Redlands, California - ESRI, the world leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, announces that its ArcPad mobile GIS platform will be a component of the Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) project for the 2010 U.S. Census.
Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) of Melbourne, Florida, has been selected by the U.S. Census Bureau as the system integrator and prime contractor for a $600 million, five-year program to develop and implement an automated system for field data collection. The FDCA program will support census field enumerators who will follow up and collect survey data from households that did not return their census forms. The field enumerator will be equipped with GPS-enabled mobile devices, which will include ESRI's ArcPad software. ArcPad enables field personnel to capture and display geographic information in near real time. Its characteristics for performance, productivity, enterprise GIS integration, and customization make ArcPad an ideal solution for the FDCA project.
"We are delighted that ESRI technology will be supporting the 2010 Census," says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. "Location data is easily recorded and transmitted directly into databases, increasing operational efficiency and improving workflows."
The capabilities offered in the field enumerator's mobile GIS platform include a visual GPS indicator and a visual display of a planned route with nonresponse follow-up address assignments. Rick Ayers, ESRI business development manager, reports that ArcPad's mobile GIS capabilities will be tightly integrated with other mobile solutions necessary to carry out the census. ArcPad will be customized to support tasks such as "navigation, adding and removing living quarters, and updating of street features." According to Ayers, "The U.S. Census Bureau uses GIS technology throughout its organization. GIS supports programs and services for American FactFinder, American Community Survey, and more."
The field infrastructure for the 2010 Census will consist of 13 temporary regional centers that will manage field data collection for their regions and 455 local census offices with management and clerical staffs to oversee data collection. It will also include field operations supervisors and crew leaders who will manage the groups of census blocks within their local jurisdiction and up to 500,000 enumerators comprising temporary workers who will conduct the bulk of the data collection work.
To learn more about the FDCA program for the 2010 Census, visit www.harris.com.
