussion set out to make the point that analysis can be very simple, yet it is clear from
the discussion that analyzing the data on primary and secondary residences is anything but
simple, that various complexities enter in as we pursue the meaning of the results. Yet the
methods of analysis are simple, in the sense that they require no sophisticated statistical
technique.
5.3.7 One aim of analysis: Design user-friendly “presentation” tables
Tables produced by and for statisticians for the purpose of diagnosis, identifying ―control
totals,‖ and other such technical uses may be difficult or impossible to understand for users
who are not statisticians. Tables aimed at end users should be ―user friendly.‖ This implies,
among other things, a focus on topics the user is interested in. Design of presentation tables
must accordingly be driven by knowledge of user interests and needs.
5.4 Print publications
Print publications will continue to be a fundamental medium for the foreseeable future,
despite the rise in importance of digital products and services. The following
recommendations are made for print products for dissemination of census results.
Census publications should include English and/or French translation. Complete
translations are highly desirable because the meaning of the numbers in census tables
may depend crucially on metadata contained in the text of the publication.
CAS may consider releasing a single census publication, rather than separate
publications for each Mohafazat. In any case, tables should be shown for the country
as a whole as well as for individual Mohafazat.
Project Design and Management 23
Appropriately designed tabulations should be shown for the Caza level as well as the
national and Mofahazat level. The general principle is that more detailed tabulations
are shown for larger geographic might be considered, especially for medium size
cities (Tripoli, Saida, …). Providing more published detail may be expected to reduce
special requests.
Census publication should emphasis user-friendly ―presentation‖ tables over
diagnostic tables. Many of the tables published in the 2004 census reports may be
placed in the diagnostic category. A user interested in establishments, for example,
would like to look at a table that shows only establishments, rather than a table that
shows both establishments and dwellings.
Print publications can incorporate digital products in the form of a CD. This is a very
cost effective means of adding value to the census publications. The CD that come
with a print publication would include the publication itself in the form of a PDF file,
but it may also include the tables presented in the publication in a spreadsheet format
such as CSV (―comma-separated variable‖).
Print publications are costly to print, costly to store, and costly to ship. Cost
considerations will therefore limit the size of the publications, which in turn limits the
details of the tables included in the publication. These costs are radically reduced for
data in digital form. A CD included with a census publication of 150 pages (say)
could for example include tables in digital form that, if printed out, would require
many thousands of pages.
When designed the contexts of CD products it is important to observe the different
characteristics of the print and digital media. Printed publications have (with rare
exceptions, fold out maps, for example) a fixed page size, whence tables must either
be limited to fit on a single page or formatted so as to be spread across many pages.
For tables in digital form there is no ―page size‖ to constrain table size or force multi-
page formatting. A digital table may have 25 rows and 5,000 columns, and for users
of such tables, it will generally be preferable for the table to be presented without the
print equivalent of pagination.
Providing publications designed for printing in digital format only is a useful
expedient if it is impossible to produce print publications, but this does not replace
print publication. A professionally produced print publication promotes CAS’s stature
and brand far more effectively than a user printed PDF file from a digital CD. Print
publications also reach user segments that are not so effectively reached by digital
only publications.
5.5 Dissemination events
As part of its campaign to strengthen its national brand and increase it’s national presence,
CAS may consider (an expanded) series of post-census events, at different venues, in
different parts of the country, to advertise the availability of the census results, educate the
public about CAS and the national statistical system (per the Statistical Master Plan), and
strengthen communication channels between CAS and its users. Such events may be a
particularly useful way to reach out to a category of nonusers who are in fact potential users.
It is generally the case that significant numbers of individuals and organizations of all kinds
could benefit by using data produced by the national statistical system but are unaware of its
existence or are uncertain how to find what they want. It is in CAS’s interests to serve as
many users as possible. Ideally, of course, the design of such user events is guided by
Project Design and Management 24
detailed knowledge of user needs, interests and capabilities. In practice, one begins with what
is known and uses events to expand knowledge of users.
5.6 Special request services CAS provides selected special services to users on request, without charge. This is an
important activity that benefits both users and CAS. Several recommendations are made with
respect to this service.
5.6.1 Draft a policy and procedures document for special requests
This document may cover, for example, the following.
Stipulate terms under which the service will be provided free of charge. In general,
providing services free of charge is a good idea, because the cost of imposing fees
would probably exceed the revenue that would be generated by them. CAS should
however limit its exposure to the risk of heavy work that it can ill afford. The policy
may specify that requests requiring extensive work may incur a charge or a delay,
Stipulate systematic, periodic report son these valuable services that CAS is providing
to users. Such reports (i) may be presented in partial support of requests for resources
of various kinds; (ii) will provide CAS with a resource for studying user needs; (iii)
can be used to design regular publications and other statistical products and services
that will reduce the need for special requests; and (iv) provide a channel of
communication with users that are useful for extending knowledge of user’s needs,
interests, resources and capabilities.
