Sprint to Be Exclusive Wireless Data Provider for US Census Count

US network operator, Sprint has won the contract to be the exclusive wireless provider to the US Census survey, being carried out by Harris Corp. for the US government.

"Sprint provides the best value for the government by offering a cost-effective converged solution for the cellular and landline data needs of the program, while also leveraging a robust portfolio of managed services and their secure and reliable Now Network," said Mike Murray, Vice President, Harris Census Programs. "As a result of the combined solutions and technology provided by Sprint and Harris, the 2010 Decennial Census is expected to be the most accurate in U.S. history."

Beginning in April 2009, approximately 140,000 field workers carried the Harris custom-built devices operating on the Sprint network, with the ability to transmit collected data back to the Census Bureau in near real-time. In addition to their unique data collection capabilities, all hand held devices were equipped with GPS capabilities (allowing workers to verify addresses remotely without relying on printed maps) and fingerprint ID scanning for added security.

The Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) database designed and supported by Harris, will automate the collection and management of addresses and GPS data, to enable the first virtually paperless conduct of the address canvassing effort.

It is expected that ongoing system and network integration provided by Sprint and Harris will allow the FDCA program to ultimately save time and deliver more accurate results, faster. The network services from Sprint will also help allow the bureau to meet the security requirements imposed by Title 13 of the U.S. code.

Posted to the site on 30th June 2009