New Tech, New Math, New Methods In Massive Upgrade of Census Bureau Construction Programs

Imagine flipping the Flintstones’ bedrock house into the Jetsons’ space home. That’s essentially what the U.S. Census Bureau is doing with several construction surveys.

Think satellite imaging, artificial intelligence, new data sources and new methodology replacing survey collection methods that date back to the 1950s.

Modernization will lessen the burden on local governments to report building permits or builders to disclose building starts and status reports. No more relying on sample designs that only provide data at the state level.

When fully in place, satellites will take thousands of photos of places that have a building permit from their orbit high above earth.

Instead, satellite images will soon give us instant updates on projects at every stage of construction from start to finish down to the county and metro level for the first time.

The changes will modernize nearly every aspect of the construction data the Census Bureau releases, including New Residential Construction (NRC). A Principal Federal Economic Indicator (PFEI), the NRC data are one of the most timely and leading official measures of the current condition of the U.S. economy.

While use of satellite imagery and new data sources are still in development phases, other improvements are already on the launch pad.

The first estimates from a new sample design are set to be published with the February 17 release. The local and county level estimates from the redesigned Monthly Building Permit Survey (BPS) are scheduled to be published for the first time February 24.

To appreciate this massive upgrade, it’s vital to understand just how important new residential construction statistics are to measuring the U.S. economy and just how outdated construction data collection and processing had been — until now.

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