Block Boundary Suggestion Project

Instructions
Using
Instructionsfor
for
Usingthe
the
GeographicUpdate
UpdatePartnership
Partnership
Software
Geographic
Software
(GUPS)
(GUPS)

2020 Redistricting Data Program
00…….
Phase
One
Block Boundary Suggestion Project
September 2015

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economic and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
census.gov

Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3
PART 1: .......................................................................................................................... 5
BLOCK BOUNDARY SUGGESTION PROJECT OVERVIEW ....................................... 5
1
Planned 2020 Census Tabulation Block Boundaries .......................................... 5
2
Suggested BBSP Workflow .................................................................................. 7
2.1
Linear Feature Review .................................................................................... 9
2.2
Area Landmark and Area Hydrography Review .......................................... 10
2.3
Legal Boundary Review and Update (New for 2020)................................... 10
2.4
Point Landmark Review ................................................................................ 11
2.5
2010 Linear Feature Extension Review ....................................................... 11
2.6
Block Size Review (New for 2020) ................................................................ 12
2.7
Block Boundary Suggestion Flagging (Must Hold and Do Not Hold) ........ 12
2.8
Block Area Grouping Delineation (Updated for 2020) ................................ 14
2.9
Block Boundary Review ............................................................................... 14
2.10 General Geography and Change Review ..................................................... 14
2.11 Validation Check ........................................................................................... 15
2.12 Work Delegated? ........................................................................................... 15
3
File Submission Through SWIM ......................................................................... 16
PART 2: ........................................................................................................................ 17
MAKING BLOCK BOUNDARY SUGGESTIONS USING THE GUPS (Geographic
Update Partnership Software) .................................................................................... 17
4
GETTING STARTED ............................................................................................. 19
4.1
System and Hardware Requirements .......................................................... 19
4.2
Acquiring the GUPS and Spatial Data;
Installation and Access ........ 19
4.3
RDP Liaison Delegates Work? ..................................................................... 20
5
GUPS Basics: Map Management, View and Tools ........................................... 21
5.1
Starting GUPS (Map Management) .............................................................. 21
5.2 Page Layout ....................................................................................................... 23
5.1.1
Map View ................................................................................................. 23
5.1.2
Menu and Toolbars .................................................................................. 24
5.1.3
Table of Contents ..................................................................................... 54
5.1.5
Status Bar ................................................................................................ 63
6
BBSP Suggested Workflow ................................................................................ 64
6.1
Linear Feature Review .................................................................................. 66
6.2
Area Landmark Review ................................................................................. 73
6.3
Legal Boundary Updates (New for 2020) ..................................................... 83
6.4
Point Landmark Review ................................................................................ 92
6.5
2010 Linear Feature Extension Review ....................................................... 96
6.6
Block Size Review ....................................................................................... 100
6.7
Block Boundary Suggestion Flagging (Assigning Must Hold and Do Not
Hold Flags)............................................................................................................. 109
6.8
Block Area Grouping Delineation .............................................................. 116
6.9
Block Boundary Review ............................................................................. 117
6.10
General Geography and Change Review ............................................... 120
6.11
Validation Check...................................................................................... 125
6.12
Work Delegated? ..................................................................................... 126
7
File Submission through SWIM ........................................................................ 133
7.1 Login Page ....................................................................................................... 134

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7.1.1 If you already have a SWIM Account: ......................................................... 134
7.1.2 If you do not yet have a SWIM Account: ..................................................... 135
7.2 Welcome Page ................................................................................................. 136
7.3 Geographic Program Page ............................................................................. 137
7.4 Select a State ................................................................................................... 137
7.5 Select a .ZIP File to Upload ............................................................................. 138
7.6 Thank You Page............................................................................................. 139
APPENDIX A: UPDATES ALLOWED, BY MTFCC ................................................... 140
A.1 Area Landmark Updates Permitted............................................................... 140
A.2 Linear Feature Updates Permitted ................................................................ 141
A.3 Point Landmark Updates Permitted............................................................... 142
APPENDIX B: MTFCC DESCRIPTIONS - COMPLETE LIST .................................... 143
APPENDIX C: PARTNERSHIP SHAPEFILE DATA DICTIONARY ........................... 153
APPENDIX D: ACRONYMS ...................................................................................... 173
APPENDIX E: BBSP PARTICIPANT SUPPORT ....................................................... 174
APPENDIX F: COUNTY COMPLETION TRACKING SHEET .................................... 175

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Statement:
A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that
collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. This collection is voluntary. The
authority for conducting this collection comes from Title 13 U.S.C, Sections 16, 141, and 193.
The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0607-XXXX. Public reporting for this collection of
information is estimated to be approximately 186 hours per response, including the time for reviewing
instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information.
Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden should be
directed to: Paperwork Reduction 0607-XXXX, United States Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Room
3K138, Washington, DC 20233. You may email comments to [email protected]; use “Paperwork
Project 0607-XXXX” as the subject.

