81 FR 72036 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2018 End-to-End Census Test-Address Canvassing Operation

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 202 (October 19, 2016)

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72036-72037]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25253]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2018 End-to-End 
Census Test--Address Canvassing Operation

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before December 19, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Requests for additional information 
or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Robin A. Pennington, Census Bureau, HQ-2K281N, 
Washington, DC 20233; (301) 763-8132 (or via email at 
[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    During the years preceding the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will 
pursue its commitment to reduce the costs of conducting a decennial 
census, while maintaining our commitment to quality. In the 2018 Fiscal 
Year, the Census Bureau will be performing a 2018 End-to-End Census 
Test. This last major test before the 2020 Census has the stated 
purpose (1) to test and validate 2020 Census operations, procedures, 
systems, and field infrastructure together to ensure proper integration 
and conformance with functional and non-functional requirements, and 
(2) to produce a prototype of geographic and data products.
    The Address Canvassing operation, beginning in the summer of 2017, 
is the first operation in the 2018 End-to-End Census Test. The purpose 
of the Address Canvassing operation is (1) to deliver a complete and 
accurate address list and spatial database for enumeration and 
tabulation, and (2) to determine the type and address characteristics 
for each living quarter.
    The following objectives are crucial to a successful Address 
Canvassing operation:
     Test the listing and mapping capabilities required by In-
Field Address Canvassing.
     Validate the creation of In-Field Address Canvassing 
workload by In-Office Address Canvassing.
     Conduct a listing quality control operation during In-
Field Address Canvassing.

Background

    For the 2010 Census, Address Canvassing field staff, referred to as 
listers, traversed almost every block in the nation to compare what 
they observed on the ground to the contents of the Census Bureau's 
address list. Listers verified or corrected addresses that were on the 
list, added new addresses to the list, and deleted addresses that no 
longer existed. Listers also collected map spot locations (i.e., Global 
Positioning System coordinates) for each structure and added new 
streets.
    In addition to Address Canvassing, the Census Bureau conducted the 
Group Quarters Validation (GQV) operation after the Address Canvassing 
operation and prior to enumeration for the 2010 Census. The purpose of 
the GQV operation was to improve the Group Quarters (GQ) frame. A GQ is 
a place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement that 
is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/
or services for the residents. This is not a typical household-type 
living arrangement, and residency is commonly restricted to those 
receiving specific services. Types of GQs include such places as 
college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled-nursing 
facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, 
and workers' dormitories.
    For the 2010 Census GQV operation, field staff visited a specific 
address to determine if it was a GQ, housing unit, transitory location 
(TL), a non-residential unit, or if it was nonexistent. If the address 
was a GQ or TL, the lister collected additional information needed for 
subsequent enumeration operations such as contact name. In support of a 
more efficient census design strategy, the 2020 Census will not conduct 
a separate operation to validate GQ information. Instead, the 2020 
Census will validate GQ information during the Address Canvassing 
operation. This includes the collection of a contact name and phone 
number, as well as data about the type of GQ and the number of 
potential residents, which will be needed in enumeration operations 
during the census. The Address Canvassing Operation component of the 
2018 End-to-End Census Test will be a test of the Address Canvassing 
field procedures planned for the 2020 Census Address Canvassing, as 
well as a validation study of the In-Office Address Canvassing that is 
planned. These processes are described in more detail below.

2020 Census Address Canvassing: In-Office Address Canvassing

    In-Office Address Canvassing is the process of using empirical 
geographic evidence (e.g., imagery, comparison of the Census Bureau's 
address list to partner-provided lists) to assess the current address 
list and make changes where necessary. This component detects and 
captures change from high quality administrative and third-party data, 
reducing the In-Field Address Canvassing workload.
    In-Office Address Canvassing starts with Interactive Review (IR), 
which is an imagery-based review to assess the extent to which the 
number of addresses--both housing units and GQs--in the census address 
list are consistent with the number of addresses visible in current 
imagery. It also assesses the changes between the current imagery and 
an older vintage of imagery (around the time of 2010 Census Address 
Canvassing).
    Results from IR inform the Active Block Resolution (ABR) process, 
which seeks to research and update areas identified with growth, 
decline,

[[Page 72037]]

undercoverage of addresses, or overcoverage of addresses from the 
comparison of the two different vintages of imagery and counts of 
addresses in the Master Address File (MAF) maintained by the Census 
Bureau. In addition to using the results from IR, the ABR process uses 
other data sources to resolve the identified issues in the office and 
to update the MAF rather than sending these areas to In-Field Address 
Canvassing. The other data sources include local Geographic Information 
Systems (GIS) viewers available online, parcel data, local files 
acquired through the U.S. Census Bureau's Geographic Support System 
(GSS) program, and commercial data. Areas not resolved in the office 
become the universe of geographic areas worked during In-Field Address 
Canvassing.

2020 Census Address Canvassing: In-Field Address Canvassing

    In-Field Address Canvassing is the process of having listers visit 
specific geographic areas to identify every place where people could 
live or stay, and then to compare what they see on the ground to the 
existing census address list and either verify or correct the address 
and location information. Listers also classify each living quarter 
(LQ) as a housing unit or GQ. Listers will knock on doors at every 
structure in an attempt to locate LQs. If someone answers, the lister 
will provide a Confidentiality Notice and ask about the address in 
order to verify or update the information, as appropriate. The lister 
will then ask if there are any additional LQs in the structure or on 
the property. If there are additional LQs, the lister will collect/
update that information, as appropriate. If the lister does not find 
anyone at home, they will update the address list as best they can by 
observation.

II. Method of Collection

Universe

    The 2018 End-to-End Census Test occurs in three sites within the 
continental United States: Pierce County, Washington, Providence 
County, Rhode Island, and Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, West Virginia 
area. For the In-Field Address Canvassing data collection within the 
2018 End-to-End Census Test, listers will knock on every door in their 
assigned blocks to ask residents about their living quarters. However, 
the Census Bureau expects that they would make contact with residents 
(i.e., someone is at home) at most 25 percent of the time.

In-Field Address Canvassing

    In-Field Address Canvassing will hire new field listers, who are 
primarily inexperienced with census listing activities. Listers will 
receive work assignments grouped by geography and in close proximity to 
the lister's residence (whenever possible). Field staff will use the 
Enterprise Census and Survey Enabling (ECaSE) platform's Listing and 
Mapping software.

Current Design Strategy

    In order to assess and accomplish the stated objectives described 
above, In-Office Address Canvassing clerical staff will work every 
block in the three sites. The In-Office Address Canvassing process will 
identify blocks that create the universe of blocks for In-Field Address 
Canvassing. The Census Bureau estimates that the 2020 Census In-Field 
Address Canvassing workload will be approximately 25 percent.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Households/Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 43,965 Households.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 min/Household.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,664 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: The only cost to respondents 
is that of their time to respond.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, Sections 141 and 193.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-25253 Filed 10-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P