Background:

Divisions:

1.Urban Maps Division

2.Statistical Maps Division

3.General Maps Division

4.Agricultural Maps Division  

Objectives:

The main objectives of the Cartography & GIS Department could be summarized as follows:

1. Prepare, computerize, update and provide all maps needed for office and field work of all projects implemented by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics as well as other governmental and non - governmental agencies utilizing different types of attainable maps in accordance with the General Statistics Law.

2. Prepare a guide for the inhabited and destroyed localities as well as a guide for the different types of statistical divisions.

3. Develop the Palestine Statistical Atlas.

4. Represent the statistical data and present the findings of the statistical surveys and studies through simple graphic and cartographic data representation methods in a way that depicts the various linkages and qualitative and quantitative spatial relations amongst the different basic indicators of a given study or survey.

5. Build a regional geographic database at the governorate and locality levels (and the single building level, if possible) to serve users in general and decision makers and the specialized technical departments of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in particular.  

6. Draw maps that depict the distribution, concentration and main characteristics of the Palestinian population in the world, based on available data and statistical information.

7. Build solid relations with national and international institutions possessing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including the international database of the United Nations Environment Program (GRID) that is keen to provide information on the developments talking place in the Geographic Information Systems.

 Tasks :

1. Provide and produce the different types of urban, agricultural, administrative, and statistical maps for the Palestinian Territory (computerized, manual, field, general, detailed …etc) in accordance with the demands and requirements of the projects conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the various governmental and non – governmental organizations. Meeting the demands of such institutions from such maps shall be in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. 

2. Continuously follow up the updating of urban, agricultural and general maps in the office and the field to ensure they match reality as much as possible. 

3. Divide the Palestinian Territory into demographically similar enumeration areas or agricultural areas in a way that facilitates identification of such areas on the ground.

4. Develop a list of administrative divisions for all Palestinian Territory that match the administrative and electoral structure adopted in the country. Such a step shall encourage the national institutions to make use of the findings derived from the different censuses and surveys conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of  Statistics as well as from the administrative records.

5. Conduct a comprehensive census for all Palestinian localities and prepare a guide for the inhabited and destroyed Palestinian localities and another guide for the Palestinian localities in the Green Line (Palestinian land occupied in 1948) including those localities and villages destroyed by the occupation. This task includes developing long lasting codes for all localities to be used in data tabulation, computerization and dissemination.

6. Build a digital geographic database for the base map to serve the GIS users in general and the specialized technical departments in the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in particular.

7. Build a geographic database at the national and regional levels as well as at the governorate and locality levels (and the single building level, if possible) to serve users in general and decision makers and the specialized technical departments in the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in particular.

8. Draw maps that show the distribution, concentration and characteristics of the Palestinian people all over the world

9.Representation of statistical data in a way that depicts the various linkages as well as qualitative and quantitative spatial relations among the various basic phenomena in accordance with the basic indicators of a given study or survey.

10. Contribute to the presentation and publication / dissemination of the findings of analytical researches and studies in the internet and other public forums, including conferences, workshops, universities all over Palestine in close coordination with data dissemination officials in the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

11. Define the scope of work for the different executive and supervisory levels of fieldwork teams at the map as well as in the pertinent records. Such a function ensures avoiding duplication or overlapping among the different field teams and dropping any areas during listing or enumeration phases.

12. Work on collecting and archiving different types of maps for the Palestinian Territory as much as possible. Proper storage and archival ofcollected maps implies keeping available maps in user friendly state and proper conditions.

13. Based on available resources and potentials, produce different types of small scale maps, such as administrative divisions maps and general maps for some of the key touristic, economic, demographic, natural, or agricultural areas.

14. Participate in conducting training for (and supervising) all filed operations that require mastering maps use, such as listing or numbering an area as party of the preparations for any project conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics or any party requiring assistance from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for carrying out pertinent projects, in accordance with the systems and potentials of the bureau.

15. Coordinate with other map - producing and utilizing national institutions to exchange information and cooperate in the field of providing some types of maps and GIS programs.