Recent Advances in Survey Sampling Techniques (14w2202)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Recent Advances in Survey Sampling Techniques" workshop from to .

It is well known that surveys provide a means of measuring a population’s characteristics. Repeating surveys at regular intervals can assist in the measurement of changes over time. Through surveys, we obtain invaluable data on self-reported and observed behaviour, awareness of programs, attitudes or opinions, and needs, to name just a few. These information are invaluable in planning and evaluating government policies and programs. Unlike a population census, where all members of a population are studied, sample surveys gather information from only a fraction of a population of interest. For the survey to be valid, the sample has to be objectively chosen so that each member of the population will have an equal chance of selection. Otherwise, the results may not be reliably projected from the sample to the population.

Suitable choice of a sample size, the manner of how the samples are chosen, the method of estimation and its inference are all important to deliberate carefully so that investigators can aid in planning and evaluating government policies and various programs effectively and unbiasedly. This workshop will showcase important advances in survey method and small area estimation techniques developed in the last three decades and highlight major challenges for the future for further development.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).