Pomona Center Figures Early in 2000 Census

The Census Bureau won’t be sending out its questionnaires until March, but the federal agency responsible for keeping track of the U.S. population will open a questionnaire-processing center in Pomona this week.

The Pomona Census 2000 Data Capture Center will use advanced image-capture and optical-character-recognition technology to scan hundreds of millions of pages of forms to translate handwritten responses into computer code. The data-capture system was designed by Lockheed Martin, and TRW is the prime contractor managing the data-capture services contract.

The Pomona center will employ about 2,500 temporary workers between March and July. When it opens its doors Wednesday, it will be the second of three new data-capture centers to become operational.