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Introduction
Public Law 94-171 stipulates that the U.S. Census Bureau work in a nonpartisan manner
with the states to identify and provide the small-area data population counts necessary
for legislative redistricting to the governor and the officers or public bodies having
responsibility for redistricting of each state one year after the Census. For the 2020
Census, the Census Bureau must deliver the counts by April 1, 2021.
The Census Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office implements the requirements of
P.L. 94-171 through five phases of the Redistricting Data Program:
Phase 1:
Phase 2:
Phase 3:
Phase 4:
Phase 5:

Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP)
Voting District Project (VTDP)
Delivery of the 2020 P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Files
Collection of Post-2020 Redistricting Plans
Review of 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program and Recommendations
for Census 2030

This document addresses Phase 1: Block Boundary Suggestion Project of the
Redistricting Data Program. It is intended for state participants using the Census
Bureau’s Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) tool to participate in the
program.
Part 1 of the document provides the conceptual overview of the 2020 Block Boundary
Suggestion Project, including a suggested workflow, BBSP block boundary flagging,
optional updates and what’s new or updated for 2020.
Part 1 provides you a conceptual understanding of the 2020 Block Boundary Suggestion
Project prior to moving on to Part 2, the technical directions. There are also hyperlinks
in Part 1 to the technical directions in Part 2 for each of topics.
Part 2 of the document contains the technical directions for using the GUPS to
accomplish the updates outlined in Part 1. However, Part 2 walks you through using the
GUPS tool, step-by-step, for each of the activities outlined in the Suggested BBSP
Workflow. To help you determine where you are in the workflow process, a small,
stylized version of the Suggested BBSP Workflow diagram, with the section’s activity
highlighted, accompanies the section heading.

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PART 1:
BLOCK BOUNDARY SUGGESTION PROJECT OVERVIEW

1 Planned 2020 Census Tabulation Block Boundaries
Census tabulation block boundaries primarily follow visible features, such as roads and
rivers, as well as any edges that bound legal or statistical geographic areas or selected
area landmarks stored in the MAF/TIGER System. Census blocks nest within all other
tabulated census geographic entities and are the basis for all data tabulated for the
decennial census, the American Community Survey, and other Census Bureau
programs and surveys.
The table below lists the feature and boundary types currently planned as 2020 Census
tabulation block boundaries.

2020 CENSUS PLANNED TABULATION BLOCK BOUNDARIES BY
MAF/TIGER FEATURE CLASSIFICATION CODE (MTFCC)
G2120 Hawaiian Home Land

G5200 Congressional District

G2130 Alaska Native Village Statistical Area

G5210 State Legislative District (Upper Chamber)

G2140 Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area

G5220 State Legislative District (Lower Chamber)

G2150 State-designated Tribal Statistical Area

G5240 Voting District

G2160 Tribal Designated Statistical Area

G5400 Elementary School District

G2170 American Indian Joint Use Area

G5410 Secondary School District

G2200 Alaska Native Regional Corporation

G5420 Unified School District

G2300 Tribal Subdivision

G6330 Urban Growth Area

G2400 Tribal Census Tract

K2110 Military Installation

G2410 Tribal Block Group

K2181 National Park Service Land

G4000 State or State Equivalent

K2182 National Forest or Other Federal Land

G4020 County or State Equivalent

K2540 University or College

G4040 County Subdivision

K1235 Juvenile Institution

G4050 Estate

G4110 Incorporated Place

K1236 Local Jail or Detention Center
K1237 Federal Penitentiary, State Prison, or Prison
Farm
K1238 Other Correctional Institution

G4120 Consolidated City

S1100 Primary Road

G5020 Census Tract

S1200 Secondary Road

G4060 Sub-Minor Civil Division

G5035 Block Area Grouping

Table 1.1: Planned 2020 Tabulation Block Boundaries

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Please note that primary and secondary roads (MTFCCs S1100 and S1200) are planned
2020 Census tabulation block boundaries. Other features, such as local roads, alleys,
railroads, and perennial water, may or may not qualify as 2020 Census tabulation block
boundaries based on the established criteria. These features can be selected as “must
hold” or “do not hold” block boundaries. You can determine whether a feature is planned
block boundary by the feature symbolization in the GUPS map or the feature’s value in
the CBBFLG field in the attribute table. A CBBFLG value of “4” indicates the feature is a
planned 2020 block boundary, while a CCBFLG value of “9” indicates the feature is
ineligible as a 2020 tabulation block boundary.
The technical details for reviewing features and assigning block boundary suggestion
flags are contained in Part 2, Chapter 6.
Note: Appendix B: MTFCC Descriptions - Complete List, contains the list of MTFCC
values in the partnership shapefiles and their descriptions.

