If you're a high school senior studying geographic information systems, the city wants to hear from you.

Questionnaires for the 2010 census don't get mailed until February or March of next year but planning for the constitutionally mandated head count already is under way.

The U.S. Census Bureau opened its first field offices in late January.

The agency also worked with city officials in 2006 to update city addresses.

Now the city is being asked to compile a list of building permits and rezones for 2005 through 2008 and a list of existing and potential emergency and transitional shelters and related service agencies.

The city is seeking a senior from Sequim Community School or Sequim High School who is involved in the school's geographic information system program.

Last year Nancy Williams from Sequim Community School helped the city with various Census Bureau tasks.

The city also will hire an engineering firm to update by hand the bureau's map of all annexations, boundary line adjustments and revised city surveys for 2000 through 2008.

It will cost the city about $1,500 to hire the engineering firm and about $700 for the intern.

Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires that a census of the population be conducted every 10 years to apportion tax revenues and representation in Congress.

Federal marshals conducted the first census in 1790 by going door-to-door through the 13 states plus the districts of Maine, Vermont, Kentucky and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee).

The effort took 18 months and cost $45,000. It counted 3.9 million people.

Brian Gawley can be reached at bgawley@sequim gazette.com.