5.6.2 Institute a system for capturing and compiling information on special requests The
system may provide for the following, for example.
Full name, position, organization and contact information of individual making the
request,
The content of the request, what data set, what processing, etc,
The date the request was received, to whom the work was assigned, when the results
were delivered to the requester,
The time and any other resources required to fulfill the request.
Regularly reports on requests processed, work entailed.
5.6.3 Advertise the availability of these services widely to all prospective users
Having instituted appropriate controls on the workload that may be generated, the service
may be advertised by a notice on the CAS website and by a brief brochure that can be
mailed/emailed to users on request and distributed at user meetings. This is in the spirit of the
IMF’s General Data Dissemination Standard (GDDS).
5.7 Website
5.7.1 Draft Policy Document Governing CAS Website
This work can begin at any time and the issues to be addressed may include the following:
Project Design and Management 25
All pages on the site will conform to one of the standards (e.g., HTML 4.1
Transitional and CSS Level 2, Revision 1) promulgated by the World Wide Web
Consortium (http://www.w3.org/). Conformity will be checked regularly using a
suitable validation facility. Many validation facilities are available, beginning with the
W3C validator (http://validator.w3.org/). At this writing, validation of the CAS home
page (http://www.cas.gov.lb/) indicates 106 errors and 5 warnings,
Standards for server down time and time outs will be set, monitored, logged and
reported on. Most web hosting servers claim extremely high uptime, but time outs
may occur when the server is up and can severely impair site usability. Numerous free
and commercial services are available to monitor both up time and time outs (e.g.,
http://aremysitesup.com),
Analysis of server log files to see how heavily the site is being used, what areas of the
site are most used, what HTTP requests are returning errors, and so on. Web hosting
services should provide access to server log files and perhaps also to at least a
rudimentary report system. At some point it may be appropriate to use Google
Analytics,
Contracts with vendors for services externally supplied (hosting services, for
example) will stipulate explicit quality standards for service and provide for
monitoring conformance to these standards and for actions to be taken if
nonconformance occurs,
Policies on basic site metadata, including contact information, terms of use notice,
site map, and search facility. On the issue of search facility, it may be noted that
Google searches are often more effective than searches using site supplied search
facilities. This is true even of Amazon.com, which has enormous resources to provide
search facilities. The implication is that it may not be worth investing significant
resources in a site specific search facility,
Policies and procedures to enforce quality control for translations between Arabic,
French and English. Quality control is important because errors in metadata can have
consequences as serious as errors in data,
Policies on backup of web site data, including periodic testing of backup systems and
reporting on results of the tests,
The staff position within CAS with overall responsibility for the site, including
conformity to mandated policy, periodic review and revision of policies, managing
contracts with vendors, managing any staff reporting to the position, and coordinating
contributions to site content from all CAS departments.
5.7.2 Create email announcement list that site visitors can subscribe to
This serves many functions. It helps raise awareness of CAS and CAS activities. It engages
site users in a way that a site without such a facility does not. It opens a channel of
communication to one segment of CAS users. It provides CAS with a list of users and
(potentially) with user feed back that can be used to support budget requests for further
development of the site. It does this not only for national users, but for users in all sectors
(government, private, international, nonprofit) throughout the world. This is an extremely
cost effective way to initiate a systematic program of communication with users and
prospective users. The hosting service used should be able to implement such a list for a
modest cost. If it cannot, alternative hosting services or a third party provider may be
Project Design and Management 26
considered. This should be done as soon as possible to build on the already existing mailing
list of the CPI.
5.7.3 Conduct informal surveys of user needs, interests and capabilities Here again, the
website provides an extremely cost effective way to gather information about users. The
home page might, for example, include a prominently displayed notice that during the month
of (say) August, users are invited to give their comment on the site, the content, organization,
navigation, to suggest information they would like to see provided, to note problems they
have had with the site, and so on. This information would be emailed to a special address,
and it would be made very clear that the request is time limited, that the email address will be
operational only for the designated period. This is not urgent. It could be done any time over
the next year, and repeated regularly or from time to time.
5.7.4 Define a position within CAS to have overall responsibility for the website
The location of the position needs to be decided (it might or might not be in the IT
Department; there are many ICT issues, but many non-ICT issues as well), as well as the
qualifications, duties, etc. It is recommended that no major initiatives to develop the website
be undertaken until this position has been created and filled.
