In a disclosure which implies that the US is apparently on course for an Internet-driven census in 2020, the Census Bureau has recently announced its plans to test digital tools in preparation of the 2020 census.

As a result of the move being planned by the Census Bureau, US residents may be asked to fill out their census forms on the Internet, rather than sending them through the mail. For completing and analyzing the counts instantaneously, census takers will probably use Android smartphones instead of paper.

The change, underscoring the filling out of the once-in-a-decade count online by Americans, is expected to result in a saving of millions of dollars.

With regard to the Census Bureau's planned move to test digital tools for use in the next census in 2020, Census Director John H. Thompson said that a large chunk of the money spent by the bureau during a census goes towards getting the people to fill out the traditional forms with questions related to age, race and homeownership.

Noting that the Census Bureau's plans to go digital for the 2020 census implies that government officials can do real-time analysis on areas to find out which households have not responded, Thompson said: "You now can electronically control the flow of information all the way, from when you get people to self-respond, hopefully by the Internet, to when you give it to the interviewers to when you get it back from the interviewers."