(The Center Square)–The U.S. Census Bureau unrolled a new experimental method of using images from space to count new housing construction.
“For select areas of interest, Survey of Construction (SOC) data collected by field representatives have been replaced with estimates obtained from satellite imagery to demonstrate the efficacy of this data collection method,” Census said in a Dec. 19 release.
The method entails running satellite images through “convolutional neural networks,” or CNNs, to identify construction.
The programs will be able to differentiate excavation, foundation, framing, unfinished roof, and finished roofs, per the Census. It is expected to be able to distinguish between single-family detached, single-family attached, multi-family, and non-residential.
This data will be combined with conventional data Census received from local government offices to give a clearer picture of home construction data moving forward.
The bureau is only using the experimental method in District 7, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Data from the district shows 14,100 new housing starts in November.
“This product demonstrates a new computer-vision based approach to monthly economic measurement that can improve geographic granularity and accuracy while also reducing respondent burden,” the release said.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
