[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15505-15507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06466]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Address 
Canvassing Test

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 May 23, 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.

[[Page 15506]]

With cost reductions in mind, the Census Bureau is focusing on Key 
Innovation Areas, which includes reengineering the 2020 Census Address 
Canvassing Operation. The goal of Reengineering Address Canvassing is 
to ensure an accurate address frame is developed utilizing innovative 
methodologies and data for updating the Master Address File (MAF)/
Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) 
System throughout the decade.
    The Address Canvassing Test, which occurs in the fall of 2016, will 
include two major components of the reengineered Address Canvassing 
operation: In-Office Address Canvassing and In-Field Address 
Canvassing. The purpose of the test is to determine the accuracy and 
feasibility of some of the planned innovations for Address Canvassing. 
The Census Bureau believes that there are other means for accomplishing 
the address list updates and determining which areas have housing 
changes without canvassing every single block in the field just before 
the census. The Address Canvassing Test will examine these new methods, 
which will allow decisions to be made about their feasibility for use 
within the decennial census.
    The following objectives are crucial to a successful Address 
Canvassing Test:
     Implementing all In-Office Address Canvassing processes, 
including Interactive Review (IR), Active Block Resolution (ABR), MAF 
Updating and Identification of the In-Field Address Canvassing 
workload.
     Evaluating the effectiveness of online training for Field 
Supervisors and Field Representatives.
     Measuring the effectiveness of In-Office Address 
Canvassing through In-Field Address Canvassing.
     Integrating multiple information technology applications 
to create one seamless operational data collection, control and 
management system.

Background

    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. A complete and accurate 
address list and map is the cornerstone of a successful census.
    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. People living in GQs are usually not 
related to each other. 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. Services offered may include custodial or 
medical care as well as other types of assistance.
    For the 2010 Census GQV operation, field staff visited a specific 
address to determine if it was a GQ, housing unit, transitory location, 
a non-residential unit, or if it was nonexistent. If the address was a 
GQ, the lister conducted an in-person interview with the GQ contact 
person to determine a type of GQ and collect additional information to 
plan for enumeration. 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.
    Transitory Locations are recreational vehicle parks, campgrounds, 
hotels, motels, marinas, racetracks, circuses and carnivals. Transitory 
Locations are not in scope for the Address Canvassing Test.

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 removes 
geographic areas from the In-Field Address Canvassing workload based on 
the determination of address stability. In addition, 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 Group Quarters--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 
Address Canvassing).
    Results from IR inform the Active Block Resolution (ABR) process, 
which seeks to research and update areas identified with growth, 
decline, undercoverage of addresses, or overcoverage of addresses from 
the comparison of the two different vintages of imagery and counts of 
addresses in the MAF. 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 Canvasing: In-Field Address Canvassing

    In-Field Address Canvassing is the process of having field staff 
visit specific geographic areas to identify every place where people 
could live or stay. Field staff compare what they see on the ground to 
the existing census address list and either verify or correct the 
address and location information. Field staff also classify each living 
quarter (LQ) as a housing unit or GQ. Field staff (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 listers will then ask if there are any additional LQs 
in the structure or on the property. If there are additional LQs, the 
listers 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.

[[Page 15507]]

II. Method of Collection

Universe

    The Address Canvassing Test occurs in two sites within the 
continental United States. Each site is comprised of 4,000 blocks with 
up to 125,000 addresses in each site. All living quarters in the test 
sites are included in the In-Office Address Canvassing workload, as 
well as the In-Field Address Canvassing workload. For the In-Field 
Address Canvassing data collection, listers will knock on every door 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 50 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 
Census Bureau's Listing and Mapping Application (LiMA) software on 
government furnished smartphone devices.

Current Design Strategy

    In order to assess and accomplish the stated objectives described 
above, both In-Office Address Canvassing clerical staff and In-Field 
Address Canvassing listers will work every block in the two test sites. 
This allows for the comparison of results from both In-Office Address 
Canvassing and In-Field Address Canvasing to measure the effectiveness 
of In-Office Address Canvassing procedures and processes.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Households/Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 62,500 Households.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 min/Household.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,208.
    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.

    Dated: March 17, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-06466 Filed 3-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P