I just received this message from the Census Bureau:
We just recently uncovered, using new types of edits, some topologic errors in
three TIGER/Line 1998 files that are part of the TAZ program.
We have corrected the errors and are recreating these files.
The affected files and agencies are:
06013 Contra Costa, CA (Chuck Purvis)
30063 Missoula, MT (Missoula Office of Community Development)
42077 Lehigh, PA (Lehigh-Northampton Cos. Joint Planning Commission)
----------------------
The Census Bureau will send FHWA replacement CDs, and I will mail them out as
soon as possible.
Also, I am expecting to receive TIGER files for many (but not ALL) of the
remaining states this week. Cross your fingers!
TO: CTPP News mailing list & MPO staffs
FR: Chuck Purvis, MTC
We received our copy of TIGER'98 and the TAZ-UP software on April
7th. I already had ArcView 3.1 installed on my 233 MHz PC, actually
on a 1 gigabyte jaz cartridge. ArcView takes up 83 MB of space;
TAZ-UP an additional 61 MB. So far, so good.
Installing county TIGER files into TAZ-UP can be *very* slow for
large urban counties. I started installing Alameda County (CA) on
Friday, April 9 at 4:00 PM. It took 60 minutes to install! My largest
county, Santa Clara County, took 90 minutes to install files of 40.2
megabytes in size. My entire region (9 counties) takes 205 MB in
space. The "log" records that are written as part of this
installation process note that I have 104,600 polygons (this number
of polygons is the number of records that should be exported from
TAZ-UP once all of my edits are complete).
RECOMMENDATION: Use the fastest PC you can afford. I believe the
documentation recommends at least a 200 MHz machine, but I would
highly recommend something like a 450 MHz PC. And I think that a
gigabyte of free disk space should be adequate for most regions.
After installing these county files, my first step was to "validate"
the existing boundaries: "invalid boundaries"; "contiguity errors";
and "completeness errors". This is where I initially started to freak
out: we have 2,445 invalid boundaries in our region; 106 contiguity
problems; and 1 completeness problem. The contiguity and completeness
errors are manageable; the invalid boundary errors were highly
unexpected (and may be unmanageable?)
Many of my invalid boundary errors are "F84" errors which are
basically old 1990 block boundaries (be they tract boundaries or
block group boundaries) that are flagged by the Census Bureau as
invalid because they aren't associated with any physical feature
(e.g., roads, streams, power lines). My spot check of my invalid
boundary errors suggest that 90 percent of mine are "F84" errors. I
even got "F84" errors in a county (Napa County) where I was strictly
using 1990 Census block groups as my 1990 TAZes!
My desire is that my Year 2000 TAZ boundaries are nested on Year 2000
Census Tracts. I essentially want to create what I would call
"user-defined block groups." The big issue is "what are my year 2000
Census Tract boundaries?" This is where you (MPOs working on this
project) will need to contact your regional office census geographer
to check up on the status of your Year 2000 Tract Boundaries. I may
be wrong in my interpretation of this, but Year 2000 Tract boundaries
will be valid CTPP TAZ boundaries.
I had numerous phone conversations this past Friday with our USDOT
and Census folk back in DC, and they've expressed concerns about our
plight regarding these invalid boundary issues. I'm still fuzzy on
this, so I'm hoping that the Bureau and USDOT folks can clear up
these issues before we all get too hot under the collar with all of
these invalid boundary issues. (USDOT is also very concerned because
all of the TIGER files for the entire US aren't out yet :-(
The "contiguity errors" are very manageable. Some of these contiguity
errors are due to correspondence errors that are our fault, leading
to some really unintended results. The rest of these errors are due
to a misallocation of "water blocks" that separate real, physical
islands. An example in my region is Alcatraz Island and Treasure
Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. They're part of the same
TAZ, but were separated by a "water block" that includes much of the
Bay, plus Fishermans' Wharf and Pier 39. So, a simple solution is to
include the Fishermans' Wharf "water block" with Alcatraz Island, as
one TAZ, and have Treasure Island as its own TAZ.
My point is that I believe that all of the contiguity errors in your
TAZ boundary files can (and probably should) be eliminated. Be sure
to have "water blocks" connect your sandbars and physical islands to
your "mainland" blocks.
