(Check out NASS’s Flickr photos showing attendees of its iPad workshops.)
The results have been very positive. NASS is saving money on printing and mailing the documents back and forth to the surveyors. The electronic surveys are also more complete and more accurate than the paper ones, which require the separate, expensive step of hiring professional typists to enter the data from paper into the computer system. That makes NASS’ forecasts more accurate, meaning you’re less likely to encounter a price shock next time you are at the supermarket.
The iPads are also faster and more convenient for the enumerators. According to Barbara Turtelot, an enumerator interviewed in this video, the iPad means “we don’t have to fumble around with papers anymore.”
According to Hird, NASS was able to cut 1.5 years off the its predicted schedule for training enumerators in 33 states.
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If your organization is leaning towards deploying Android smartphones or tablets, then you might want to check out the coming July 18 webcast, “Best Practices for Securing and Managing Android Devices.”
Register for that and other coming SAP Mobile Insights webcasts at the link above.
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The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is the branch of the US Department of Agriculture that generates statistical gems such as: farmers this year have planted nearly 100 million acres of corn this year – the most in the last 75 years.
Such forecasts make more than fascinating cocktail party conversation, they also move commodities and futures markets, and affect the price of food you buy at the supermarket and your favorite restaurant.
To make those forecasts, NASS must....