Census Bureau still working on key database

Next year's census will require a complete and accurate database of the addresses of 140 million U.S. households, a task that is still a work in progress. The Government Accountability Office reported last week that the Census Bureau is moving forward building that all-important database, but still must resolve software issues, and thoroughly test its systems before next year's decennial count.

Robert Goldenkoff, director of strategic issues at GAO, told the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives that the recession and its impact on the housing market has made the task of creating an accurate database more difficult because of all the foreclosures.

"On its face, it would appear that building an accurate address list would be a relatively straightforward task, given the obvious nature of many dwellings and the availability of postal addresses," Goldenkoff said.  "Although these types of dwellings have always existed, the large number of foreclosures the nation has recently experienced, as well as the natural disasters that have hit the Gulf Coast and other regions, have likely increased the number of people doubling up, living in motels, tent cities, and other types of less conventional housing."

Nextgov.com reports that the address file and digital mapping component called TIGER are being handled under a $200 million contract by the Harris Corp. Goldenkoff said testing the system ahead of next year's count is crucial, but he noted that Census Bureau has repeatedly stated that the limited amount of time remaining will make completing all testing activities challenging.

For more on the 2010 Census:
- see this nextgov.com article

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2010 Census faces major IT challenges