In terms of the TAZ-UP software, I have no problems. It works as
advertised, though it's all (ArcView/TAZ-UP) very slow with large
urban counties on a 233 MHz PC. I wish there were "multiple un-dos"
since I tend to make mistakes in batches, but I'll learn to make
only one mistake at a time.
Well, those are my first impressions on TAZ-UP and this TAZ
definition program. Just take it easy and don't freak out (too much)
when all your invalid boundaries start to pile up!
Cheers,
Chuck Purvis,
MTC - Oakland/San Francisco/San Jose metro region.
*******************************************************
e-mail: cpurvis(a)mtc.ca.gov
Chuck Purvis, AICP
Senior Transportation Planner/Analyst, Planning Section
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607-4700
(510) 464-7731 (voice) (510) 464-7848 (fax)
WWW: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/
MTC DataMart & InfoMart:
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/facts_and_figures/datamart.htm
MTC FTP Site: ftp://ftp.abag.ca.gov/pub/mtc/planning/
Personal WWW: http://home.earthlink.net/~clpurvis/
*******************************************************
From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org>
House Approves Post Census Local Review Bill
Despite Census Bureau Objections
New National Academy of Sciences Panel Report Available
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved legislation to
require a 45-day local review of preliminary housing unit counts as part
of the 2000 census. Lawmakers passed the bill after rejecting an
alternative proposal to give the Census Bureau more flexibility in
providing opportunities for local officials to review address lists and
census maps.
The final vote of 223 - 206 fell mostly along party lines. Rep. Connie
Morella (R-MD) was the only Republican to vote against the bill, while
Democratic Reps. Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Virgil Goode (D-VA), Gene
Taylor (D-MS), and James Traficant (D-OH) joined all other Republicans
in voting for the measure. H.R. 472, sponsored by census subcommittee
Chairman Dan Miller (R-FL), would require the Bureau to send preliminary
household counts and jurisdictional boundaries to all local and Tribal
governments by August 1, 2000. Local officials would have 45 working
days to review and challenge the information. (The program only
involves challenges to housing unit counts or address lists, not
population counts.) The Bureau must investigate all challenges and
recanvass neighborhoods, if necessary, to identify and enumerate missed
housing units. The Bureau would have to complete its review and notify
local officials of the results by November 1, 2000.
Proponents of H.R. 472 called it a "common sense" way to give local
officials a chance to spot problems with the census count before the
numbers become final. They argued that a post- census local review
would improve the accuracy of the count and build local confidence in
the census process. Supporters generally lauded the pre-census local
review of address lists and maps (called the Local Update of Census
Addresses, or LUCA, program) but said many small towns and rural
communities did not have the fiscal resources or expertise to
participate fully in this activity.
Opponents, led by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), called the bill a
"delaying tactic" to prevent the Census Bureau from completing its
Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (ACE) program, which includes a
post-enumeration survey to measure and correct any undercounts and
overcounts in the initial tally. They cited an April 12 letter in which
Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt said the requirements imposed by
H.R. 472 "will harm the ability of the Census Bureau to carry out its
basic mission of providing the most accurate census counts for all
purposes." The bill "would adversely affect the timing and quality of
census operations, including the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation," Dr.
Prewitt wrote.
Rep. Maloney, the census subcommittee's senior Democrat, offered an
alternative proposal that would have allowed the Secretary of Commerce
to decide the most appropriate procedures for local review of address
lists and maps, including an opportunity for local officials to add
newly-constructed housing through Census Day and to verify housing units
identified by the Postal Service as vacant. The substitute measure also
would have ensured that any local review would not interfere with the
Bureau's ability to use scientific methods to account for people missed
by mail and door-to-door visits. The House defeated the Maloney
amendment 226 - 202.
In a statement to the press yesterday, Commerce Secretary William Daley
said H.R. 472 would "disrupt census operations by allowing 39,000 local
governments to contest counts within their jurisdictions long after
April 1, 2000. ...Based on the Bureau's analysis of the legislation, I
would strongly recommend to the President that he veto this legislation
if it was presented to him." Vice President Albert Gore issued a
statement saying the bill would "reduce the accuracy of Census 2000 and
seriously disrupt its schedule."
