I received this from FamilySearch today:
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Volunteers Gear Up to Make History with
1950 US Census Community Project
Crowdsourcing Effort Will Help Make Census Search
Experience More Accurate and Available Sooner
Unlike releases of previous US Census records, the first transcription or indexing pass for the 1950 is being done by computers, not humans. In the past 10 years, computer technology, including artificial intelligence, has advanced to the point where computers are now able to “read” handwriting with a high degree of accuracy—as much as 80%. Still, when it comes to searching for ancestors, an 80% result is insufficient.
“When searching for your ancestors, you want as close to 100% accuracy as you can get with a searchable index,” said Jim Ericson, FamilySearch marketing manager for the initiative. “This is why we need thousands of human volunteers who can lend their intelligence and time to improving the accuracy of these published records. Doing so will enable family historians to experience high success rates in discovering their ancestors in the 1950 US Census.”
How to Get Involved
To participate, all that online volunteers need is a smart phone or web-enabled device like a laptop or computer. Volunteers wanting to make their mark on history can help by reviewing the computer-transcribed census information online, using a simple mobile app or web feature (learn more or get involved at FamilySearch.org/1950Census). The technology engages volunteers by letting them look at highlighted snippets of information from the original handwritten images of the census so volunteers can correct or approve the computer’s work. Each activity only takes a few minutes and is self-explanatory. What’s more, individuals can request to work on specific locations (state and county) and surnames.
Reviewing the census information is available in 3 different activities: Name Review, Family Review, and Header Review.
1. Name Review
This activity presents a single name at a time for the volunteer to check for accuracy. If it matches, click Match. If it doesn’t, click Edit, and fix the spelling to match the name on the image. If you’re not sure, click Unsure. Name Review will be released first and will be available in both the FamilySearch Get Involved mobile app (Download from the App Store for Android or IOS) and at FamilySearch.org.
2. Family Review
3. Header Review
In this activity, you will review the information at the top of the census page and compare it to the index below, again fixing what doesn’t match.
For the 1950 Census Community Project, the machine-generated index is being produced by the handwriting recognition artificial intelligence of Ancestry.com. The crowdsourcing technology allowing volunteers to refine the machine index is FamilySearch Get Involved. As states are completed, they will be fully searchable at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
If you’re interested in participating, go to FamilySearch.org/1950Census for more information or to start helping.
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