Design and Development of Mobile GIS for Nomad Geo-demographic Data Collection in Iran

Quick access to accurate and up-to-date statistics is a prerequisite for sustainable planning in every country. Regarding rapid growth of urban population and migration of nomads to the cities in developing countries, and significant contribution for moving nomads to livestock productions in Iran and lack of standard and integrated spatial data on their locations, make it necessary to use modern device to obtain accurate data on moving nomads. Moving nomads change their location in order to find better positions for their livestocks in some seasons and this specifications, implies the significance of registering their spatial information and applying them. This paper discusses the design and development of The SCI developed this system and mobile mapping system for collecting geodemographic data on nomads. IT is a Pocket PC equipped with GPS and was used the Socio-Economic census of nomad in June and July 2008 in 27 provinces in Iran with the area of 1556812 Km2. Moreover, this paper discusses the establishment of spatial database of 15000 smallest nomadic divisions with the capability of displaying multimedia information about these divisions (groups) including high quality photo, movie and nomad's dialects along with questionnaire information. Modeling of distributions of nomads, tribes and clans in summer territories according to the levels of the nation's administrative divisions by using GIS as well as control of nomadic coverage of census, time and cost saving and easy accesses to further information, are some other features of this developed system.