The document outlines best practices for planning, executing, evaluating, and analyzing a municipal census. It discusses establishing a master address list, designing enumeration boundaries and databases, executing the census using paper forms or online/mobile tools, quality checking results, and analyzing results to understand demographics, trends, and service needs at both basic and advanced levels. The goal is to maximize the value of census data through thorough planning and analysis.

1. Conducting a Municipal
Census
Best Practices

2. 22
To be covered:
• Planning
• Execution
• Delivery and Evaluation
• Results and Analysis

3. 33
Planning Stage

4. 44
Creating your master address list
• Map out your landbase
– Dedicated census landbase OR
– Census inclusion flag in your master address
database
• Modify based on feedback from
enumerators
• If you can’t map it you can’t enumerate it!

5. 55
Polygons vs Points
• How do you want to use the resultant
data?
• St Albert uses polygons to facilitate
mapping of the results.
• Polygons can easily be converted to
points. Points cannot be easily converted
to polygons.
• Multi-story suites CAN be still mapped as
polygons!

6. 66
Enumeration Boundaries
• Pick a target number of residences per
enumerator.
• Use GIS to analyze and refine
enumeration boundaries.
• Match boundaries to your
neighbourhoods
• Make your enumeration areas walkable.
• Take into consideration the census
technology used

7. 77
Design Your Deliverable Database
• Pre-identify your known census analysis
questions.
• Include the address information in the
template database. Parse it out. Make it
properly sortable.
• Include stratification information (e.g.
neighbourhood) with each record.
• Consider including person summary
information in dwelling table.

8. 88
Database Design
• Dwelling table
• Person table
• Linked via Residence ID
• Ensure GIS table includes Residence ID
or dwelling table includes GIS ID

9. 99
Execution Stage

10. 1010
Paper Forms
• Use scannable forms instead of hand
written entries
• Design for all questions to fit on a single
side of a page
• Use a standard page size: letter or legal
• Make the questions easy to fill in
• Pre-print forms by address
• Pre-populate known information

11. 1111

12. 1212
Maps for Enumerators
• Provide your enumerators with maps that
clearly identify residences they are
responsible
• Consider also supplying with
the aerial photo for that area

13. 1313
Automate Your Processes
• PIN number generation
• Use something like FME
• Map production
• Table generation:
– Blank census database
– Mail merge table (for PIN letter mailout)
– PIN letter hand delivery
– Institutional enumerations

14. 1414
Census 2012 FME Model
•PIN Generation
•PIN QC
•Blank database
•Mail Merge tables
•PIN delivery tables

15. 1515
On-Line Enumeration
• Make it secure – use unique PIN access
• Use pick lists
• Avoid free text entry (except for
comments)
• Include date/time stamps with each
record entry
• Incorporate logic rules to control data
entry irregularities

16. 1616
PIN Numbers
• Use all characters or all numbers: don’t
mix!
• Check for duplicates
• Check for offensive phrases
• Don’t make them case sensitive
• Generate backup PINs in case the original
PIN is lost, doesn’t work, etc.
• Consider PIN generation on the fly or a pre-
generated spare PIN list

17. 1717
Using Mobile Technology
• To store or not to store on mobile devices
• Ensure processes to deal with
connectivity issues
• Pick a cost effective solution
• Leasing vs buying
• Who runs the backend receiving the
data?

18. 1818
Monitor (and Control) Your Progress
• Monitor on-line enumeration uptake
• Monitor mobile enumeration patterns
• Provide control parameters for in person
enumeration
• Communicate completion status via maps

19. 1919
Communicate!
• Advertise widely and via different media
• Do reinforce why the census is important
• Don’t advertise that it’s optional
• Mailouts, banners, TV ads, cash register dividers,
billboards, newspapers, bus advertising…

20. 2020
Delivery and Evaluation

21. 2121
Final Database Delivery
• Ask for interim deliveries if you are
concerned
• If doing an On-Line / In Person split, get
an interim On-Line delivery
• An easy-to-use format – don’t be afraid of
Excel (Pivot tables are your friend!)
• Check, check and check again!

22. 2222
Quality Checks
• Check and recheck your numbers
• Compare to previous census numbers
• Compare municipal census trends to
federal census trends
• Spatially compare census population
results
• Compare trends to other municipalities
• Understand what you are seeing!

23. 2323
Execution Metrics
• Evaluate On-Line response
– Temporal
– Spatial
– Demographic
• Evaluate
enumerator
entry pattern

24. 2424
Results and Analysis

25. 2525
Basic Uses
• The big number: what’s your population?
• What’s your demographics curve?
• What are your demographics trends?
– Seniors?
– Children?

26. 2626
Creative Display
• Address-level
mapping (to suite
level)
• Hotspots – 2D or 3D
• Graduated point
maps
• Euclidean distance –
demographic group
vs provided services

27. 2727
Advanced Analysis
• Demographics profiles:
– Renters
– Single parent families
– Seniors in their own homes
• Analytics:
– Who is moving to St Albert?
– Who is moving into our new housing?
– What type of family lives in each assessment
class?

28. 2828
Wrapping Up...
• A census is expensive to conduct.
• You census is a goldmine of valuable
information!

29. 2929
QUESTIONS?
Tammy Kobliuk
GIS Coordinator
City of St Albert
780-459-1730
tkobliuk@st-albert.net