National Academy of Sciences panel issues final report: The National
Academy of Sciences' National Research Council Panel on Alternative
Census Methodologies has issued its final report, "Measuring a Changing
Nation: Modern Methods for the 2000 Census." The report is available
from the National Academy Press by calling 202/334-3313 or
800/624-6242., The panel began its review of the Census 2000 design and
plan in 1995. It looked at the results of the 1995 and 1996 census
tests, with a particular focus on proposed uses of sampling to complete
the count of unresponsive households and to measure the accuracy of the
initial count. In two previous interim reports, the panel discussed
several census operations, including address list development, the use
of administrative records, and plans for a replacement questionnaire.
The
final report was drafted prior to the January 1999 Supreme Court ruling
that the Census Act bars sampling to compile the state population totals
used for apportionment and the Census Bureau's subsequent revisions to
the 2000 plan.
Census deputy director departing: Bradford Huther, Deputy Director of
the Census Bureau, will step down from his position at the end of April
to pursue an opportunity with a United Nations agency in Geneva,
Switzerland. In announcing the departure, Director Prewitt called Mr.
Huther a "talented and dedicated deputy director" who "leaves [the
Census Bureau] a better institution than when he arrived." Prior to
joining the Bureau in 1997, Mr. Huther was the chief financial officer
and associate commissioner at the Commerce Department's Patent and
Trademark Office. The deputy director position at the Census Bureau is
filled by a career civil servant. Mr. Huther's replacement has not been
named.
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>. 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.
Michael J. Paprocki
Transportation Study Director
BHJ Transportation Study
voice: (740)282-3685 ext 14
fax: (740)282-1821
-----Original Message-----
From: Murakami, Elaine <FHWA> <Elaine.Murakami(a)fhwa.dot.gov>
To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net <ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net>
Date: Tuesday, April 13, 1999 11:57 AM
Subject: [CTPP] Status of TAZ-UP and TIGER
>Here are the states for which we have not yet received TIGER files from the
>Census Bureau.
>AK, DC, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA, WV, and WI
>
>If your state is on this list, we have not sent you a TAZ-UP package yet.
>
>Although the intent was to give you SIX months to complete the work,
because
>the Census Bureau has been delayed, I have to tell you that the "drop dead"
>date is October 1 for submission to the Census Bureau. However, I hope
that
>everyone aims for Labor Day.
>
>We will add a "frequently asked questions for TAZ-UP" either to the CTPP
>website, or to the EDS website. By the way, for those of you who haven't
>printed out the TAZ-UP user manual (from the CD), the 1-800 number for EDS
is
>1-800-337-2004. Other important phone numbers are on page 1-7.
>
>Recent queries--
>1. What if I want some of my new TAZs to match Census 2000 tract
boundaries?
>The Census 2000 tract boundaries are not included on the TIGER/Line 98
file.
>You will have to contact your Census Bureau Regional Office to get the most
>current information on 2000 tract boundaries. Contact information is under
>"References" in the User Manual.
>
>2. When I check my 1990 TAZs, why do I have so many "invalid" segments for
>TAZ definition in water polygons?
>Dave Aultman from the Census Bureau is going to address this question, and
>most of those segments will be VALID for the TAZ program.
>
Elaine,
I am the Tech Director at the Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV MPO and I am
curious when we will receive the TAZ-Update program for our use. Respond
when this will be possible. Thank you very much.
Michael J. Paprocki
Transportation Study Director
BHJ Transportation Study
voice: (740)282-3685 ext 14
fax: (740)282-1821
Here are the states for which we have not yet received TIGER files from the
Census Bureau.
AK, DC, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA, WV, and WI
If your state is on this list, we have not sent you a TAZ-UP package yet.
Although the intent was to give you SIX months to complete the work, because
the Census Bureau has been delayed, I have to tell you that the "drop dead"
date is October 1 for submission to the Census Bureau. However, I hope that
everyone aims for Labor Day.
We will add a "frequently asked questions for TAZ-UP" either to the CTPP
website, or to the EDS website. By the way, for those of you who haven't
printed out the TAZ-UP user manual (from the CD), the 1-800 number for EDS is
1-800-337-2004. Other important phone numbers are on page 1-7.
Recent queries--
1. What if I want some of my new TAZs to match Census 2000 tract boundaries?
The Census 2000 tract boundaries are not included on the TIGER/Line 98 file.
