This paper describes the data processing methodology adopted for Zambia’s Population and Housing Census 2000. It was planned that the 2000 Census data would be captured using Optical Mark Reading (OMR) Technology. The paper discusses several aspects of the process including designing of the OMR scanable census questionnaires, outsourcing of resources for scanning and gives an overview of the problems encountered and constraints identified.

Paper presented at Regional Workshop on Census Data Processing: Contemporary technologies for data capture, methodology and practice of data editing, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2008.