Caption: CSO field staff partake in training before commencing the Geospatial Data Update Exercise
By Alicia Chamely
THE Central Statistical Office (CSO) is taking a major step towards full digitisation with the commencement of the nationwide Geospatial Data Update Exercise (GDUE).
The GDUE, which commenced on Monday morning, was announced in a press release by the CSO of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development on Sunday.
Explaining the GDUE was being done in preparation for the upcoming Population and Housing Census, the CSO stated, “The GDUE marks a major step in transitioning the CSO from a primarily paper-based system of mapping and data collection to a fully digitised approach.”
The CSO stated, “The GDUE is a critical component of the CSO’s modern, bimodal digital census strategy. It ensures that all dwellings are accurately mapped and included in the Census, allowing the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) or ‘Self-Enumeration,’ system which allows individuals to complete the census questionnaire online at their convenience using their own devices to function effectively for each location.”
“Following the CAWI phase, the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) method will be used, with trained Field Enumerators visiting households and businesses to assist individuals who are unable to complete the census online, securely capturing data on tablet devices,” they added.
The CSO stated trained field staff would be visiting various communities in Trinidad and Tobago to collect geo-located and attribute data using digital technology.
They noted safeguarding the public’s security and trust was a top priority and assured the public all 120 Field Enumerators and Field Supervisors could be identified by their CSO-issued badges and blue vests. Further they assured all field workers had been thoroughly trained in professional data collection and ethics.
The CSO urged the public to participate in the exercise as the data collected would be used to form the foundation of the Population and Housing Census, as well as guide all future national development planning.
Should the public wish to verify the identity of field staff or want more information on the exercise they are asked to contact CSO at (868) 226-0180 or via WhatsApp (text messages only) at (868) 252-9899.
To access the full list of communities that field staff will be gathering data in for the duration for the exercise, members of the public are asked to please visit https://www.planning.gov.tt/newsite/geospatial-data-update-exercise/ or www.cso.gov.tt