You will have to contact your Census Bureau Regional Office to get the most
current information on 2000 tract boundaries. Contact information is under
"References" in the User Manual.
2. When I check my 1990 TAZs, why do I have so many "invalid" segments for
TAZ definition in water polygons?
Dave Aultman from the Census Bureau is going to address this question, and
most of those segments will be VALID for the TAZ program.
From: Census2000(a)ccmc.org>
Census Monitoring Board Seeks Common Ground
In Second Report
In its second report to Congress, the Census Monitoring Board focused on
several recommendations that its eight members believe will improve
census operations aimed at historically hard-to-count population groups.
The report covers key elements of the census plan such as recruitment
and hiring temporary enumerators, outreach to people whose primary
language is not English, partnerships with local governments and
community-based organizations, and special operations to increase
response in historically hard-to-count communities.
In a cover letter to congressional leaders summarizing its findings and
recommendations, the Board urged the Census Bureau to adopt and document
standardized procedures and staffing policies in hard-to-count areas, to
help the large number of temporary enumerators do a better job
following-up with unresponsive households. It also emphasized the need
for flexibility in hiring legal non-citizens to help with the count in
immigrant neighborhoods. The report includes a series of
recommendations to clarify the respective roles of the Bureau's regional
census centers, and local and tribal governments, in establishing
Complete Count Committees in every community. The Board also emphasized
early identification of locations for Questionnaire Assistance Centers
and distribution of "Be Counted" forms, and the importance of outreach
to households with more than six residents, the disabled community, and
neighborhoods where language barriers may be prevalent.
The Board was created about 18 months ago, as part of an agreement on
census funding between congressional opponents of sampling methods and
the Administration, which supports the use of scientific methods to
supplement direct counting efforts. The four members appointed by
congressional Republican leaders and the four appointed by the President
issued separate reports on February 1, and have maintained separate
offices at Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. Despite
some difference of views, the eight members noted in the new report,
"there are areas of significant agreement on many of the operational
challenges the Census Bureau is facing as it prepares for the 2000
decennial."
The Board's report is available on both the congressional appointees'
web site at <http://www.cmbc.gov> and the Presidential appointees' web
site at <http://www.cmbp.gov>.
Census advisory committee activities: The Commerce Department has
renewed the charter of the 2000 Census Advisory Committee for two years.
The panel, comprised of a wide range of organizations representing state
and local officials, data users, civil rights advocates, and community
service providers, will continue to monitor final preparations and the
census itself, completing its work in March 2001. The committee's new
chairman is Mayor Ron Kirk of Dallas, TX, an attorney and former Texas
Secretary of State. The new vice chair is Marisa Demeo, Washington
Regional Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
Fund (MALDEF) and a former civil rights attorney with the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Congressional hearing scheduled: The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
will hold a hearing on May 4 to examine plans for the 2000 census in
Indian country. The oversight hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in
room 485 Russell Senate Office Building. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
(R-CO) chairs the committee; Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) is the senior
Democratic member.
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>. 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.
On April 5, we mailed copies of TAZ-UP with TIGER files for:
CA, NE, NV, NJ, OR, and TX
For those not needing ArcView, the packages were mailed USPS. For those with
ArcView, they were mailed via FedEx 2 day.
Just as a reminder: We mailed packages on 3/22 for AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, FL,
GA, HI, ID, KS, LA, ME, MA, MS, MT, NH, NM, ND OK, PA, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WY.
I am waiting for ONE more AL and ONE more WA, so you may be one of the 2
organizations who are in these 2 states, but without a package!
Summary: We have not received TIGER files from the Census Bureau for 18
states and the District of Columbia. TAZ-UP requires the use of ArcView 3.1
and TIGER/Line 98. (However, for CTPP submission of TAZs, you do NOT need to
use TAZ-UP but you DO need TIGER/Line 98, as noted in previous messages.)
The TAZ-UP CD includes the software, a tutorial and the user manual. I am
trying to get the tutorial and user manual added to the contractor's website,
(Election Data Services), but it hasn't happened yet. I'll let you know as
soon as possible.
Elaine Murakami
phone 202-366-6971
Don't Forget--If you just want to send a email to me, don't use "reply to all"
in your response!
Hi,
Just a note from me, your friendly list administrator.
