Census CounterParts Employee Newsletter - April 1994

Census Bureau Joins Information Superhighway

Spreading Data Electronically

As part of the Vice President’s National Performance Review (NPR), the Census Bureau is responsible for the initiative to enhance electronic dissemination of data. The Census Bureau’s Assistant Director for Communications Jane Callen is responsible for the NPR effort to reengineer the Census Bureau called DIAMOND or Data Information Access for Modified ON-Line Delivery. One result of this project is the new capacity to release Census Bureau news and data products on the Internet. The Internet is a worldwide collection of networks for anyone with access – typically governments, businesses, and educational institutions. By making data available on the Internet, the Census Bureau is increasing access to taxpayer-funded statistics.

Reporters, business people, and Federal employees were introduced to the Census Bureau’s Internet node at a briefing in March. They learned how to electronically access information and products from the Census Bureau. The following are prototypes currently available on the Internet:

New releases and media tipsheets
Center for Economic Studies research papers
New product advisories from Data User Services Division
Statistical Briefs
“We, the Americans” series from the 1990 census
Statistical software from the International Statistical Programs Center and menu driven software to extract data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the Current Population Survey (CPS)
Pointers to find on the Internet sites providing census data.

This site on the Internet will be a prototype for about six months. It will be refined and improved based on user comments.

Customers Count

Recognizing the need to be more customer driven, the Census Bureau established the DIAMOND project in September 1993. As part of the effort to reinvent government, DIAMOND will guide and support the conversion to a customer-oriented organization-focusing primarily on improving the Bureau’s information dissemination efforts.

The DIAMOND staff, led by Valerie Gregg, is assigned to the office of the Assistant Director for Communications. The staff conducted a series of assessments on the current state of information dissemination activities at the Census Bureau and reviewed methods used in the private sector to re-engineer processes.

Several teams of 12 members each – headed by a senior manager of Executive Staff member – were created to focus on the following:

A Bureau-wide customer information system
An Internet capability for releasing Census Bureau information and data products
Processes for improving customer relations with the United States Congress

The teams have laid the groundwork for the Census Bureau to better understand its customers’ needs and expectations by delivering the following:

A recommendation for a customer information system
A functioning Internet prototype and a plan for full implementation when the test phase is completed
An initial set of customer service standards for Congress, improved processes for reacting to congressional information requests, and recommendations for strengthening our Congressional Affairs Office’s capacity for anticipating congressional information needs

Various divisions are working on the development and implementation of these recommendations and processes. A new Marketing Processes Team will build on the work of the first three teams and deliver a set of marketing processes in June.