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Census Bureau Wants 500,000 Handhelds in 2010

Posted by michael on from the unnatural-acts dept.

andori writes: "ComputerWorld is reporting that the Census Bureau is wanting to conduct the 2010 Census without the use of paper. They want to use 500,000 handhelds with GPS and wireless communications abilities. And they want to do it for $100 an unit. I sure hope the industry is able to that price point some day! I will personally take a few if they do."

9 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Uhh.. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They want to use 500,000 handhelds with GPS and wireless communications abilities. And they want to do it for $100 an unit.

    Can't the Blackberry almost do this already? In 7 years, we'll have nothing to worry about. You vastly underestimate the pace at which technological innovation moves on this planet.

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    1. Re:Uhh.. by KFury · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Err, Blackberry can do wireless, but not GPS. A Garmin eTrek can do GPS for under $100, but not wireless.

      How necessary is wireless to the equation, really? What's wrong with storing the info on the unit until it gets to a base station at the end of the day? I mean, will wireless get the final census data out a day earlier?

      Of course, from a usability standpoint, where accuracy is absolutely vital, I don't think a chicklet keyboard like the blackberry or hiptop will cut it, and handwriting recognition probably won't either, so it'd probably be a pen-based systen with custom software. Add 24 months of development and 6 months of field testing, not to mention the specification and bidding process, and they'll have to be using technology that comes out in the next couple years...

      "You vastly underestimate the pace at which technological innovation moves on this planet."

      Perhaps, but you vastly overestimate the pace at which bureaucratic advancement moves on this planet.

      --

      Kevin Fox
  2. Shouldn't be a problem by PaxTech · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Right now, the functionality is just about there and the price isn't that far off either. Given another 6-7 years of tech, I have to say I'll be pretty disappointed if something like that costs anywhere near $100.

    --
    All movements for social change begin as missions, evolve into businesses, and end up as rackets.
  3. Re:that would be sweet! by mr_gerbik · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "however it wouldn't work in alot of areas, such as mountian communities where thetre is wireless service"

    1) we are talking 2010 here.. in 7 1/2 years a lot of things can change 2) gps uses satellites.. you don't need a cellular tower.

  4. simple economics says it can be done right now by ubiquitin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As the volume goes up, the price goes down. If retail stores take their typical 30+% markup on a $120 Palm device, then the Palm device makers are already in the range. I'm sure any one of the major handheld players would love to get that contract $50 million for 500,000 handhelds leaves LOTS of margin when those 500,000 handhelds are being churned out of fabs in Korea and Hong Kong.

    --
    http://tinyurl.com/4ny52
  5. Just waiting to be hacked... by Yoda2 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Hopefully this goes without saying, but they better have a very good security model.

    Otherwise we might see small rural areas with amazing population booms, their own congressional districts, and lots of federal $$$.

  6. For one reason... by HappyCycling · · Score: 3, Funny

    The census people want Bejeweled, and they want it soon.

  7. They should talk to UPS by nurightshu · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Every day, our drivers use their DIAD (Delivery Information Acquisition Device) IIIs to track the millions of packages delivered and picked up. They're wireless, but in the event that they're out of RF range, the information is buffered and then re-transmitted by the DIAD Vehicle Adapter (DVA), which also provides trickle charge capabilities. If all else fails, the DIAD can transfer its batch at the end of the day when it's placed in its cradle at the center.

    We don't currently have GPS in the DIAD III, but the prototype DIAD IVs (which run on PocketPC 2002...ugh) do. They'll not only give drivers who lose their way directions to the next delivery destination, they will also broadcast their location back to the center, which will allow center supervisors and managers to determine more efficient driving routes and coverage areas.

    --
    They that would sacrifice their .sig space for that cliched Franklin quote deserve neither.
  8. So what they're really saying is... by stienman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So what they're really saying is:

    We want to give a $50,000,000 dollar contract to a company that can provide 500,000 rugged, easy to use, long lasting (14 hours of active use per charge minimum), PDAs with GPS and wireless communications.

    That should be relatively simple, if they use a free OS. They don't need to be color, though it might help. They do need to be very easily visible. The display can be a larger 1/4 vga screen, which should be much less expensive to make than the current color PDA screens.

    So, let's see... About twice as thick as an IPAQ, and about as wide and long as the old newtons. It wouldn't need to be a real computer, so you could go with only flash to hold the (optional) OS and program code with a compactflash slot for long term storage. The GPS unit will cost $10-15 in quantity, as will the GSM (or APRS, or 802.11b ;-). The LCD, touchscreen and battery will cost $30-40 together, and the processor, mainboard, and all associated electronics will be another $10-20. The enclosure will be maybe $5. Cheap labor would be $1-5.

    Cost each unit:$56 - 80. The R&D (as well as breathing room for unexpected problems) would soak up the last $44-20.

    This could be done in two years, including the development of software that is easily configurable to make census forms and input, enable the communications across the network, etc.

    At the high end, it would leave $10,000,000 for the company doing the development, equivilant to 40 salaried employees for five years at $50,000/yr (yes, some would be more, a few would be less, but the dev time should be less than 3 years, and fewer than 40 employees are needed.) If the company doing the work generalizes the PDA enough(maybe adding local networking to the national networking, etc) then they could sell additional units to other customers. Hobbyists would pay a little for it, but it would mostly stay in the corporate sector.

    That's my bid. I estimate about one year to get the company up and running, one year R&D, two years active development, one year for a limited test run, one year for a production run and distribution, and two years breathing room. The software will allow full remote updating, real time statistics collection, we'll engineer the systems needed to run the entire show, and contract the necessary infrastructure for the wireless data collection.

    -Adam