As you may or may not have noticed, the list has been spammed twice in the last
few weeks with advertisements. Spamming has become a ever growing problem on the
Internet and more security and preventative measures are necessary to protect
this list and the server.
In order to preven spam from coming to the list, I have modified the
configuration of the CTPP list to prevent mail from unknown users from being
forwarded to the list. You must be subscribed to the list to be able to mail to
the list.
What this means is that you must mail from the same email address that you are
subscribed from. So if you're subscribed from someaddress(a)yahoomail.com, you
must send any messages to the list from that address.
One small problem with this is that the address you email from must appear the
same in the file I am using the store the email address subscribed to the list.
So it is possible that if you send mail from SomeAddress(a)yahoomail.com and I
have someaddress(a)yahoomail.com, the mail will not get forwarded to the list.
This is not that big of a problem because all rejected email to the list will be
forwarded to me and I can forward valid email to the list.
If you have any questions about this new change or any other questions in
general please feel free to contact me.
If you have any problems with the list, also feel free to contact me.
My email address is chrisp(a)chrispy.net (chrispy(a)chrispy.net works too).
Thanks,
Chris
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1999
Decennial Media Relations Team
CB99-CN.14
301-457-3691/301-457-3620 (fax)
e-mail: pio(a)census.gov
Census 2000 Countdown Begins
>From the cavernous streets of New York City to the sunny hillsides of
California, America's states, cities and towns are taking part this week
in a groundswell of grassroots events to mark the beginning of
"Countdown to Census 2000."
Census 2000, the 22nd national census of the United States, is scheduled
to take place on April 1, 2000, one year from Thursday. Scores of
events at all levels of state and local government are stressing the
importance of a complete and accurate census and encouraging people to
participate. These range from public rallies, to the installation of
"Complete Count Committees" and open houses at newly opened local census
offices, to activities sponsored by organizations that have already
pledged their support for Census 2000. Complete Count Committees are
made up of community, business and civic leaders who promote census
awareness at the local level.
On Thursday, an estimated 500 people in Chicago are expected to turn out
to highlight the start of a third wave of block canvassing the final
stage in a precensus operation to list all the nation's residential
addresses. The event at the Winter Garden Room of the Harold Washington
Library will feature the Chicago Housing Authority's children's choir.
Also in Chicago, at State and Madison streets, point zero of the city's
address-numbering system, city volunteers will distribute to pedestrians
census piggy-banks, with the slogan, "Census 2000 Means Money in the
Bank for the City of Chicago."
Several cities in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin plan to launch bunches
of multicolored balloons with the message, "A Year Away to Census Day."
Drill teams and marching bands will give the census events a festive air
in several cities. In Cincinnati, Ohio, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus
is slated to entertain at the inauguration of that city's complete count
committee. And in New York City, the City Council will issue a
proclamation on the steps of City Hall, stating that it will partner
with the Census Bureau to promote census participation.
The Native American Complete Count Committee for Oklahoma, hosted by the
Citizen Potawatomi Nation, will hold a Census 2000 rally in Shawnee on
Thursday.
Mayor Dennis Archer of Detroit will visit a local census office in East
Detroit, where a rally will be held by the city's multi-racial coalition
and New Detroit Inc., which is trying to revitalize Detroit's east side.
One of the Census Bureau's national partners, the Mexican American Legal
Defense Fund (MALDEF), is sponsoring 14 Census 2000 Kickoff events at
various cities around the country on March 30 and April 1. Those events
focus on persuading the Hispanic population, which was undercounted by 5
percent in 1990, to take part in Census 2000.
The main MALDEF event in Los Angeles includes an appearance and remarks
by Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt. Prewitt also is scheduled to
attend a public hearing in Sacramento on April 1, convened by U.S.
Rep.Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., to emphasize the effects of
the 1990 undercount on California's communities.
In early 2000, the Census Bureau will deliver questionnaires to about
120 million housing units in the 50 states and the District of Columbia
and to another 1.5 million in Puerto Rico and the outlying islands. It
expects to receive back by mail about 79 million questionnaires.
To reach the rest, the Census Bureau plans to hire and train more than
600,000 people, who will attempt to make contact with nonrespondents
through personal visits or telephone calls. Census 2000 also is the
first census in which households that receive the short form may respond
via the Internet as long as they can provide the form's control code.