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2 Suggested BBSP Workflow
Figure 2.1 depicts the suggested workflow for reviewing and updating Census Bureau
data for the Block Boundary Suggestion Project. The technical details for acquiring the
Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) and spatial data for the BBSP are
contained in Part Two, the technical section, of this document.
There is a separate chapter outlining the activities associated with each of the workflow
process (square) boxes. The BBSP participant is not required to perform all the update
activities shown in the flowchart.
Work is performed at a county level and should be submitted to the Census Bureau on a
flow basis, as you complete each county. Submitting work on flow basis permits the
Census Bureau to review the files early in the process, provide feedback as necessary,
and facilitates our file processing.
The Geographic Update Partnership Software contains a validation tool to ensure BBSP
updates meet the established criteria and submission files meet Census Bureau
processing requirements. Although the validation step is shown later in the BBSP
workflow, we suggest that the validation tool be utilized often at the beginning of update
work to identify errors and to avoid potentially extensive re-work later on.

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GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

Figure 2.1 Suggested BBSP Workflow

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2.1

Linear Feature Review

You should review the Census Bureau’s linear features (all edges layer) to determine
whether there are features missing or features that should be deleted. Pay particular
attention to any areas that have experienced population growth, where there may be
new housing or subdivisions that are not reflected in the Census Bureau’s geospatial
data.
The Census Bureau will also accept attribute updates (name, classification code, and
address ranges) for selected features. Added road features with MTFCC S1100-Primary
Road, or S1200-Secondary Road, require a feature name.
The GUPS will allow you to import street centerline, hydrographic, imagery and other
user-provided geospatial data for reference and comparison against the Census Bureau
data.
Please be aware that the Census Bureau will not process the wholesale spatial
realignment of features to enhance spatial accuracy. If a feature is in the incorrect
location in the Census Bureau’s feature network, delete the feature and add it in the
correct location. Take this action only if the feature is over 7.6 meters off or interferes
with the relationship with other features.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Linear Feature Review.
Appendix A2: Linear Feature Updates Permitted, lists the feature updates the Census
Bureau will accept.

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2.2

Area Landmark and Area Hydrography Review

The Census Bureau accepts updates to area landmarks and area hydrography as part of
the Block Boundary Suggestion Project.
Allowable updates include:
 Boundary corrections (adding and removing area).
 Creating a new area landmark or hydrographic area.
 Removing an area landmark or hydrographic area.
 Changing or adding a name.
If your state plans to reallocate prisoners during redistricting, you may wish to review the
existing area landmarks with MTFCCs K1235, K1236, K1237, and K1238, which
represent areas with prison populations.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Area Landmark Review
(including hydrographic areas).
Appendix A1: Area Landmark Updates Permitted, lists the feature updates the Census
Bureau will accept.

2.3

Legal Boundary Review and Update (New for 2020)

At the recommendation of many states, the Census Bureau is introducing a Boundary
and Annexation Survey (BAS) review as part of Phase 1 (BBSP) and Phase 2 (VTD) of
the Redistricting Data Program.
During the initial delineation phase and the subsequent verification phase of the Block
Boundary Suggestion Project, state redistricting liaisons may provide legal updates
(annexations, de-annexations, incorporations and dis-incorporations), including
boundary corrections, and supporting documentation. The Census Bureau will assume
the responsibility for reconciling the updates with the appropriate local governments as
part of our 2016 and 2017 Boundary and Annexation Surveys.
You may submit legal boundary updates for county subdivisions, incorporated places,
and consolidated cities. Although legal documentation (effective date, authority type,
and ordinance number) is not required for boundary updates submitted through the
BBSP, we strongly encourage you to submit the documentation to expedite our ability to
reconcile and process any legal updates reported. Annexations, de-annexations,
incorporations and dis-incorporations being submitted without documentation should all
be submitted as boundary corrections.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Legal Boundary Updates.

