Census Data Utilizing Artificial Intelligence Technology for Better Findability

The National Archives and Records Administration released the 1950 U.S. census records on April 1. The 1950 census includes the records of 40 million people born during this era of baby boomers and provides a variety of information that will cast a light on the preceding decade, which included World War II and the return of U.S. troops. This interesting information came to us from Deseret News in their article, “The 1950 U.S. census will be released on April 1 — What to expect and why it matters.”

This is interesting beyond historical and ancestry interest. They are using new processes and technological innovations that allow a searchable index of the census. For the first time, Ancestry’s artificial intelligence and handwriting recognition technology will save time by creating an initial index from digital census images.

I found this interesting. A quick search of my family names found interesting bits of information brought to me by the use of machine learning algorithms interpreting handwriting and misspelling potentials.

This is a perfect example of how technology can make content findable. That happens with a strong, standards-based taxonomy. Access Innovations is one of a very small number of companies able to help its clients generate ANSI/ISO/W3C-compliant taxonomies and associated rule bases for machine-assisted indexing.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Data Harmony, harmonizing knowledge for a better search experience.