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Harris Corp.: We're not to blame for census computer foul-up

By Madhusmita Bora, Times staff writer
In print: Thursday, March 27, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT [Harris Corp.] The hand-held computer will aid workers gathering demographic data in 2010.

A Florida company finds itself in a controversy involving the U.S. Census Bureau and the first-ever high-tech head count scheduled for 2010.

Melbourne-based Harris Corp. won a $596-million contract last year from the Census Bureau to design and develop a hand-held, Palm Pilot-like computer that would be used by census workers to collect critical demographic information in the next two years. Those figures are used broadly by the government to determine where to allocate billions of dollars.

News reports say how to work the Harris devices, equipped with GPS and styluses, has been lost on some of the head counters, while other reports suggest the technology is not up to the task.

Harris spokesman Jim Burke said Wednesday that such concerns stem mostly from the product's early testing more than a year ago. Much of the brouhaha was over ill-prepared operators. A third party — not the Florida tech company — is responsible for training census workers, Harris said.

Fewer than 10 of the 2,000 computers used for testing needed repair, including one run over by a truck, Burke said. "Since then the computers have been refined and retested, and they are fully operational," he said.

The company is continuing to develop systems that will be used on the ground for address canvassing next year. The devices are ruggedized, with most of the applications menu driven. Harris installed a biometric sensor to ensure data security.

The initial order was for 500,000 devices, but census officials have yet to decide on a specific number.

The agency is facing the heat on Capitol Hill for failing to communicate its requirements to Harris. Along with the quantity, Harris has yet to receive specifics on the software features to be included for the canvassing scheduled for 2010. Census workers that year will be knocking on doors of those people who failed to fill out census forms.

Harris, with a market value of nearly $7-billion, employs nearly 16,000 people.

Madhusmita Bora can be reached at mbora@sptimes.com or

(813) 225-3112.