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2.4

Point Landmark Review

Point landmark review is an optional activity. Because many of the point landmarks
contained in the Census Bureau’s MAF/TIGER System originate from the Geographic
Names Information System (GNIS), the official vehicle for names use by the Federal
Government, permitted updates are very limited.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Point Landmark Review.
Appendix A3: Point Landmark Updates Permitted, lists the feature updates the Census
Bureau will accept.

2.5

2010 Linear Feature Extension Review

All block boundary suggestions are contingent upon the lines intersecting to form a
closed polygon at the time the Census Bureau creates tabulation blocks. As a result, all
block boundary suggestions, when combined with other features and planned holds,
must form a closed polygon.
For Census 2010, BBSP participants could place a “must-hold” on an existing feature
that did not form a closed a polygon. By adding a feature extension to close the
polygon, they then created a new block. The 2010 feature extensions are included in
the 2020 BBSP files for review and update.
You are not required to review the 2010 feature extensions. However, please be aware
that if you would like a 2010 feature extension held as 2020 block boundary, you must
take an action on the feature extension.
If you choose to review the 2010 feature extensions, you may:




Hold the feature extension for 2020. The feature from which the extension
originates is automatically flagged as a must-hold block boundary, along with the
extension.
Delete the 2010 feature extension. The 2010 feature extensions marked for
deletion by participants will help the Census Bureau remove features from the
MAF/TIGER System that no longer serve a current data tabulation purpose.
Ignore the 2010 feature extension. Be aware that 2010 feature extensions and
the features with which they are associated may not be held as 2020 tabulation
block boundaries. If you take no action on a 2010 feature extension, the Census
Bureau will determine whether to hold the extension and the feature associated
with it as a 2020 block boundary.

Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for 2010 Linear Feature Extension
Review.

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2.6

Block Size Review (New for 2020)

To facilitate your block review, the Census Bureau has assigned a size indicator to the
2020 planned tabulation blocks. Each block is assigned a letter to indicate relative size,
based on a range of approximate housing unit counts. Blocks with letters “A” through
“H” represent potentially large blocks, blocks with a letter “I” represent medium-sized
blocks, and blocks with the letter “Z” may contain no housing units.
There is not a specific GUPS tool for block size review. However, instructions for
symbolizing and reviewing the blocks based on size category are listed in Part 2 of the
guide.
Click here to review the technical instructions for Block Size Review.

2.7

Block Boundary Suggestion Flagging (Must Hold and Do Not Hold)

The Census Bureau has identified features planned as 2020 tabulation block
boundaries, as reflected in the provided BBSP data files. You can refer to Section 1,
Planned 2020 Tabulation Block Boundaries, for the complete feature list. The planned
tabulation block boundaries may change if the criteria change, or if a feature’s attributes
are updated through other Census programs.
The Census Bureau has also identified features that are ineligible as 2020 block
boundaries.
There are features with no block boundary status assigned. You are not required to
assign a BBSP flag (must hold or do not hold) to every feature, including street features,
in the file.

Assigning a Must Hold Flag:
You may assign a must hold flag to features to suggest them as 2020 tabulation block
boundaries. Candidates for assigning a must hold block boundary suggestion flag are:




Newly added features
Features that are not currently planned as block boundaries (no status assigned)
Features that are already planned as 2020 block boundaries but you want held
should their status change

You may wish to assign a must hold flag to features that are planned 2020 block
boundaries. If the block definition criteria change between the time Phase 1 BBSP
occurs and when the Census Bureau creates 2020 census tabulation blocks, assigning a
must hold to a planned block boundary feature will increase the likelihood that the
feature will become a 2020 block boundary.

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If you wish to hold a feature as a 2020 block boundary but the feature does not form a
closed polygon, you may add a feature extension to close the polygon. (See feature
extension tool) Feature extensions must meet the established criteria.
Be aware that assigning a must hold flag to a feature that is ineligible to be a block
boundary does not ensure that the Census Bureau will honor your request but we will
reevaluate the feature’s status based on your suggestion.
All must hold block boundary suggestions are contingent upon the lines intersecting to
form a closed polygon at the time the Census Bureau creates the 2020 tabulation
blocks.

Assigning a Do Not Hold Flag:
You may assign “do not hold” flags to features that that you do not want to become 2020
tabulation block boundaries. Potential candidates for assigning a “do not hold” block
boundary suggestion flag may include:




Private roads, trails, and unimproved roads
Hydrographic features with no area, shown as a single-line feature, such as a
stream or creek.
Any feature creating unnecessary blocks, such as highway ramps, traffic circles
shown as open circles or “lollipops” in the Census geospatial files, and similar
features.

