THE MISSION
Technology with a
public purpose.
Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) was intended to equip census field operations with handheld computers and supporting systems. After a 2008 scope change, handhelds remained part of address canvassing, while nonresponse follow-up returned to paper. Address canvassing checked the address inventory needed to conduct the population count.
GAO-08-936: 2010 Census technology and operational changes ↗Why software quality mattered
Field technology had to work across large assignments, synchronize data reliably, and support users outside an office. GAO documented performance and transmission problems in the dress rehearsal. Census’s later evaluation describes integration, interface, user, and performance testing before the address-canvassing operation.
Census Bureau: Evaluation of Automation in Field Data Collection, executive summary and testing discussion ↗PRIOR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Our leadership’s reported contribution
Ji Tech’s leadership reports testing experience connected with 2010 Census technology before Ji Tech was formed. The work is presented as individual professional experience, with a quality focus on finding problems before they affected field users. The supplied “FIDCA” label has not been conclusively matched to FDCA, so the FDCA history is reference context rather than a verified contract attribution.
TESTING & MISSION READINESS
How testing helps the program move forward
The priorities below are an analysis of the public system context, not a verified list of tasks completed on this engagement.
Field workflows and data quality
Check address edits, required fields, action codes, and unusual cases so incorrect or incomplete records can be detected before submission.
Synchronization and recovery
Test interrupted connections, retries, duplicate submissions, and reconciliation between a handheld device and central systems.
Operational readiness
Exercise realistic assignment sizes and user workflows, then retest fixes against the same conditions to expose regressions.
The goal: find defects earlier, verify corrections, and give stakeholders evidence for release decisions. Testing reduces risk; it does not guarantee defect-free software.
PUBLIC PROGRAM RECORD
What Census later reported
Historical address-canvassing result; Census evaluation, executive summary.
Census’s evaluation reports successful GPS-coordinate capture for 98.8% of attempted structure collections and faster address-file updating than the paper operations used for comparison. It also found that the automation did not achieve expected cost savings. These are historical operation-level findings, not measures of an individual tester’s impact or proof of defect-free software.
Census Bureau: Evaluation of Automation in Field Data Collection, executive summary and testing discussion ↗PUBLIC CONTRACT RECORD
What the cited record establishes
- Public reference program
- Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA)
- Prime awardee
- Harris Corporation
- Original award period
- March 2006; five-year contract
- Original award value
- $595,667,000
- Engagement label match
- FDCA / supplied FIDCA spelling: not confirmed
The original FDCA award is distinct from later modified values and expected final costs. The prior work remains leadership experience before Ji Tech’s formation; Harris’s award is not presented as a Ji Tech award.
View source record ↗Discuss related capabilities
Explore Ji Tech’s services for a similar mission. These links describe current capabilities and do not add unverified deliverables to this project record.