ctpp-news August 1999

ctpp-news@mailman.chrispy.net

3 participants
5 discussions

by Murakami, Elaine <FHWA>

The file layout requirements for submitting TAZ equivalencies to the Census Bureau are in the Reference Section (page 7) of the TAZ-UP User Manual. For those who said they were not using TAZ-UP, we included a paper copy of the directions with the mailout of the TIGER Line/98 CD. The TAZ-UP software automatically creates this file. However, this documentation is included specifically for those who are not using TAZ-UP. >>> berwyned(a)mcs.com 08/21/99 11:58pm >>> i received this and was wondering if any others could help with some advice or insight. has anyone developed amls or other software to support their TAZ efforts out side of TAZ-UP? ----------- From: Kirk Eby <keby(a)tompkins-co.org> Tompkins County (FIPS 36109) currently has its TAZs in Arc/Info format. Except for 2 zones and one minor civil division change, all of the TAZs are based entirely on census blocks and MCDs. We have determined that for all but 6 census blocks, the TAZ number can easily be placed in a "table of equivalency" for the Tiger/Line 98 files. (If you are curious, all I did was take the centroids from the 98 Tiger files and use ArcView to spatially join them with the TAZ polygons from Arc/Info, thus allowing the TAZ number to be easily populated in the Tiger 98 table.) Rather than having to spend the time and resources to do the update in TazUp, and having to repeat in Arc/Info any changes that may be made in the "non-equivalent" zones, the County would prefer to change only the Arc/Info file, then create the required "table of equivalency." None of the information we have seen describes the format of this "table of equivalency" in any detail. Is there technical documentation of the format (required fields, file types, etc.) of the required "table?" Also, has anyone already developed an AML, Avenue, or other application to automatically generate the required "table?" Or is there at least a "sample" of the "table" somewhere? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Kirk Eby Tompkins County GIS Project Leader Information Technology Services

25 years, 4 months

TAZ Creation

by ed christopher

i received this and was wondering if any others could help with some advice or insight. has anyone developed amls or other software to support their TAZ efforts out side of TAZ-UP? ----------- From: Kirk Eby <keby(a)tompkins-co.org> Tompkins County (FIPS 36109) currently has its TAZs in Arc/Info format. Except for 2 zones and one minor civil division change, all of the TAZs are based entirely on census blocks and MCDs. We have determined that for all but 6 census blocks, the TAZ number can easily be placed in a "table of equivalency" for the Tiger/Line 98 files. (If you are curious, all I did was take the centroids from the 98 Tiger files and use ArcView to spatially join them with the TAZ polygons from Arc/Info, thus allowing the TAZ number to be easily populated in the Tiger 98 table.) Rather than having to spend the time and resources to do the update in TazUp, and having to repeat in Arc/Info any changes that may be made in the "non-equivalent" zones, the County would prefer to change only the Arc/Info file, then create the required "table of equivalency." None of the information we have seen describes the format of this "table of equivalency" in any detail. Is there technical documentation of the format (required fields, file types, etc.) of the required "table?" Also, has anyone already developed an AML, Avenue, or other application to automatically generate the required "table?" Or is there at least a "sample" of the "table" somewhere? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Kirk Eby Tompkins County GIS Project Leader Information Technology Services

25 years, 4 months

TAZ-UP Counties

by Clara.A.Reschovsky＠ccmail.census.gov

To all MPO and State DOT contacts: For those of you who have responded to my query about which counties you are planing to create TAZs for, I appreciate your swift response. For the rest of you, I still need the information. If you need the email again, let me know. Otherwise just send me the counties you are planning to include in your TAZ plan, indicating whether you are intending to do the full or partial county. I would appreciate responses by Thursday, August 12. Keep in mind the entire county does need to be covered, be that by you, another MPO, or by the state DOT. I would also like to know if some agency other than you is submitting your TAZ plan. There are a few things to think about when working on you TAZ plans. It is due October 1, 1999. The Place/Municipal boundaries in TAZ-UP are from 1990 but they are not all still valid boundaries. If they are on a road or rail line then they are fine to use, but if they are a non-visible feature then you may not use them for your 2000 TAZs. If you have any questions about this, call the CTPP hotline at 202 366 5000. I can be reached via phone at 301 457 2454, also by fax at 301 457 2481 through email at clara.a.reschovsky(a)ccmail.census.gov Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Clara Reschovsky

