Virtual Listing: GIS Approaches to Improve Survey Listing Efficiency

• Activity Number: 637 - The Use of Auxiliary Data in Frame Development, Coverage Assessment, and Field Data Collection
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 2, 2018 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Michael Giangrande* and J. Michael Brick and David Morganstein and Katie Lewis
• Companies: Westat and Westat and Westat and U.S. Energy Information Administration
• Keywords: GIS; Geographic Information Systems; listing; area probability sample; virtual listing; geospatial

Abstract

As the availability and strength of geographic information systems (GIS) tools and data increase, the opportunities to use them to improve survey efficiency grow as well. In this paper, we discuss the use of various geospatial resources, such as those provided by Google and other commercial vendors, to conduct a virtual listing of commercial buildings. The virtual listing method was used to construct a frame for the 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, a survey conducted periodically for the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We discuss the advantages we found by having office staff remotely list areas using GIS tools. Also, we identify challenges we overcame as well as some that remain. The research design included a dual listing activity where specific areas were independently listed both virtually and using traditional on-the-ground listing methods. The resulting coverage, accuracy, and efficiency estimates for both approaches are evaluated.