TIGER/Line Shapefiles: Access & Use

Census 2010
Data Access & Use

Census 2000
Data Access & Use

Accessing and Using TIGER/Line Resources

	Decision-Making Information
	Contact Proximity for information resources and solutions ... (888) DMI-SOLN (888) 364-7656

This section reviews access to and use of the Census Bureau TIGER/Line shapefiles, and related derivative products, in the context of decision-making information solutions. Warren Glimpse, founder of ProximityOne, developed the Columbia, MO GBF/DIME file used as the prototype for the TIGER/Line program and is developer of desktop and Web-based GIS applications/tools using TIGER/Line data integrated with other wide-ranging data.

Follow ProximityOne on Twitter -- http://twitter.com/proximityone where we post new developments concerning access to and use of the TIGER/Line Shapefiles.

Participate in a Webinar on Using the 2009 Vintage TIGER/Line Shapefiles ... see schedule.

... brief overview of 2009 TLS role, scope, use: GIS & GeoDemographics
... using the 2009 TLS to build a map for your area using the no fee version of CommunityViewer GIS
... using CV Levels 1 and up to auto download & integrate 2009 TLS into your GIS projects

Role and Scope of TIGER/Line Shapefiles. TIGER/Line shapefiles contain data that can be used to represent different types of point, line, and polygon geography covering the U.S. earth surface. TIGER/Line shapefiles are created from the Census Bureau's TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database of selected geographic and cartographic information. TIGER is used by the Census Bureau to support the mapping and related geographic activities required by the decennial and economic censuses and sample survey programs. TIGER/Line shapefiles are available for public use and are typically used to provide the digital map base for GIS (Geographic Information System) and mapping applications.

TIGER/Line files are neither maps nor images. Maps may be created using TIGER/Line files using GIS or mapping software like CommunityViewer. The Census Bureau does not provide software that supports use of the TIGER/Line shapefiles nor assistance in how to use these data in specific applications. Contact Proximity with questions or special needs that you might have using TIGER/Line files.

Washington, DC View Based on TIGER/Line

Importance of TIGER/Line Shapefiles. Visual analysis made possible by maps is essential to effective decision-making. Development of underlying data often depends on the ability to relate data organized by one type of geography to data organized for another type of geography. The Census Bureau TIGER/Line shapefiles play an indispensable role in meeting these needs. They provide the underlying vector-oriented geographic data used in most U.S. mapping and GIS applications.

Vintages. Prior to 2008, TIGER/Line files were structured in what is now a legacy structure no longer used (with some exceptions). In December 2008, the 2008 vintage TIGER/Line shapefiles were released by the Census Bureau. In October 2009, the 2009 vintage TIGER/Line shapefiles were released by the Census Bureau. The next update to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles will be the Census 2010 version to be released in mid-2011.

The 2009 vintage TIGER/Line Shapefiles reflect only partial results from the Master Address File (MAF) and LUCA Program updates. The Census 2010 version will introduce road coverage and content improvements resulting the MAF/LUCA updates.

An important feature of the 2009 vintage TLS is that they include boundaries of governmental units (such as cities/places) in effect as of January 1, 2009, and legal and statistical area boundaries that have been adjusted and/or corrected since Census 2000. In a GIS application, this enables geospatial analysis of non-Census data such as tax parcels, 911 address data, etc., with the current legal boundary of incorporated cities. See this example of the 2008 vintage TLS incorporated place compared to the 2009 vintage TLS boundary for the same place.

Access. TIGER/Line shapefiles may be automatically downloaded and integrated into a GIS project using the CommunityViewer Level 1 and above. There is no cost, translation, unzipping, no figuring out projections or which files to open.

Viewing TIGER/Line Shapefiles as Maps. Use the CommunityViewer to display TIGER/Line shapefiles as maps optionally integrated with other types of shapefiles. The graphic presented above shows a sample view in the Washington, DC (Mall area, Ellipse, Capitol complex, Union Station, Tidal Basin) area.

The Proximity Applications Gallery presents wide-ranging maps and geospatial analyses based partly on the TIGER/Line shapefiles. See http://proximityone.com/gallery/guide.

Integrating Subject Matter Data. TIGER/Line shapefiles do not contain any demographic or other subject matter data. Integrating subject matter data can be one of the most significant challenges to using the TIGER/Line files. The CommunityViewer software can be used to integrate multi-sourced subject matter into TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Contact Proximity for additional information.