With the decennial census just five years away, now is the perfect time to think about how technology will transform the way the U.S. government counts its citizens, according to Census Bureau CIO Brian McGrath.

“We’re in the waning months of 2014, so we have a little bit of time,” McGrath said. “We want to do the research and be ready but we also want to harness emerging technology — it’s a balance.”

With more than half a million part-time census takers in the field in 2010 (and as many expected in 2020), the use of mobile technology is in the forefront. This summer, Census piloted a program on 1,100 iPhones leased specifically for testing a new app, focusing on the user experience and security of the data collected.

“It really went pretty well,” McGrath said. “We got good feedback from the enumerators and staff.”

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