25 years, 4 months

Census 2000 News Alert

by Ed Christopher

From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> Census 2000 Funding Survives in the House After Heated Debate over "Emergency" Tag Legislators Must Reconcile House and Senate Bills As New Fiscal Year Approaches on October 1st Funding for Census 2000 survived a heated debate in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday, as legislators considered a spending bill for the fiscal year starting October 1, 1999. The Fiscal Year 2000 (FY00) Commerce, Justice, State, and The Judiciary Appropriations bill (H.R. 2670) includes $4.476 billion for Census 2000 activities, $11.3 million short of President Clinton's request of $4.512 billion. (Most of the funding "cut" resulted from shifting money for development of the American Community Survey from the Census 2000 account to a separate account.) The measure designates money for Census 2000 as "emergency spending," meaning that the funds do not count against the tight caps Congress set earlier in the year for the Commerce-Justice-State budget account. The House is expected to complete action today on the $35.8 billion Commerce spending bill. The committee report explaining provisions of the appropriations bill is House Report (H. Rept.) 106-283. Dozens of lawmakers joined in the debate over an amendment offered by Rep. Tom Coburn (R-OK), to cut $2.8 billion from the census allocation of $4.476 billion. The Administration originally requested that amount for census operations next year but later asked for an extra $1.7 billion after the Supreme Court ruled that federal law required a direct count without sampling methods to calculate the state population totals for congressional apportionment. The amendment was defeated, 171 to 257, with 95 Republicans and 76 Democrats voting for the Coburn proposal. Rep. Coburn, saying the debate "wasn't even about the census," argued that calling the census an emergency was "pulling the wool over the American people's eyes." He charged that in adopting the 1997 balanced budget law, Congress failed to provide money for the census in 2000. Rep. Coburn also questioned the cost of the census, calling the $24 per household cost "abhorrent." "[The high cost] we're inefficient," the congressman said. Many legislators from both political parties who spoke in favor of the amendment said the debate was about the "integrity" of the budget process. "This [debate] is about the credibility of every Member of this body," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA). But Rep. David Obey (D-WI), senior Democrat on the appropriations committee, said the Census Bureau would not have enough money to carry out the census next year if the Coburn amendment passed. The House Rules Committee, which sets the rules for debating bills on the House floor, did not allow Rep. Obey to offer an amendment to lift the emergency designation from the Census 2000 account. The congressman said that while he favored removing the emergency tag, it would be far worse to cut funds needed for the decennial count. Rep. Dan Miller (R-FL), chairman of the census oversight subcommittee, also opposed the Coburn amendment, calling it "irresponsible." Rep. Miller said the Census Bureau needs more money to reduce the disproportionate undercount of racial minorities, immigrants, the homeless, and other hard-to-count populations. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the ranking Democrat on the census subcommittee, noted that the census would have cost less if congressional Republicans had not challenged the use of sampling in the original Census 2000 plan in court. Rep. Tom Sawyer (D-OH), chairman of the census subcommittee during the 1990 count, said that protracted wrangling over funding for the census could jeopardize activities, such as buying advertising slots, that must be done quickly after the new fiscal year starts. The Administration issued a "statement of policy," setting forth its views on the committee-approved version of the Commerce spending bill. While it "appreciates" the overall funding level for Census 2000, the Administration is concerned that the bill divides the money into specific operational categories. This earmarking, the statement says, "would impose unnecessary restrictions" on the Census Bureau's ability to deal with unexpected circumstances during the census, because the bill requires the agency to notify Congress 15 days before it intends to shift money from one activity to another. (See our August 2 News Alert for a complete description of the operational categories and other aspects of the committee-approved bill.) Congress will begin its summer recess period at the end of this week, returning to work after Labor Day. Legislators must then reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the Commerce appropriations measure. Each chamber will appoint members to a "conference committee;" traditionally, "conferees" are members of the two Appropriations Committees. After the conference committee agrees on a final spending package, the House and Senate must each approve the "conference report" before the bill is sent to the President for his signature or veto. Correction: In our August 2, 1999, News Alert, we misidentified one of the witnesses at a July 27 House census subcommittee hearing on the Census 2000 paid advertising campaign. The witness representing advertising contractor Young & Rubicam is Ms. Terry Dukes. We apologize for the mistake. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at terriann2K(a)aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org <http://www.census2000.org>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at Census2000(a)ccmc.org or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

