On the show
Counting a population without waiting for a census
A census is expensive and slow. Researchers increasingly work from mobility data, satellite imagery, and other high-frequency sources to see population change as it happens.
Why it is hard to measure
- These sources are fast and wide, and they show movement almost in real time.
- They record behaviour without explanation. You see that a population moved, not why.
- Coverage skews toward people who carry phones and appear in digital records.
- Most teams end up pairing the wide signal with a narrow, deliberate one.
Questions only a conversation can ask
“You moved in the past year. What set it off — and what nearly kept you where you were?”
“Do you expect to be at this address a year from now? What would change that?”
Where SamSurveyor fits
This is the narrow, deliberate half. Behavioural data shows the movement; a guided conversation with a defined group supplies the reason behind it.
Hear this discussed
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