Friday, September 13, 2013

Statcan to use spies in the sky


Statistics Canada is going to use satellites to guage this year’s grain and oilseeds crops rather than telephoning thousands of farmers.

The agency says it’s not a money-saving measure, but a move to improve accuracy.

The Canadian Wheat Board has used satellite surveillance for decades to guage crops around the world and help it make marketing plans.

Statistics Canada is under government pressure to cut more than $33 million from its annual budget. It is currently facing severe criticism over the reliability of its new household-survey results which rely on voluntary compliance to fill out a short form rather than the previous compulsory requirements for a longer, more detailed set of questions.

Statistics Canada says it will make a decision before March 31 on whether crop surveys will be done by satellite from now on.