Be aware that assignment of a “do-not-hold” flag to a feature that is a 2020 planned
block boundary does not ensure that the Census Bureau will honor your request.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Block Boundary Suggestion
Flagging.

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2.8

Block Area Grouping Delineation (Updated for 2020)

During the 2020 Census tabulation block creation, the Census Bureau will automatically
group islands to form a single tabulation block if they have no road features and the
islands fall within a 5 kilometer radius.
You may also group specific islands to create a single 2020 Census tabulation block,
called a Block Area Grouping (BAG). The criteria for creating a Block Area Grouping
are:





BAG must consist of two or more islands.
BAG perimeter must be entirely over water.
BAGs cannot overlap.
BAGs cannot cross the boundary of other tabulation geographies, such as county
or incorporated place boundaries.

Block Area Grouping delineation is optional, and probably most appropriate for states
with hydrographic areas that contain a number of islands.
Note: Because the State of Washington was the only state to delineate Block Area
Groupings for Census 2010, this is the only state with existing BAGs for review. All
other states may delineate new Block Area Groupings for Census 2020.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for Block Area Grouping
Delineation.

2.9

Block Boundary Review

You can review your block boundary suggestions before submitting an updated county
to the Census Bureau (if you are the designated State redistricting Liaison) or to the
State (if you have been delegated by the state to perform work). The GUPS Block
Boundary Review tool allows you to systematically traverse to features on the map by
2020 BBSP category (must hold and do not hold) for review and further update if
desired.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for the Block Boundary Review.

2.10 General Geography and Change Review
The GUPS provides two tools, not specific to the Block Boundary Suggestion Project,
you can use for reviewing your updated layers.
The first tool is the Review Change Polygons tool. It provides the ability to view the
transactions created from the edits you made to area landmarks, including area
hydrography, and legal entities, including consolidated cities, MCDs, and incorporated
places. You can review the transaction polygons that represent boundary changes,

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new entities you added, or entities you deleted. The tool also provides the ability to make
further changes to your updates as you review your original updates.
The second tool is the Geography Review tool. It provides the ability to review all
shapefile layers, This tool also allows you to filter the layer based on field values in the
attribute table. Please be aware that you cannot make changes using the Geography
Review tool.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for the General Geography and
Change Review.

2.11 Validation Check
The GUPS contains a validation check tool that will identify any non-closed polygons. A
non-closed polygon is a polygon where you have placed one or more “must-hold” block
boundary flags on features but the features, when combined with the planned block
boundaries, do not “close” to form a census block. The tool provides the opportunity for
you to refine your suggested block boundaries if non-closed polygons are present.
Click here to review the GUPS technical instructions for the Validation Check.

2.12 Work Delegated?
The Census Bureau works with the State Redistricting Data Program nonpartisan
Liaison who is designated by the governor and legislative leadership of the state. To
maintain this nonpartisan relationship, the Census Bureau only accepts completed work
from the designated State Restricting Data Program Liaison.
YES: Work was performed by someone other than the State Redistricting Data
Program (RDP) Liaison.
Any work performed on behalf of the State Redistricting Data Program Liaison, such as
by a county or a contractor, must be submitted to the State for review and approval. The
State RDP Liaison will submit the work to the Census Bureau if they approve the work.
If the State RDP Liaison determines that BBSP work completed by a designee requires
changes or additional work, it is the State’s responsibility to decide whether to make the
changes at the state level or return the project to the original delineator for further
updates.
NO: State RDP LIAISON performed the work.
The State RDP Liaison submits completed, county-level files on flow basis to the Census
Bureau through the Bureau’s Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM). Do not hold files to
submit all at once. Submit files as you complete them, especially at the beginning of the
update process, so that the Census Bureau can provide feedback if there are errors,
omissions, or other concerns.

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3 File Submission Through SWIM
The Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) is a tool for U.S. Census Bureau partners to
send their geospatial data to a Census Bureau server. For security reasons, we cannot
accept files sent via email or through our former ftp site.
The Census Bureau provides each State Redistricting Data Program Liaison a SWIM
token to establish a personal SWIM account. Once registered, you will no longer need
the token to log into the system. You will use your SWIM account to submit updates for
all phases of the 2020 Redistricting Data Program. If you are a participant for other
Census Bureau geographic programs, you may use your SWIM account to submit files
for these other geographic programs, too.
NOTE: For the Redistricting Data Program, including the Phase 1 Block Boundary
Suggestion Project, the Census Bureau will only accept files submitted by the State RDP
Liaison. If a county, agency, or contractor performs work on behalf of the state, the files
must be sent to the State for review, approval, and submission.
Click here to review the technical instructions for submitting files through the Secure
Web Incoming Module (SWIM).