25 years, 4 months

Census 2000 News Alert

by Ed Christopher

From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> House Appropriations Panel Approves Census Funding Bill; Emergency Designation Draws Protests from Democrats The Census Bureau's funding bill for fiscal year 2000 (FY00) took another halting step forward as the House Committee on Appropriations approved the FY00 Commerce, Justice, State and The Judiciary spending measure on July 30. The bill (which is not yet numbered) includes $4.476 billion for Census 2000 operations, $3.4 billion over this year's level but $11.3 million below the Administration's request. The Commerce-Justice-State bill, one of 13 spending bills for all federal activities, allocates a total of $4.619 billion for all Census Bureau programs and expenses. The Census 2000 funds were designated as "emergency spending," exempting the money from a discretionary spending cap in the budget resolution adopted last spring. Budget rules allow lawmakers to designate certain funds as emergency spending, if the expenditure is "unforeseen, unpredictable, and unanticipated." The committee report explaining the spending bill states that the emergency designation is "due to the unanticipated costs associated with the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the conduct of the 2000 Census, and the delay in receiving the Administration's estimate of the cost" after the Court's January ruling on the use of sampling. At Friday's session, Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), who chairs the panel's Commerce subcommittee, said the Clinton Administration's failure in the past two years to provide a full cost estimate for the census forced appropriators to declare census operations an emergency. Democrats tried to eliminate the emergency designation during the 'mark-up' session. Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the committee's senior Democrat, offered two amendments, one to remove the designation from all Census 2000 funds and another to retain the emergency classification only for the $1.7 billion supplemental appropriation the President requested in June. Both amendments were defeated on party line votes. The Commerce bill earmarks spending on broad census operational categories. The $4.476 billion is distributed as follows (rounded to the nearest million): Program Development and Management, $20 million; Data Content and Products, $195 million; Field Data Collection and Support Services, $3.450 billion; Address List Development, $44 million; Automated Data Processing and Telecommunications Support, $447 million; Testing and Evaluation, $16 million; census operations in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Pacific areas, $71 million; and Marketing, and Communications, and Partnerships, $199 million. The Census 2000 appropriation also includes $3.5 million for the eight-member Census Monitoring Board. The Census Bureau is required to submit monthly spending reports to Congress. And in a move that Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt warned could hamstring the Bureau if unexpected problems arise during the count, the measure requires the agency to seek approval from Congress before shifting money from one activity to another. The President's budget had included $25 million for the American Community Survey (ACS) in the Census 2000 account. The committee instead appropriated $20 million (a freeze at this year's funding level) for continued development of the ACS in a broader Census Bureau account. The ACS will provide updated demographic and socio-economic information every year, starting in 2003 for larger areas and for all communities by 2008. If fully implemented on schedule, the survey may eliminate the need for a traditional census long form in 2010. Additional committee concerns: Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY), the senior Democrat on the Commerce appropriations subcommittee, advocated including the population of Puerto Rico in the total population of the United States. Currently, when the Census Bureau reports the nation's population, it includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Rep. Dan Miller (R-FL) opposed the idea, saying it represented a major policy change that deserved a thorough review. Rep. Miller, chairman of the census oversight subcommittee and also an appropriations panel member, pledged a hearing on the issue in the fall. The committee report explaining the spending bill directs the Census Bureau to study Rep. Serrano's proposal and report back to Congress by September 1. The committee also applauded as "a positive development" the decision to collect most of the same information from residents of Puerto Rico that is collected on the census short and long forms in the States. Rep. Serrano is Puerto Rican. In its report, legislators instructed the Census Bureau to develop methods for counting private American citizens living overseas in the census "at the earliest possible time," and to report its plans to Congress. The committee also urged the Bureau to ensure that deaf persons can participate in the census. Background on Census Bureau funding: Funding for the decennial census falls under the Periodic Censuses and Programs account ("Periodics"), one of two main funding categories for the Census Bureau. Periodics includes other cyclical programs such as the Census of Governments and the Economic Censuses, as well as support activities such as data processing infrastructure and geographic systems. The committee-approved FY00 bill allocates $4.619 billion for the Periodics account, about $19.2 million below the President's request (including the $11.3 million reduction from the request for Census 2000). The second main category, Salaries and Expenses, pays for ongoing statistical programs such as the Current Population Survey, which produce a wide range of economic, demographic, and social information. The appropriations committee allocated $136 million for these data activities, a freeze at this year's funding level and about $20.8 million below the Administration's request. Budget figure correction: The July 23 News Alert included an incorrect figure of $1.8 billion for this year's (fiscal year 1999) Census 2000 funding level. The correct figure is $1.072 billion (original $1.027 billion allocation plus a $45 million supplemental appropriation in May). We apologize for the error. Other legislative news: The House Subcommittee on the Census held a hearing on July 27 to review plans for a paid advertising campaign to promote Census 2000. The oversight panel heard testimony from Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt; Ms. Terry Peel of Young & Rubicam, the firm developing the ad campaign; Mr. Sam Chisolm of the Chisolm-Mingo Group, the firm responsible for the portion of the campaign aimed at African Americans; and Mr. Curtis Zunigha, a member of the Bureau's Advisory Committee on the American Indian and Alaska Native Populations. A representative from Scholastic, Inc. was not available to discuss the Census in the Schools program, as originally planned. Due to the urgency of funding issues while Congress is in session, we will provide more information on the advertising oversight hearing in the near future. Interested stakeholders may request copies of the written testimony from the Subcommittee on the Census, at 202/226-1973. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at terriann2k(a)aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org <http://www.census2000.org>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at Census2000(a)ccmc.org or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

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ctpp-news August 1999