[CTPP] Re: Work-Up Problems (long response)

Al: I'm responding to you and the CTPP-News listserv, since these effect many different folks. My hopes are that the Census Bureau or USDOT staff can corroborate or correct me as needed. 1. The TIGER files *can't* be corrected as part of this WORK-UP project. So, if the TIGER/ArcView files are missing key streets, or address ranges on streets, then I think the best solution is to code to the closest available block-face. The idea is to get the employer location accurately coded to the nearest census block. Once the Census Bureau is able to geocode to the nearest block, then they will be able to aggregate to the CTPP Travel Analysis Zones created as part of TAZ-UP. If, on the other hand, the employer is within a large new subdivision that *isn't* included in the current set of TIGER/ArcView files, then I don't know what happens. I haven't come across this problem, though I have had problems with streets-without-address ranges. 2. The alias street name problem is one I've been battling with as early as this morning. The TIGER file will probably have the older name (e.g., North Main Street), but the "newcomers" to the area may be used to the new street name (e.g., Last Chance Gulch). [This is very common in the City of San Francisco where they rename streets after famous labor leaders or writers, e.g., Army Street is now Cesar Chavez Street, Ivy Street is now Lech Walesa St., Stark St. is now Jack Kerouac Alley, etc.] In answering Census 2000, respondents will use what they want (North Main or Last Chance Gulch). Maybe the Census Bureau Geography Division has a "street name alias file" that can be used for improved workplace coding???? (If not, they should!) My recommendation may be to add duplicate employer records that have the alias street name, e.g., if the employer record provided by the Census Bureau is Joe's Bar & Grill, 100 North Main Street, then I would add a new record (at the same precise geocoded location) as: Joe's Bar & Grill, 100 Last Chance Gulch. (Now, if there were 500 establishments along this Last Chance Gulch, then I'd have second thoughts about adding alias employer records.) Strategy: I've been working on WORK-UP for the past week, and I've completed initial work on five of my nine counties. In the Bay Area we have 300 thousand geocoded employer locations, and 32,800 un-geocoded employer locations. Of the 32,800 ungeocoded, 1,102 are for employers of 50+ employees. In my large counties, I'm only reviewing the ungeocoded for the 50+ employees (10+ employees in Napa County). The goal in my initial work is to "eliminate the big red dots" (ungeocoded workplaces of 50+). I'm also reviewing *all* of the geocoded records for large (250+ or 500+) employers to make sure they're in the right locations. They mostly are, though there were some problems (UCBerkeley was located in downtown Berkeley instead of on the campus; Marine World USA amusement park was on the wrong side of the road....) And some of the research is actually kind of fun (finding the correct location for Domaine Chandon & Niebaum-Coppola wineries; "Skywalker Sound" in Marin County....) Unfortunately, a lot of the ungeocoded records are shopping centers (they're a real mess.) So, my first phase strategy is to correct the ungeocoded large employers (10+ or 50+ employees); and to review the existing geocoding for very large employers (250+ or 500+). I haven't yet devised a second phase strategy. 3. My question: would it be useful to include the acronym of the employer in the employer name alias fielf? For example, I doubt that our friends at AASHTO will fill in American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, but rather just use AASHTO.... Chuck Purvis, MTC ******************************************************* 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: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/datamart/ MTC FTP Site: ftp://ftp.abag.ca.gov/pub/mtc/planning/ *******************************************************