New AESDirect Application Enhancements - January 28, 2008

On January 28, 2008, all users of the AESDirect application who file via the website at www.aesdirect.gov will notice several modifications to provide greater flexibility in how they view and interact with the system. Particular focus has been directed on meeting the needs of those users with disabilities and bringing the system into greater compliance with world-wide industry standards of accessibility and usability.

Highlights of the enhancements that will be implemented on January 28, 2008 include:

• Ability to use alternative text (ALT text) as a textual replacement for images
• Greater accessibility for those using talking browsers and/or screen readers
• Addition of symbols to differentiate mandatory, conditional and optional fields
• Ability to retrieve shipments by the Internal Transaction Number (ITN)
• Easier company profile maintenance
• Addition of an Existing Shipment Warning
• Addition of an Updated Rejected Status

For further information on the upcoming enhancements, please view the following announcement at

http://www.aesdirect.gov/news/announcement_20071228.pdf

For further information or questions, contact the U.S. Census Bureau's AES Branch at 1-800-549-0595, menu option 1 or at askaes@census.gov.