THE CHALLENGE

Planning for the 2006 Census is well advanced as Statistics New Zealand readies for Tuesday 7 March, the date set for the official count of our country’s population, dwellings and key household information. Obtaining a snapshot of NZ’s population ‘clock’ is an enormous task, carried out almost entirely manually to this point. Attempts at an automated system had failed in 2001, but prompted the establishment of a formal business transaction strategy team. (BTS). The challenges facing Statistics NZ regarding infrastructure and formal development processes were immense. Bringing the co-ordination of the Census 2006 collection into the e-world was one of the key projects on the table.

The consensus was that .NET was the way to go for the 2006 Census.

Overcoming an Infrastructure Roadblock

Before the Census project could move forward, Statistics NZ’s BTS team faced rethinking and rebuilding existing infrastructure. In-depth analysis was conducted in conjunction with Intergen. “To Intergen’s credit they absolutely stepped up to the challenge and worked with us on key infrastructure decisions which were needed before the project could even begin answering business needs. If it wasn’t for Intergen’s approach, and professionalism we wouldn’t be where we are now, and certainly not ready for 2006”.
Gary Goddard, Project Manager Field Data Collections.

SQL Reporting Services

A .NET C sharp application - the nuts and bolts behind collecting Census data. Census forms go to every household plus hotels, hospitals and other non-private dwellings. Bringing the delivery and collection mechanisms into an internal web platform promises accuracy and efficiency for this New Zealand wide task. Only 3% of the task was automated, now SQL Reporting Services is set to offer a secure, web based delivery and collection checking process together with extensive reporting capabilities. It will also manage all HR contracts and payroll details for an army of field staff and supervisors. "There are many pro’s for the technology, - excellent functionality, very flexible.”

Ready in Time for the Census Dress Rehearsal

Pressured by infrastructure considerations, Statistics NZ expected to meet the dress rehearsal date with an optimistic 50% functionality. Together the BTS team and Intergen delivered 84% on the day. “Despite being constrained by ‘almost impossible timelines’, Intergen put their heads on the block and gave it all the resourcing possible, saying we guarantee to make it happen. They did and the Deputy Government Statistician was overwhelmed at the demo of the application remarking that it was 'by a country mile’ the best thing she has seen.” Gary Goddard.

“We wish we had even half of this application for Census 2001 was an often heard comment”.

Countdown to Census Time

With a lot of hard timelines under the belt, Gary Goddard reports that the Census project is 19 days ahead of schedule, remarkable from where it started. Further deployment and training continues and Intergen will partner in a hands-on development and support role well past Census night.

The night when 4 million plus people stand up to be counted.