RSSCensus Bureau to drop problematic PDAs, return to trusty paper
By Tim Conneally | Published April 4, 2008, 12:57 PM
The U.S. Census Bureau has been trying to upgrade to a paperless filing system to collect population data, but it announced this week it will return one aspect to paper forms after PDAs proved to be too complex.
The Bureau is responsible for collecting population data every 10 years so the government may appropriately tailor budgets, congressional representation and voting power of the United States.
Working with Florida-based government, defense and industry contractor Harris Corporation, the Bureau hoped to be able to automate several important tasks in conducting the decennial survey. The contractor developed a handheld computing environment geared specifically toward collecting census data.
The FDCA mobile handhelds reportedly contain GPS receivers and utilize Sprint's network for data transmission. Designed with redundant security features such as a fingerprint scanner, role-based access, password protection, firewall and virus protection, and encryption during storage and transmission, 349,000 of these units and their related software reportedly cost the government $1.3 billion.
One of the tasks these PDAs were originally slated to handle was the Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU) - a means of collecting data from people who do not respond to the questionnaires mailed to them. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Guttierez announced that the FDCA computers would no longer field this job, and that the Bureau would instead go back to a paper filing system.
This means the costly devices will be used exclusively for the Adress Canvassing (AdCan) effort, or the verification of housing unit addresses in each census block. Canvassers add new addresses to the 2010 census list with the aid of the GPS-enabled devices, and correct faulty listings. According to the Associated Press, the devices actually proved to be too complex for some temporary census employees in a "dress rehearsal" last year, necessitating a huge increase in helpdesk staffing.
Additionally, Gutierrez said the automated system was raising concerns as problems became apparent through internal assessments, and GAO and Inspector General reviews. The Census Bureau identified over 400 technical requirements to Harris through these tests and reviews, proving the national census to be a bit too heavy for the existing technical infrastructure.
Laughing..this says more about the education level of the census takers than PDAs
Score: 0
|I see the census as no more than a taxpayer-funded marketing-research scheme for Corporate America these days. Sure, the information is used for political/gov things like apportionment of Congressional seats, etc., but so much of what collected is minutia that would be most relevant to corporations and their marketing departments. So, charge them for it.
The Commerce Dept is estimating this census will cost us $14BILLION. That's FIFTY BUCKS FOR EACH PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY. How can it cost $50 per head to count us and collect some stats, especially when the bulk of it is done by us filling out forms and mailing them in (hey gov: ever hear of web technology?) Either way, this is a giant waste of money - these stupid handhelds that people can't figure out how to use, and this $50/person to count us all!
Score: 0
|Out of the $50 per headcount, you get $0.05 for salary, $0.05 for transportation, and $0.10 for administration free. The rest are unaccounted for.
Score: 0
|Too complex for idiots. Upgrade the people before you upgrade the technology.
Score: 0
|