StatVentures is an initiative of Census Open Innovation Labs that scouts technology through collaborations with innovators outside of government to ensure the U.S. Census Bureau provides the highest quality data efficiently, creatively, and effectively. Through multi-phase competitions, we invite participants to propose new concepts that could ultimately become the next methods and data sources for the U.S. Census Bureau.
Supply Chain Challenge
Our first challenge seeks ideas to radically improve the way we provide supply chain data.
To support the nation’s need for critical goods and services, the U.S. Census Bureau is working toward improving its ability to measure the supply chain, including manufacturing, imports and exports, transportation and delivery of goods, and other key topics on the global supply chain.
With the advent of e-commerce, changes in logistics processes and technologies, and adoption of new types of data streams, we’ve identified the need to explore additional data sources and measurement techniques to supplement or evolve current products and methodologies.
Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau measures supply chain information through surveys surveys of businesses across the United States and through official records. We believe there are opportunities to capture and integrate new sources of data to produce more timely and granular information about our nation’s transportation and supply chain infrastructure as well as the flow of goods and materials through the global supply chain.
Through this challenge, we’re exploring additional ways to improve these data and methodologies through new approaches to providing supply chain data. We’re seeking concepts in three tracks, described in more detail below: timeliness, granularity, and overall robustness of data.
Read on to learn details about the U.S. Census Bureau’s current methods and what has already been explored, as well as rules, eligibility, and phases of the challenge.
Competition Phases
This competition will have three phases, in which we iteratively test and fund cutting-edge technologies and ideas. We provide direct partnership and feedback from the U.S. Census Bureau to make government adoption of new approaches faster and easier and offer opportunities for participants to engage with the government market.
The StatVentures Supply Chain Challenge Phases include:
Phase 1: Concept. Propose an idea to improve U.S. Census Bureau data. The most innovative and promising ideas will be selected to participate in the StatVentures Phase 2 cohort and receive a monetary award. Ideas will be evaluated on clarity and overall quality, innovation, expertise, and potential impact. This phase does not require the ideas to be demonstrated in a real Census Bureau implementation context. We encourage submitters to propose radically innovative and creative approaches they believe have the potential to work. However, incremental improvements with a high likelihood of success will also be considered. Up to 10 winners in Phase 1 will receive a $10,000 prize and an invitation to join an elite cohort of fellow innovators in Phase 2.
Phase 2: Roadmap. Iterate on the idea from Phase 1 with feedback from experts at the U.S. Census Bureau as you build an implementation and feasibility plan. In this Phase, ideas are refined with the addition of realistic U.S. Census Bureau requirements. Teams who did not compete in Phase 1 will also have an opportunity to join. Phase 2 winners will receive monetary awards and an invitation to continue in Phase 3, where they’ll move a roadmap to prototype and demonstration.
Phase 3: Test. Prototype your idea and test-drive it. In Phase 3, roadmaps are translated into real-world demonstrations of prototypes. These test executions are evaluated on criteria such as their potential to serve the U.S. Census Bureau’s mission and goals. Winners from Phase 2 will be invited to participate, with potential for a small number of new teams to join. Winners of Phase 3 will be awarded financial prizes and ultimately have an opportunity to pursue adoption by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Awards:-
Financial prizes totaling up to $100,000 will be awarded through this Phase 1 challenge, divided into up to 10 prizes of at least $10,000 each. Winners will also receive an invitation to the Supply Chain Phase 2 Cohort, in which they will be invited to build a product roadmap to further pursue product market fit.
For upcoming phases:
Phase 2 Roadmap: Prizes TBA once Phase 2 challenge is announced.
Phase 3 Test: Prizes TBA once Phase 3 challenge is announced.
Deadline:- 03-12-2022
