Census and Survey Dissemination toolkit 

Overview

A Census and Survey dissemination toolkit is essential for transforming datasets into meaningful insights through visualization and data sharing. It is designed to help National Statistics Offices (NSOs) efficiently publish, visualize, and share official statistics with the public. This tool ensures that the census and the survey are accessible and interactive.

Key Features

  • Data Visualization & Exploration:

    • Data Explorer for filtering and analyzing census datasets.
    • Interactive Charts, Graphs, and Maps (Plotly & Leaflet).
    • Data Stories with narrative explanations of key findings.
    • Scorecards for quick insights into demographic and socio-economic trends.

  • Data Management & Access:

    • Public-Facing Portal for general users.
    • Administration for Management (IT Admins, Content Managers, Approvers).
    • Metadata & Resources to provide context for datasets.
    • User Management with role-based access controls.

  • Geographic & Dimensional Data:

    • Maps (PostGIS & Leaflet) for spatial visualization.
    • Hierarchical Geographic Areas customizable to the country’s context.
    • Demographic Dimensions customizable to the country’s context.
    • Custom Indicators & Topics.

  • Data Sharing & API Integration:

    • RESTful API to retrieve, manipulate, and visualize data securely (road map).
    • Data and visualization embedding & linking for integration with other platforms.
    • Social Media & External Sharing for broader dissemination.
    • Downloadable Datasets in CSV formats (CSV, Excel).

  • User Feedback & Collaboration:

    • Feedback Forms, Ratings, & Review System to enhance user engagement.

Use

  • Government Planning & Policy Development:

    Support national development plans with accurate population and economic data.

  • Public Awareness & Transparency:

    Make census results accessible to the public in an engaging and easy-to-understand format. Allow citizens to explore local demographic and economic trends.

  • Research & Academia:

    Offer detailed microdata to universities and research institutions for demographic and economic studies. Enable researchers to analyze and predict social and economic trends.

  • Media & Journalism:

    Give journalists access to authoritative data sources for reporting. Create interactive news articles with embedded data visualizations.

Resources

  • Code Repositories:

    https://github.com/tech-acs/dissemination-toolkit

  • Technology Stack:

    • Backend: PHP, Laravel, PostgreSQL, PostGIS.
    • Frontend: Plotly (Charts), Leaflet (Maps).
    • Infrastructure: Ubuntu, Nginx, Redis, Git.
    • Documentation & Development: Open-source (MIT License), hosted on GitHub.

How to Get Started

Send an official request letter to the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) outlining your interest and requesting a demo. ACS will then work closely with you to customize the solution and provide comprehensive training, ensuring your team can effectively deploy the toolkit.

Contact

For more information, please email: ecastats@un.org