The U.S. Bureau of Census will count on a team led by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to develop and operate an information processing system for the nation’s 2010 Census. Under the six-year contract valued at approximately $500 million, the Lockheed Martin team will develop and deploy the Decennial Response Integration System (DRIS) for the Bureau, which will include a publicized option for filing census surveys via the Internet.

The Census Bureau, as part of the Department of Commerce, serves as a leading source of quality data, measuring change about the nation’s people and economy. In addition to several population, economic and housing surveys it does annually, the Constitution requires the Census Bureau to conduct a national census every ten years. The Census Bureau will use the integrated response system to provide respondent assistance as well as data capture for the 2010 Census.