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As "Abu Dhabi Census 2011"enters its fourth week, Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD) announced that 219,340 households were visited across the emirate. Figures also indicate that enumerators have been visiting 40 households on average every day, a rate that shows the project is progressing on schedule.
Some 1,321 inquiries about the census have been received so far through the Call Centre, attesting to the great interest Abu Dhabi residents take in the census project.
The largest proportion of the calls received were concerned with how to coordinate with enumerators to arrange an appointment for the enumerator’s visit, in order to fill in or hand over the census questionnaire form. Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi asserted that it pays special attention to ensuring that the census is conducted in convenient manner that does not disturb the respondents’ comfort or privacy.
According to SCAD, a technical committee was set up for the census since the middle of last month, including some of the top local, Arab and international experts in the field of statistics, demographics, census methodologies and information technology, to provide advice to in accordance with best international practices, prepare and approve technical circulars to standardize the concepts and statistical terms used in the project, detect any technical issues that can affect the quality of census results and proactively propose appropriate solutions for them, in addition to supporting the centres managers and supervisors respond to technical questions.
The committee also takes charge of the quality assurance procedures for statistical outputs as well as scheduling the preparation of these outputs, besides constant monitoring of the data and evaluation of data quality and coverage ratios, review and provisional approval of the outputs of the micro- and macro editing systems and data auditing and coding.
The committee has received the some 242 telephone calls from supervisors and centers managers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region during the first three days of the census. Some of the inquiries were related to the identification of the types of buildings and units; other inquiries were concerned with the types of forms to be handed over to hotels, hospitals and household; while other calls requested clarifications on those targeted for enumeration.
The Committee also reviewed the data received on the first two days of the census and the tables showing the characteristics of buildings, units and the inhabitants in terms of gender, nationality, age, access to education, etc, in order to measure the quality of the data received and check if there are some common mistakes, e.g. in the classification of certain occupations, economic activities, sectors, etc, and to send circulars in that regard.
Several statistical techniques are used to ensure that the census data is as accurate and complete as possible- including editing, imputation, linear modeling, and automated coding - to identify errors, account for missing or inconsistent information, and categorize qualitative responses, in order to produce data sets that users can trust.
SCAD has created a monitoring and control "dashboard" in the operations room directly connected to the census management field work centers, for issuing of statistical reports and charts, through which it plays a key role in controlling and monitoring the activities of the project, in order to achieve several objectives including the issuance of statistical reports on the data received by the control room for the purposes of monitoring the progress and comparison of statistical data received in the form of tables, charts, statistically significant maps etc.
In addition the system is used in providing field supervisors with reports on their work areas, according to their administrative needs. As well the "dashboard" has the tools necessary to ensure access to all the changes taking place in different work areas, which aids in continuous monitoring to ensure tasks are accomplished in conformity with the required standards and in line the plan set, besides following up on the progress in field work in different enumeration areas.
The dashboard feedback also ensures the operations proceed on schedule, prompt corrective action is taken where necessary and early warning is obtained in the event of over/under coverage throughout the various phases of the project.
The information obtained through the Census results would be used for setting policies and making decisions that would improve the quality of life in our communities as well as the social and economic conditions in the emirate. The government uses the results of the population census in support of programs and services, such as educational and social programs, housing, development and health care services, infrastructure and public works. The private sector uses census data as well to make decisions about the locations of factories, shopping malls, cinemas, banks and offices i.e. activities which often lead to creating new jobs.
As SCAD explains "Your data is used in so many other important ways - your contribution and willingness will help make Abu Dhabi Census 2011a success. Census results can help your community determine public improvement strategies. In addition, many day-to-day matters can be solved through answering the questions on the census form. For example, traffic congestion in a certain area; elderly people living alone or over-crowded schools. Non-profit organizations use census data to estimate the number of potential volunteers in communities across the Emirate".
SCAD encourages everyone to cooperate with the census enumerator’s and believes that this cooperation represents the basic building block set to help those responsible for strategic planning to provide the highest standards of welfare and prosperity to everyone in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, under the emirate’s wise leadership.
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