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I am helping set up a project to gather survey data from small retail outlets in an emerging market using Open Data Kit.

Is there any established methodology to estimate how much territory a surveyor can cover in a given time?

I'm finding it difficult to estimate time and manpower requirements.

PolyGeo
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Christian M.
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    what does the survey consist of? Observing the customers? Interviewing the managers? see doforms.com – Willy May 12 '12 at 08:35

1 Answers1

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This may depend on the kind of surveying you are considering, preexisting or new plats.

Secondly, there are far more variables to determining time requirements than can be quantified accurately, mostly environmental, such as elevation. Experience of the surveyor can also greatly change the time table but with age terrain can reduce efficiency. My point being that there are far to many undefinable variables to predict time required accurately.

PolyGeo
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Frank Phillips
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  • Hi Frank, Thanks for that, it's a good point. We are planning to send people out to collect basic data about small traditional retail outlets (as opposed to big chain stores). Because the roads here often have several names, or are spelled many different ways, we intend to use actual location coordinates to identify stores and then use this data for distribution network design. The question remains, however. When surveys are being conducted, some rough estimate must be used to pencil in capacity requirements. – Christian M. May 14 '12 at 08:16
  • Please define "basic data". Anything else but name and position? – underdark May 15 '12 at 17:19
  • Not much more. Name, location, product type, ownership. We're planning to get a few pictures inside and outside as well. – Christian M. May 16 '12 at 03:21
  • Surveying in the context of this forum has a much more involved meaning. Canvasing is more what you are doing in that you want to simply capture feature data not terrain or geospatial data. As far as canvasing you would first need to zone the mapped area into traverse types, meaning vehicle, air, foot. I would then use a grid system to come up with average times to travel grids based on traverse and then multiply that time buy a factor of the feature density in that grid. Might get you thinking in the right direction, but the answer is pretty involved, may be easier to just get started. – Frank Phillips May 17 '12 at 14:41