A nationwide
address verification survey carried out ahead of next year's census found 4.5 million duplicate addresses, according to the Government Accountability Office.
In addition, canvassers identified 690,000 addresses listed within buildings that were uninhabitable and 1.2 million non-residential addresses, reports FederalComputerWeek.
Altogether, the Census Bureau will be adding almost 17 million addresses to its existing nationwide list of almost 142 million housing units, while the various duplications and uninhabitable locations mean 21 million pieces of address data will be deleted.
The operation went over budget by nearly $90 million, but the results could lead to a more accurate census being taken next year, the bureau said.
According to the website, Census Bureau director Robert Groves told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee: "There are a number of external events that could lead to delays or operational problems [with the census], such as a major hurricane [or] a widespread outbreak of the H1N1 [swine] flu."
In other news, address data software is being used by some companies to track stolen computers, reports the Eagle Tribune.