PSAP Verification Phase; TSAP Verification Phase; SDRP Verification Phase; Redistricting Data Program Verification Phase

Census Bureau Policy for Street Updates from 2010 Geographic Participant Programs

As part of the verification phase of the Redistricting Data Program, the Participant Statistical Areas Program, the Tribal Statistical Areas Program, as well as the 2010 Boundary and Annexation Survey and the Boundary Validation Program participants will notice that the Census Bureau has added many new streets as a result of the Census 2010 address canvassing operation conducted in the spring of 2009. In addition to adding new roads, streets that did not exist on the ground were deleted and in some cases the streets were relocated to their correct ground truth location. The Geography Division continues to clean up features that appeared distorted in the geographic products created during the 2007 and 2008.

As participants in our geographic programs find that streets are not included on our verification, BAS or Boundary Validation program spatial products (maps or shapefiles), they may add the missing streets. The Census Bureau will use imagery to confirm the existence of each added street to assure it is spatially accurate. We will not use an automated process for this since there is no way using automated methods, to assure we do not add duplicate streets we already have. We will update the database with these added features and feature names (if provided) until July 2010 when we must stop in order to begin the final review of the geography before creating the Census 2010 tabulation blocks.

NOTE: The Census Bureau will not move (by adding a local edge and deleting a census edge) streets so that they more accurately line up with state, tribal, county and local sources if the streets are already in our database in the correct jurisdiction (American Indian reservation, city, town, township, county etc.).

When you are reviewing our geographic program materials, we ask that you please keep this policy in mind. DO NOT spend hours attempting to redraw our streets so that they are in line with your source. If a street is in our database in the wrong jurisdiction, you should report that problem to the Census Bureau. Use the Census Bureau contact information provided in your program materials to report this type of problem.