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PART 2:
MAKING BLOCK BOUNDARY SUGGESTIONS USING THE GUPS
(Geographic Update Partnership Software)
Figure 4.1 on the following page depicts the Suggested BBSP Workflow for reviewing
and updating Census Bureau data using the Geographic Update Partnership Software
(GUPS). Step-by-step instructions for performing the workflow activities are outlined in
separate headings in (this) Part 2 of the User’s Guide. To help you determine where you
are in the workflow process, a small, stylized version of the Suggested BBSP Workflow
diagram with the section’s activity highlighted, accompanies the section heading.
A state participating in the Block Boundary Suggestion Program may decide to perform
the work in-house or delegate the work to their state’s counties or a contractor. If the
state delegates the work, completed files must be returned to the state for review,
approval, and submission. Only the designated State Redistricting Data Program
Liaison may submit completed work to the Census Bureau.
Section 5, GUPS Basics: Map Management, View and Tools, provides a general
overview of the Geographic Update Partnership Software. The BBSP-specific updating
activities, after the GUPS has been installed, starts in Section 6.
A BBSP participant is not required to perform all update activities shown in the workflow
diagram. The area landmark, legal boundary, block area grouping, and point landmark
reviews are all optional. We suggest, however, that you make the decision whether to
perform each of these review/update activities based on your State’s redistricting
requirements and resources available. States with laws that require the re-allocation of
prison populations for the purposes of redistricting may wish to review the area
landmarks with the MTFCCs that represent prisons (K1235, K 1236, K1237, and K1238).
Since legal boundaries are always tabulation block boundaries, all states may wish to
review the legal boundaries, as reflected in the Census Bureau data, to ensure they are
accurate as of the review date. States with numerous islands may wish to create block
area groupings (BAGs) for 2020.
The Geographic Update Partnership Software contains a validation tool to ensure that
BBSP updates meet the established criteria and submission files meet Census Bureau
processing requirements. Although the validation tool is included as a later step in the
BBSP workflow, the validation tool can be initiated at any time during update work. We
suggest that the validation tool be utilized early during the review and update process
and then periodically afterwards to lessen the possibility of extensive rework later.

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GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Area
Grouping Review

Block Boundary
Flagging

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

Figure 4.1 Suggested BBSP Workflow

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4 GETTING STARTED
4.1

System and Hardware Requirements

The Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) was developed for use in a
desktop PC or network environment. GUPS supports 64 bit Windows Operating
Systems (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8). It can also be used
with a Windows bridge from an Apple iOS. The suggested bridge software is Red Hat,
available at http://www.redhat.com/download/howto_download.html+++.

Depending on your Windows OS version, the GUPS dialog boxes may have a different
appearance than the screenshots contained in the user guide, although the content
should be the same.

4.2

Acquiring the GUPS and Spatial Data;
Installation and Access

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

This section will need to be rewritten to accommodate the GUPS
webpage, when functional. To download the GUPS software, visit
the Census Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office website:
http://www.census.gov/rdo/data/ and follow the directions posted.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

To download the Census Bureau’s partnership shapefiles for your
state, visit:
http://www.census.gov/geo/partnerships/bas/bas_download.html
Choose the 2016 Partnership Shapefile.

View Table of Contents

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

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.
GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

4.3

RDP Liaison Delegates Work?

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

The State Redistricting Data Program Liaison may choose to
delegate work to an agency, a county or counties, or a contractor.
In this document, these persons as collectively referred to as
designees. Regardless of who performs the BBSP work, the file
updating process is the same. The difference is that only the State
RDP Liaison may submit completed work to the Census Bureau.
The GUPS software creates different data output files, depending
on whether the work was completed by the RDP liaison or a
designee. The information regarding the data output creation is contained in Section 6.
Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

View Table of Contents

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

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5 GUPS Basics: Map Management, View and Tools
5.1

Starting GUPS (Map Management)

After successfully installing the Geographic Update Partnership Software you are ready
to start your partnership program project. The Map Management dialog box
automatically opens each time the GUPS starts.
If you have not yet started a GUPS project:

1. Click on the Select Program
drop down menu. . Choose the
program for which you are
2. Choose your state from the
drop down menu.

