As part of its Statistical Experience Sharing Webinar Series, SESRIC, in collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), organised a Webinar on “Integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into Population and Housing Censuses: Latest Trends” on 30 April 2026.

The event brought together 95 official statisticians and experts from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs), relevant ministries, and national institutions of 32 OIC countries. In addition to the technical contributions of UNSD and ESCWA, experts from BPS–Statistics Indonesia, the Department of Statistics (DoS) of Jordan, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) shared their country experiences and good practices on integrating GIS and geospatial information into population censuses and household surveys.

Discussions focused on the latest international standards, methodological developments and country practices concerning the integration of GIS and geospatial information into population and housing censuses. Emphasis was placed on digital census mapping, geocoding, GNSS-enabled field operations, Earth observation data, geospatial quality assurance, and the dissemination of geospatially enabled census outputs.

The Webinar covered the following topics:

• international standards and methodological frameworks for integrating geospatial information into population and housing censuses;
• digital census mapping and geospatial infrastructure, including enumeration area delineation and geocoded address and building data;
• the use of GNSS, satellite imagery, Earth observation data and geoportals in census field operations and quality assurance;
• dissemination of geospatially enabled census outputs, including small-area statistics, common geographies, and grid-based products; and
• regional and national experiences from the OIC region in integrating GIS into censuses and household surveys.

The Webinar was organised in line with the relevant resolutions adopted by the 14th Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), as well as the relevant decisions of its preceding sessions, which emphasised the advancement of National Statistical Systems (NSSs) in OIC Member Countries. In this regard, the Webinar contributed to ongoing efforts to promote the use of geospatial technologies, electronic data-collection tools, and practical experience-sharing among OIC countries in support of modern, inclusive and geospatially enabled census systems.

The Webinar also supported the priorities reflected in the forthcoming OIC-StatCom Programme of Action 2026–2030, particularly those related to strengthening the technical capacities of NSSs in OIC countries and enhancing cooperation with regional and international organisations in preparation for the forthcoming census rounds.

For more information on the SESRIC Statistical Experience Sharing Webinar Series, please visit: https://www.oicstatcom.org/webinar-series.php

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