Title: Toward an Integrated Record Linkage Environment at the Census Bureau

Abstract:

The Census Bureau has embarked in a long-term comprehensive effort to design and deploy a multi-functional record-linkage platform. We will take advantage of multiple development efforts over the years. From early "C" software development (the "SRD Matcher", Winkler Porter Thibaudeau 1990), to large-file matching software (BigMatch, Yancey Winkler 2004; PCF "SAS Matcher" Wagner-Resnick 2005), modern data-science methods in Python ("MAMBA", Cuffe 2019) and cutting-edge Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo record-linkage methods in Scala (d-blink, Marchant, Steorts et al.)

The Census Bureau is integrating these statistical computing applications, as well as evaluating the possibility of including commercial solutions, into a functional platform for linking multiple large government and commercial lists of persons or business entities for statistical purpose.

I will present the various record-linkage applications, describe their comparative advantages and discuss how their integration will serve the long-term objectives of the Census-Bureau