The U.S. Census Bureau unveiled one of three data capture centers today in Baltimore, Maryland. The processing center will receive mailed questionnaires from households across the nation during the 2010 Census.
“The data from each form processed at the facility will help provide a complete count of the nation’s population and a new portrait of America,” Census Bureau Acting Director Tom Mosenbourg said at the unveiling ceremony that included federal, state, and county officials. According to Census officials, the Baltimore Data Capture Center will process nearly 40 percent, approximately 180 million, of the forms mailed back by respondents. The remaining forms will be sent to the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, Ind., and the data capture center in Phoenix, which is set to open in November.
Lockheed Martin will manage the center along with subcontractor Computer Science Corp. (CSC), who will be overseeing the hiring efforts for the expected 2,500 new employees. The Baltimore Data Center is part of the Decennial Response Integrated System (DIRS), which Lockheed was contracted for in 2005. Under the terms of the contract, Lockheed and its partners are responsible for the people, process, technology, and infrastructure needed to receive, capture, and standardize census data provided by respondents via census forms and telephone agents, as well as provide assistance to the public through the telephone.
Along with CSC, other Lockheed partners include IBM, Vangent, Cardinal Technologies Services, Metier, Evolver and others.
“We are proud to continue supporting the Census Bureau as it strives to paint the newest portrait of America,” said Ken Asbury, President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services-Civil.
Lockheed’s Census Business Practice team has previous experience with the Census work, including the U.S. 2000 Census, the United Kingdom’s 2001 Census, and Canada’s 2006 Census.
“Processing the 2010 Census questionnaires accurately and safely at the data capture centers is a crucial step to a successful census,” Mr. Mesenbourg added.
