Sampling strategies in rural and urban settings in Africa - Looking from the sky

Probability sampling strategies are compromised by the absence of a trust sampling frame. In developing countries, data collection from health and demographic surveys face additional challenges. When census data or household inventories are unavailable, using available aerial and satellite imagery, it is possible to create spatial sampling frames. Drones and Google Earth Pro images can be used to identify and locate households in a first step. However, an image only shows something like rooftops. In a second step, we need to confirm households in the field, but the first step contributes to minimizing time and cost. Random households can be selected from these spatial sampling frames. Some issues remain, for example, in rural areas people may migrate in search of water and pasture in the dry season for some time. In urban settings, informal settlements also bring some different obstacles. In this work, applications of geo-sampling strategies in rural and urban areas will be presented.