What ways to use technology to help facilitate probability s

Solution

The main idea about probability sampling is to randomize the sample. That is, every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected in the sample.

A practical way in which technology can help facilitate this kind of sampling is through the generation of random numbers. Every member of the population can be associated with a unique key. The list of keys is fed to a computer which can quickly and efficiently help select a sample from the population randomly.

This randomization can also be achieved without the use of technology although randomization is not guaranteed perfectly. Moreover, the process can be long and cumbersome in case of large population and sample size and prone to human error/intentional misuse.

This will also help controlling costs as human labour cost (and time) are significantly reduced if not completely eliminated. The initial prepation of a list of keys of the population is the largest hurdle. But this too is a one time exercise. After its completion, the same list can be used over and over again to derive customized probability samples.