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A System for Household Enumeration and Re-identification in Densely Populated Slums to Facilitate Community Research, Education, and Advocacy

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2014

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Public Library of Science
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Thomson, Dana R., Shrutika Shitole, Tejal Shitole, Kiran Sawant, Ramnath Subbaraman, David E. Bloom, and Anita Patil-Deshmukh. 2014. “A System for Household Enumeration and Re-identification in Densely Populated Slums to Facilitate Community Research, Education, and Advocacy.” PLoS ONE 9 (4): e93925. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093925. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093925.

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Abstract

Background: We devised and implemented an innovative Location-Based Household Coding System (LBHCS) appropriate to a densely populated informal settlement in Mumbai, India. Methods and Findings: LBHCS codes were designed to double as unique household identifiers and as walking directions; when an entire community is enumerated, LBHCS codes can be used to identify the number of households located per road (or lane) segment. LBHCS was used in community-wide biometric, mental health, diarrheal disease, and water poverty studies. It also facilitated targeted health interventions by a research team of youth from Mumbai, including intensive door-to-door education of residents, targeted follow-up meetings, and a full census. In addition, LBHCS permitted rapid and low-cost preparation of GIS mapping of all households in the slum, and spatial summation and spatial analysis of survey data. Conclusion: LBHCS was an effective, easy-to-use, affordable approach to household enumeration and re-identification in a densely populated informal settlement where alternative satellite imagery and GPS technologies could not be used.

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Biology and Life Sciences, Paleontology, Paleogeography, Settlement Patterns, Computer and Information Sciences, Geoinformatics, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing Imagery, Spatial Analysis, Earth Sciences, Geography, Human Geography, Social Geography, Cartography, Medicine and Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Spatial Epidemiology, Health Care, Socioeconomic Aspects of Health, Public and Occupational Health, Global Health, Survey Research, Survey Methods

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