Online since 1994, Census.gov averages about 2.5 million hits a day. Last year, usage soared to between 6 million and 7 million on the first day of the 2000 census field count, and it may approach that again in coming weeks, Tom Berti, the site manager, said. Not that we're incapable of using something more. But it's a conscious decision that we have to deliver information to the broadest possible market. The coming census results will be posted instantly on FactFinder, and later on Census.gov.
Every system has redundancy backups that step up if any system falters.
It has even created a special FTP site for journalists and others who want to download the massive 2000 census files in bulk. Downloading it all, however, could take hours. So most data will go out on CD-ROM by overnight mail to state officials and journalists. Because the data could occupy dozens of CDs, the bureau also is issuing it on DVDs, making it one of the first federal agencies to use the format. The broad Internet presence requires diligent security.