Current Population Survey Design and Methodology - Census Bureau

Chapter 8.
Transmitting the Interview Results
INTRODUCTION
With the advent of completely electronic interviewing,
transmission of the interview results took on a heightened
importance to the field representative (FR). The data transmissions
between headquarters, the regional field office,
and the FRs is all done electronically. This chapter provides
a summary of these procedures and how the data
are prepared for production processing.
The system for transmission of data is centralized at U.S.
Census Bureau headquarters. All data transfers must pass
through headquarters even if that is not the final destination
of the information. The system was designed this way
for ease of management and to ensure uniformity of procedures
within a given survey and between different surveys.
The transmission system was designed to satisfy the
following requirements:
• Provide minimal user intervention.
• Upload and/or download in one transmission.
• Transmit all surveys in one transmission.
• Transmit software upgrades with data.
• Maintain integrity of the software and the assignment.
• Prevent unauthorized access.
• Handle mail messages.
The central database system at headquarters cannot initiate
transmissions. Either the FR or the regional offices
(ROs) must initiate any transmissions. Computers in the
field are not continuously connected to the headquarters
computers. Instead, the field computers contact the headquarters
computers to exchange data using a toll free 800
number. The central database system contains a group of
servers that store messages and case information required
by the FRs or the ROs. When an interviewer calls in, the
transfer of data from the FR’s computer to headquarters
computers is completed first and then any outgoing data
are transferred to the FR’s computer.
A major concern with the use of an electronic method of
transmitting interview data is the need for complete security.
Both the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) are required to honor the pledge of confidentiality
given to all Current Population Survey (CPS)
respondents. The system was designed to safeguard this
pledge. All transmissions between the headquarters central
database and the FRs’ computers are compacted and
Current Population Survey TP66
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau
encrypted. All transmissions between headquarters, the
ROs, the Centralized Telephone Facilities, and the National
Processing Center (NPC) are over secure telecommunications
lines that are leased by the Census Bureau and are
accessible only by Census Bureau employees through their
computers.
TRANSMISSION OF INTERVIEW DATA
Telecommunications exchanges between an FR and the
central database usually take place once per day during
the survey interview period. Additional transmissions may
be made at any time as needed. Each transmission is a
batch process in which all relevant files are automatically
transmitted and received.
Each FR is expected to make a telecommunications transmission
at the end of every work day during the interview
period. This is usually accomplished by a preset transmission;
that is, each evening the FR sets up his/her laptop
computer to transmit the completed work. During the
night, at a preset time, the computer modem automatically
dials into the headquarters central database and
transmits the completed cases. At the same time, the central
database returns any messages and other data to complete
the FR’s assignment. It is also possible for an FR to
make an immediate transmission at any time of the day.
The results of such a transmission are identical to a preset
transmission, both in the types and directions of various
data transfers, but the FR has instant access to the central
database as necessary. This type of procedure is used primarily
around the time of closeout when an FR might have
one or two straggler cases that need to be received by
headquarters before the field staff can close out the
month’s workload and production processing can begin.
The RO staff may also perform a daily data transmission,
sending in cases that require supervisory review or were
completed at the RO.
Centralized Telephone Facility Transmission
Most of the cases sent to the Census Bureau’s Centralized
Telephone Facilities are successfully completed as
computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). Those that
cannot be completed from the telephone center are transferred
to an FR prior to the end of the interview period.
These cases are called ‘‘CATI recycles.’’ Each telephone
facility daily transmits both completed cases and recycles
to the headquarters database. All the completed cases are
batched for further processing. Each recycled case is
Transmitting the Interview Results 8–1