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