How geotagging of buildings will work during Census, how it will help

Key Highlights:

• The 2027 Census of India will be conducted digitally and include self-enumeration.
• For the first time since 1931, individual castes will be counted.
• All buildings across India will be geotagged for the first time during the Census.
• The Houselisting Operations (HLO), scheduled for April-September 2026, will include geotagging.
• The 2011 Census recorded 330.84 million houses in India.

Detailed Insights:

• Geotagging involves marking the latitude-longitude coordinates of buildings on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map, providing a precise locational identity.
• During the HLO, enumerators will use Digital Layout Mapping (DLM) on smartphones to geotag buildings within their assigned Houselisting Blocks (HLBs).
• Data collected will include the number of Census Houses and Households, with buildings categorized as 'residential', 'non-residential', 'partly residential', or 'landmark'.
• Geotagging aims to improve the estimation of houses and households, enhancing workload management for field functionaries.
• Previously, notional sketches were drawn by hand; now, the government uses geotagging for assets like houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY).

Key Concepts Involved:

• Geotagging: Marking latitude-longitude coordinates of buildings on a GIS map.
• GIS (Geographic Information System): A computer system that captures, checks, and displays data on specific positions on the Earth.
• Census House: A building or part of a building with a separate main entrance.
• Household: A group of persons who normally live together and take their meals from a common kitchen.