6. Evaluation
The Census Management Handbook states that ―Like any other project, the census needs to
be evaluated to ensure that the effort and investment of resources have been worthwhile.
With so many different activities involved, the evaluation of such a project is a complex
exercise.‖
A detailed discussion of evaluation is beyond the scope of this note. What may be usefully
said here is that (a) the more complete and detailed the evaluation is, the more useful it will
be in planning future censuses and other data collection operations, and (b) the completeness
and detail of the evaluation is limited by the completeness and detail of the records kept of
every aspect of the work of conducting the census from the first stages of planning to the
final stages of dissemination. It is therefore recommended that every effort be made to
document the work of the census as it proceeds.
Project Design and Management 27
Annex 1: Calculation of time required for data entry
Annex 1: Calculation of time required for data entry
(See text section 1.4 for explanation)
Questionnaire Item Keystrokes Assumptions and notes
Buildings
B1 3 999 units in EA maximum
B2 0 Name not keyed
B3 0 Name not keyed
B4 3 Numbers less than 1000
B5 1
B6 1
B7 1
B8 1.3 4 digit year given for 10% of buildings
B9 7
B10 3 Less than 10 underground floors
B11 10 2 digits for each response
B12 2 <100 establishments/building
B13 10 Parcel number requires 10 keystrokes
B14 3 Three digit code for nature of use
Keystrokes/building 45.3 Sum keystrokes over all questions
Number of buildings 500,000 Round number, adjust as appropriate
Total keystrokes 22,650,000 Calculate as product
Residential units
U1 3 Less than 1000 buildings in EA
U2 2 Less than 100 units in building
U3 2 Less than 100 floors in a building
U4 2 Number of unit less than 100
U5 1
U6 1
U7 1
U8 3 Less than 1000 square meters
U9 0 This calculation is for residential units
U10 0 Not entered for residential units
U11 2 Less than 100 floors per unit
Keystrokes/RU 17 Sum keystrokes over all questions
Number of RUs 1,100,000 Round number, adjust as appropriate
Total keystrokes 18,700,000 Calculate as product
Non-residential units
U6 0 This calculation is for non-residential
U7 0 This calculation is for non-residential
U8 0 This calculation is for non-residential
U9 3 3 digit code for "Other"
U10 20 Entered for establishments
Keystrokes/NRU 35
Number of NRUs 400,000 Round number, adjust as appropriate
Total Keystrokes 14,000,000 Calculate as product
Questionnaire Item Keystrokes Assumptions and notes
Project Design and Management 28
Establishments
E1 2 Less than 100 establishments per EA
E2 2 Less than 100 buildings per EA
E3 4 Less than 1000 units per EA
E4 20 Name entered, truncated to 20 characters
E5 20 Name entered, truncated to 20 characters
E6 4 4 digit ISIC code
E7 1
E8 1
E9 1
E10 6 Less than 1B registered capital
E11 4
E12 1
E13 1
E14 1 Assume <10 subsidiaries average
E15 1
E16 12 Enter "0" or "1" for each month
E17 3 Less than 1000 workers
E18 9 At most 9 digits in telephone numbers
E19 9 Ditto for cell phone numbers
E20 25 Assume <=25 characters in email address
E21 1
E22 9 Assume <10 digits in VAT number
E23 9 Assume <10 digits in MoF number
Keystrokes/Estab 146
No of establishments 400,000 Round number, adjust as appropriate
Total Keystrokes 58,400,000 Calculate as product
Summary
Section Keystrokes
Buildings 22,650,000
Residential units 18,700,000
Non-residential units 14,000,000
Establishments 58,400,000
Subtotal 113,750,000
Verification 22750000 Add 20 percent for verification
Total 136,500,000
Keystrokes per hour 10,000
Hours required 13,650 Total person hours required
Hours per day 6
Days required 2,275 Total person days required
Days per week 5.5
Weeks required 414 Total person weeks required
Number of operators 15 Based on space available in CAS
Weeks required 28
Months required 6.9
Project Design and Management 29
Annex 2: Budget for the 2010 population and housing census in Indonesia
Source: ―Planning for the 2010 Population and Housing Census in Indonesia,‖ by Rusman
Heriawan, Director-General, BPS-Statistics Indonesia. Paper presented to the 11th Meeting
of the Heads of National Statistics Offices of East Asian Countries, 6-8 November 2006,
Tokyo, Japan. Available at http://www.stat.go.jp/english/info/meetings/eastasia/asia11.htm.
Note: This budget is for a population and housing census for a population of approximately
233 million persons.