GeoTerra Image provides new insights into South Africa’s population lifestyles and living standards

The South African population’s diversity is defined by numerous factors including, various language groups, income, geographical location, residential dwelling type and access to resources, to mention just a few, all of which largely influence behavioural characteristics.

The GeoTerra Image Neighbourhood Lifestyle Index®©, better known as the NLI®©, has for several years provided a wealth of information to gain insight into the South African population dynamics and is now being significantly enhanced and transformed into the new NLI®© Advanced Dataset.

Introduced successfully in 2016, the NLI®© currently serves as a vital tool for a diverse range of applications, as illustrated by the significant number of users in South Africa, which includes prominent banks, telecommunication companies, international marketing research companies, large retail companies, government bodies at national and provincial levels, scientific research establishments, and various others. Initially structured around ten primary income categories, the original NLI®© dataset effectively categorises South African neighbourhoods according to their wealth status, revealing distinct characteristics that served as indicators of diverse lifestyles.

South Africa’s continuous adapting of lifestyles to changing living standards necessitated further developments of the NLI®© to provide an even deeper understanding of the diversity and dynamics of the nation. The NLI®© Advanced Dataset provides a new segmentation of the populace into more refined groups with 10 primary classes and 29 sub-classes (taking care not to over-segment) that share common traits, behaviours, interests, and consumer tendencies.

Notably, the NLI®© Advanced segmentation is not a sample survey-based product but is statistically segmented and modelled from population dwelling unit information and various other sources of information. Using advanced statistical techniques and multiple input datasets, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based processing of extensive data volumes provide a much more representative and accurate view of households and neighbourhoods across South Africa.

Beyond offering insights into family dynamics, life stages, value systems, cultural identities, and household finances, the new dataset has a comprehensive segmentation approach with community size and settlement types as integral components. The dataset also encompasses information on housing variety, socio-economic vulnerabilities, access to technology, employment prospects, transportation or mobility options, recreational opportunities, healthcare access, educational facilities, retail availability, and alternative energy sources (such as solar power) to mitigate power outages.

We at GeoTerra Image are confident that the new NLI®© Advanced Dataset is a valuable tool in facilitating decision-making processes and gaining an even better understanding of the entire South African population. The new NLI®© Advanced Dataset is currently in the final stages of development and will shortly be available.