The official head count won't begin until next year, but the U.S. Census — the decennial survey upon which so many important decisions depend — has already begun to reach into local neighborhoods.

In Hawai'i, about 1,000 workers will be deployed statewide to verify every street, road building and address where people could be living. About half of them are already on the streets. You'll recognize them by their ID badges, a canvas bag with a "U.S. Census" label, and a hand-held GPS-equipped computer. The computer, a new tool, will help the Census reach more people, making the count more accurate.

These are encouraging signs. After eight years of shameful mismanagement and underfunding, the Census Bureau is working on a comeback, and none too soon.

On Friday, the Bureau unveiled its plans to spend $1 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A good chunk of that money will be used, rightfully, in renewed efforts to reach those traditionally undercounted — the poor, minorities, those in rural communities and group quarters.

An accurate census is critically important. The count determines how electoral maps are drawn and how many representatives a district will have.

State and local governments depend on the wealth of census data — income, household size, age and more — in making policy decisions.

The numbers also determine the amount of federal funds that flow to the Islands. The census, for instance, helped determine Hawai'i's share of federal stimulus funds this year. The numbers are also used when calculating how much money Hawai'i will receive for such needs as infrastructure and disaster relief. Nonprofits use them when applying for federal grants.

Workers conducting the current "address canvassing" efforts will knock on as many doors as they can, explaining their presence.

They'll also hand out confidentiality notices, to reassure skittish people that their information, when collected, will remain absolutely private.

"We're not the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service)," says Marilyn Yoza, local census office manager for Hawai'i. "We don't report if you're renting out your garage. We're not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. We're just counters."

Of course, a lot is riding on that count. That's a good reason to welcome the visit of your census worker, and when the time comes, to fill out that census form.