Census linking

One of my favourite online volunteer projects is AutomatedGeneology.com.  Volunteers have already transcribed the entire Canada 1901 and 1911 censuses, and now people can add themselves as researchers to individuals and families, and link individuals across the two censuses.

For instance, here's my grandmother and her family in 1901:

10		81	Woodard Angus M	M		Head	M	Jan 25	1865	36	Links
11		81	Woodard Sarah E	F		Wife	M	Sep 6	1869	31	Links
12		81	Woodard Sarah E	F		Daughter	S	Aug 20	1894	8	Links
13		81	Woodard Lola P	F		Daughter	S	Jan 14	1894	7	Links
14		81	Woodard Charles W	M		Son	S	Aug 13	1897	3	Links
15		81	Woodard Lydia M	F		Daughter	S	May 18	1900	10/12

And here they are in 1911:

32		7	Woodard Angus		M	Head	M	Feb	1865	46	Links
33		7	Woodard Sarah E		F	Wife	M	Sep	1869	41	Links
34		7	Woodard Sarah C		F	Daughter	S	Apr	1892	18	Links
35		7	Woodard Lolla P		F	Daughter	S	Jan	1894	17	Links
36		7	Woodard Charles W		M	Son	S	Apr	1897	13	Links
37		7	Woodard Lula G		F	Daughter	S	Aug	1905	5
38		7	Woodard Iva B		F	Daughter	S	May	1908	3

I think this illustrates perfectly why this can't be done automatically.  Sure, Angus and Sarah E are consistent names, but can the computer recognize why Lola became Lolla?  And why has Angus's birth month changed from January to February, and his daughter Sarah's from August 1894 to April 1892?

In another census year Lola and Charles are given as Pearl and Wellington, the names I knew them by, but actually their middle names.  Additionally, I knew the daughter Sarah as Great-Aunt Sadie.  That makes it difficult for searchers to match people up by name alone.

It becomes a little treasure hunt, finding someone related to you in one census, and then trying to track them down in the other.  I'm about to do a little more hunting...