Meaning of Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD)
Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) also known as Census Mapping is the delineation of the country untry into compact and identifiable areas which designated enumerators can cover within the time stipulated for the enumeration exercise.

EAD objectives
The primary objective of EAD is to delineate enumeration areas (EAs) in the country to facilitate the smooth enumeration of inhabitants during the enumeration period.
However, the specific objectives of the EAD exercise are as follows:

Demarcate the country into small assignment areas that an enumerator will cover during census or survey exercise
Develop a sustainable skilled workforce in terms of technological know-how and competence in planning and administering census mapping;
Upgrade the census cartographic frame to an internationally acceptable standard;
Systematically adopt digital Cartography and GIS innovations.
Entrench a system of continuous update of the EA frame and the geospatial components;
Develop Stakeholder group on the demand side of EAD products;
Achieve a self-funding GIS infrastructure that will provide revenue for Government;
Disseminate the products to stakeholders in the manner required by the user.

Use of Geospatial data in Census mapping has upgraded Census maps from instruments of Area of assignment location to roles cutting accross all the stages of Census and Surveys helps:

Establishes the number of required field personnel for Census
Aids planning of Transport and other logistics during the Census .Its the basis for the allocation of materials and equipment
It’s used to locate target households and homesteads
It enables integration of EA maps and forms in digital format on the same platform to attach population to a unique space & location.
It ensures full and unduplicated coverage enhances management of field operations.
Easy and faster aggregation of data for dissemination.

Maps make it easier to present, analyse and disseminate census result by using spatial analysis and geocoding.
techniques for producing statistical thematic maps.
Geospatial and Statistical Integration for decision making
Sustainable Geographic Frame for Successive Censuses and Surveys

EAD Strategies
At the commencement of the present EAD exercise, printed forms and satellite imagery were used to collect spatial and attribute data.
The CSPro Application was introduced where printed forms were converted into digital format using the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). However, the satellite imagery was still in hard copy form.
Later a customized application (EADPad) was developed which integrated both the satellite imagery and forms for collecting attribute data on the same platform (PDA).
The EADPad underwent several modifications during the EAD exercise as a response to shortcomings observed in the field.

Quality Assurance Component was used to ensure uniformity, standardization and full compliance with the EAD methodology across the nation.
The Quality Assurance Team comprised the Quality Assurance Officers (QAO) and Quality Assurance Assistants (QAA).
The Commission partnered with INEC to produce Registration Area boundaries to enable INEC deliver on their constitutional mandate of delineation of properly sized electoral units.

T
The EAD exercise was conducted with the collective involvement of various Departments in the Commission.
The Census Department handled the Quality Assurance components of the exercise.
The ICT Department configured, profiled and monitored the PDAs used for the field exercise.
The Legal Department provided the legal frame to guide the conduct of functionaries and maintain the confidentiality of data collected on the field.

Planning and Research Department managed the monitoring and evaluation component.
Human Resources and Administration Department provided secretarial assistance during the training and workshops.
The Public Affairs Department handled advocacy and publicity.
The Finance and Accounts Department disbursed funds to functionaries and other financial duties.

Many categories of functionaries were involved in the EAD project. They are the EAD Technical Team and the State EAD Administrative Team.
EAD Technical Team was made up of the following; EAD Manager and Assistant, Zonal and State Coordinators (ZCs) & (SCs), Technical Assistants (TAs), Quality Assurance Officers (QAOs) and Assistants (QAAs), ICT Officers, GIS Team, Supervisors and Demarcators.
State EAD Administrative Team was made up of the Honourable Federal Commissioner, State Director, Head of Technical (HoT), LGA Comptroller and Community Interface Assistants (CIAs).

The result of the exercise is a range of datasets and other resources, which are useful for data collection, analysis and dissemination of information.

They are also beneficial to several other sectors including agriculture, health, defence, education, communication and energy, as well as for e-governance and the allocation of services and amenities.
The datasets include Enumeration Area (EA), Supervisory Area (SA), Locality, Registration Area (RA)/Ward and Local Government Area (LGA) spatial and attribute data.

Others are information on all buildings in the country, their types and distribution by Wards, Localities, LGAs and States.
Also information on roads and streets, water bodies, infrastructure and distribution of households in the RA/wards, locality, LGA and State were acquired.

These would be available to researchers and other users at a cost, which constitutes a source of revenue generation for the country.

The deliverables can be categorized as:

1. Map Resources
2. Human Resources
3. Other datasets

Map Resources
This is the national digital map for the entire country. They include the following.
Enumeration Area (EA) Maps
Supervisory Area (SA) Maps
Locality Maps
Registration Area (RA)/Ward Maps
Local Government Area (LGA) Maps

Human Resources
Various categories of personnel were trained in the course of the EAD exercise.
General knowledge transferred include:
(a) Importance of census mapping in census taking
(b) EAD methodology
(c) Basic rules of EA delineation
(d) GIS data entry
(e) The use of PDA for data capturing
(f) Etc

The categories of these trained functionaries are as follows:
GIS Personnel
GIS personnel were trained to achieve on-field GIS data entry. Knowledge acquired included use of ArcGIS software for data entry, Editing and Spatial analysis.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Support
ICT Officers acquired knowledge on configuring, installation and profiling of the Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for use. They also gained skills in troubleshooting to resolve challenges that arose from the PDA鈥檚 operating software.

Demarcators and Supervisors
These were the foot soldiers of the EAD exercise. They gained knowledge on canvassing techniques, Satellite Imagery interpretation, map annotation and updating, EA delineation and attribute data collection. They also acquired skills on Interpersonal relationships in the field.

Other datasets
Locality list.
Locality list was generated from the EAD exercise for each LGA. The localities were classified into urban and rural. Further classification is ongoing. This list will be gazetted. It will be used as a basis for Census and other information dissemination.

Road layers
Various categories of roads were digitized during the EAD exercise. Information on road names, class, and type were obtained.

Drainage layers
Water bodies (lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, etc) were digitized, and their attributes were obtained.
Socio-economic Amenities
Socio-economic amenities and landmarks such as financial, educational, health, recreational, traditional, religious, commercial, military and para-military institutions were identified and listed for every LGA.