3. Choose the county to update.

The GUPS automatically loads the default data layers for the project chosen and opens
the map.

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If you have already started a project on which you want to continue working:

1. Click on the Open
Recent drop down menu.

C:/GUPSGIS/gupsdata/BBSP/project/55025.qgs

2. Choose the project from the list of projects in
project directory.
This example shows a single project.
GUPS automatically embeds the State/County code
in the file name each time you save a project file.

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5.2 Page Layout
Figure 5.1 below illustrates the GUPS page layout. The page components are labeled
within the component boundaries, shown in blue, including the Menu & Toolbars, the
Map View, the Table of Contents, the Side Toolbar, and the Status Bar.

Menu &
Toolbars

Table
of
Contents

Map View

Side Toolbar

Status Bar

Figure 5.X GUPS Page Layout

5.1.1

Map View

This area displays the map of the data layers automatically loaded by the GUPS for the
program you selected in Map Management. You can turn layers on and off, adjust their
symbology, pan around the map or zoom in and out. The map and the table of contents
are interdependent: changes you make in the table of contents are reflected on the map.

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5.1.2 Menu and Toolbars
The menu bar at the very top of the page window allows you to access GUPS features
using a standard hierarchical menu. The toolbar in the middle provides basic map
navigation.
The toolbar at the bottom provides software functions specific to the Block Boundary
Suggestion Program.
Menu Bar
GUPS Toolbar
BBSP Toolbar

Figure 5.3 GUPS Menu/Toolbars

5.1.2.1 Menu Bar
The menu bar allows you to access GUPS using a standard hierarchical menu. The toplevel menu, drop-down menus, and menu functions are listed below.
Project Each GUPS
session is considered a
project. GUPS works on
one project at a time.
Default settings are
loaded each time you
start a new project. If you
change the
default settings for a project,
your changes will be
automatically saved when
you save your project. When
you re-open a project, the map
view automatically defaults to
the map view when you last saved the project.

Edit allows you to Undo
and Redo the last user
actions.

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View allows you to control the
display of the map in the map
window. You can view the
attributes of features, measure
distances and create spatial
bookmarks to return to the same
map view at a later time. You can
refresh the map view. You can
refresh the map view to restore it
to the original map extent.

Hide
Window

Many of these actions
are also available as
button options on the
GUPS toolbar.

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Layer allows you to
add layers to and
remove layers from the
map, open the layer
attribute table, set the
coordinate reference
system (CRS), and to
display
or hide layers.

Some of these actions
are also available as
button options on the
Hide
Window
Side
toolbar
and on
the Table of Contents
toolbar.

Side
Toolbar

Table of Contents Toolbar

Settings allows you to customize
the Coordinate Reference System,
customize map display options, and
set snapping tolerances.
The snapping tolerances in the
GUPS are pre-defined by layer.
The default snapping tolerance for
edges is set to 15 pixels, as
shown in the figure below.

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The default snapping tolerance for
edges is set to15 pixels.

You can adjust the snapping tolerance for a layer. You may wish reset the snapping
tolerances to make boundary corrections. Please be aware that we often cannot make
small boundary adjustments submitted by participants because MAF/TIGER System is a
fully integrated topological database.
Vector
The Vector Menu a
includes a submenu for
Geoprocessing Tools.
The Geoprocessing Tools
menu will allow you to
create buffers around features, overlay areas so that you can create an intersection,
union, or symmetrical difference, merge features, and perform other common
geoprocessing actions.

Raster
The Raster Calculator
in the Raster menu
allows you to perform
calculations on the
basis of existing

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raster pixel values.

Processing
Although available to the
GUPS user, the processing
menu options are not required
for Census Bureau geographic
program participation. The sub
menus all pertain to algorithms,
creating models, viewing the
results of algorithms executed,
and history.

Hide Box

Help provides
access to common
GUPS questions
by clicking on the
GUPS help icon.

Hide Box

GUPS provides
another way
to access the
tools for BBSP
updating and file
submission.

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5.1.2.2 Toolbars
There are two toolbars for the Geographic Update Partnership Software, as shown in
Figure 5.x. The top toolbar is the GUPS toolbar, which provides map navigation tools.
The bottom toolbar provides the functionality needed to each geographic partnership
program. The BBSP toolbar is shown in this example.

