Tracking Progress with a Common Set of Metrics

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Tracking Progress with a Common Set of Metrics

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How Can We Measure DAS Development Progress?

Our primary objective is to make sure that the 2020 Census data products have the accuracy needed for important uses of census data. But there is no single way to measure “accuracy,” and there are so many diverse uses of census data that each data user might define “accurate data” differently.

That’s why we’re developing a set of statistical measures that all of us can use to assess data accuracy and “fitness for use” for a wide range of use cases.

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Draft measures are available on our website. We're collecting feedback to ensure they are useful and reflect the needs of your priority use cases. Our goal is to release the first set of results by the end of this month measuring the most recent DAS development updates.

Once final, the measures will allow us to quickly calculate, update and release new results after completion of each DAS development run. You’ll be able to compare the latest results against the baseline on an ongoing basis and gauge iterative improvements. This will help us meet the quality standards you expect from Census Bureau data products, while still abiding by the pledge of confidentiality that underlies the 2020 Census.

Visit our site to see the baseline evaluation of the 2010 Demonstration Data Products using these draft measures.

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Did You Know? 

Census has long created metrics and instruments for evaluating its own processes. In 1950, the census first conducted a systematic evaluation of its “completeness.” It called that coverage measurement instrument the post-enumeration survey, and it measures “under-enumeration” to this day.

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Have Suggestions?

Do you have specific questions you'd like us to answer in this newsletter, or topics you'd like discussed? Send us an email at 2020DAS@census.gov and let us know!

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About Disclosure Avoidance Modernization

The Census Bureau is protecting 2020 Census data products with a powerful new cryptography-based disclosure avoidance system known as “differential privacy.”  We are committed to producing 2020 Census data products that are of the same high quality you've come to expect while protecting respondent confidentiality from emerging privacy threats in today’s digital world. 

 

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