All Lines/Edges

Each all lines shapefile describes the universe of edges that either bound or are included within a county or equivalent entity.  The shapefile describes the geometry of each edge along with descriptive attributes and unique identification numbers.  These identification numbers provide the means for linking the edges to alternate features their names, address ranges, and the adjacent faces.

The All Lines/Edges shapefile contains visible linear feature edges such as roads, railroads, and hydrography, as well as non-feature edges and non-visible boundaries.  Additional attribute data associated with the linear feature edges found in the All Lines shapefiles are available in relationship files that users must download separately.

The All Lines shapefile contains the geometry and attributes of each topological primitive edge.  Each edge has a unique TLID (permanent edge identifier) value.  The edge’s left and right faces can be identified by the TFIDL (permanent face identifier on the left side of the edge) and TFIDR (permanent face identifier on the right side of the edge) attributes which link to the TFID attribute in the Topological Faces shapefile.

The left and right side of an edge is determined by the order of the points that form the edge. An edge is oriented from the start node to the end node. If one is standing on an edge at the start node facing the end node, data listed in the fields carrying a right qualifier would be found to the right of the edge.  Data users can employ GIS software to plot the edges as directional vectors with arrows showing the orientation of edges.

In the MAF/TIGER database, edges may represent several types of features. The series of indicator flags (HYDROFLG, ROADFLG, RAILFLG, and OLFFLG) indicate the classes of features that share the edge. For example, a road may have embedded tracks; the corresponding edge will have both the ROADFLG (road feature indicator) and RAILFLG (rail feature indicator) set. Generally, certain feature types appear together on the same edge:

Road and Rail—roads with adjacent tracks, tracks embedded in roadways or tracks located in the median

Rail and Other Linear Feature—rail features located on dams and levees

Road and Other Linear Feature—road features located on dams and levees

The MAF/TIGER feature class code (MTFCC) identifies the specific code for the primary feature on the edge.  For edges that represent roads in combination with other features, the MTFCC in the All Lines Shapefile will reflect the road feature.