GUPS Toolbar
BBSP Toolbar

Figure 5.X GUPS Menu and Toolbars
You can resize the toolbars and reposition them by dragging to your desired location.
They can float on the desktop or be docked along the outer edges of the GUPS page.
The GUPS toolbar and BBSP toolbar buttons, names, and functions are highlighted in
separate sections below. If you hover your mouse over a button when you are in the
GUPS application, you will see the tool description and how to use it.

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GUPS Toolbar Functions
The GUPS toolbar provides the navigation tools needed to interact with the map and
layers’ attribute tables.
It is comprised of 4 separate toolbars, identified by the grouping bars on the tool. The
first toolbar contains the button for saving projects, the second contains the tool buttons
for map navigation, the third provides tools for selecting features, making
measurements, creating spatial bookmarks, and working the layers’ attribute tables, and
the last contains the What’s This? tool.

Click on a grouping bar on the GUPS toolbar to move it another location.
(Toolbar has bee enlarged to show detail; not all buttons shown.

The toolbar buttons, names, and functions are shown below.
Button

Name

Function

Save

Saves the current GUPS county project, including any user
changes to layer properties, projection, last viewed extent,
layers added.

Touch Zoom and Pan

Designed for touchscreen computers. Enables user to zoom
and pan the map using finger gestures.

Pan Map
Pan Map to Selection
Zoom In

Shifts the map in the display window without changing the
map scale.
Shifts the map in the display window to the rows selected in
the attribute table.
Displays the map in the window at a larger scale.

Zoom Out

Displays the map in the window at a smaller scale.

Zoom Full

Zooms the map view to the full extent of the county.

Zoom to Selection

View Table of Contents

Zooms the map view to the rows selected by query in the
attribute table.

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Zoom to Layer

Zooms the map view to the extent of the layer.

Zoom Last

Zooms the map view to the previous map extent.

Zoom Next

Zooms the map view forward to the next map extent.

Refresh

Displays map view to initial full display.

Identify Features

Identifies the geographic feature on which the user clicks.

Select Features

Enables user to select layer features in the map window with
a single click, dragging a box, or drawing graphics on the
screen.

Deselect Features
From all Layers

Deselects selected features from all layers.

Select Features by
Expression

Allows attribute table records request by querying the table
based on table fields and/or values in the fields.

Open Attribute Table

Opens the attribute table for the active layer displayed in the
map window.

Open Field Calculator

Enables user to edit attribute table field values to set a value
for a single record or multiple records.
Provides options to measure linear distance, area, and
angles on the map.

Measure
New Bookmark
Show Bookmarks
What’s This?

Enables user to create and name a spatial bookmark of the
current map view.
Displays all bookmarks created by the user.
Displays GUPS page information.

Figure 5.X GUPS Toolbar Buttons

Saving a Map Project
When you save a county map you have created in GUPS (all GUPS projects are, by
default, created at the county or county-equivalent level), it is saved with the state and
county FIPS code (ssccc) and a file name extension (.qgs) automatically appended to
the name. For example, a project for Dane County (county FIPS 025), Wisconsin (state
FIPS 55) is saved with filename 55025.qgs. Any settings changes you have made are
also saved in the project and restored the next time you load the project.

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You can return to working on a county at any time by clicking on the Open Recent
button in the Map Management window you open GUPS You must first select a
program.
Map Navigation: Zooming and Panning
You can use the various buttons on map navigation section of the toolbar to manipulate
the map view.

A click on the
Touch and Zoom button functions on a touchscreen computer. You
can zoom in and out on the map to increase or decrease the map scale with finger
gestures.
A click on the

Pan button re-centers the map at the location you click on the map.

A click on the
Pan to Selection button after selecting a feature on the map recenters the map based on the selected feature(s).
A click on the

Zoom-in button increases the map scale when you click on the map.

A click on the
map.

Zoom-out button decreases the map scale when you click on the

A click on the

Zoom Full button allows you to view the full extent of your map.

A click on the
Zoom to Selection button after selecting a feature on the map
allows you to view the feature at a greater map scale.
A click on the
Zoom to Layer button after selecting a layer in the table of contents
zooms the map view to the layer’s extent.
A click on the

Zoom Last button will return you to the previous map view extent.

A click on the
extent.

Zoom Next button allows you to go forward to the next map view

A click on the

Refresh View button

Before editing a layer, you should always zoom in to your area of interest to ensure that any
updates you make are spatially accurate.
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Selecting and Identifying Features, Making Measurements, Creating Spatial
Bookmarks, and Working With the Attribute Table

A click on the
Identify button, followed by a click on a feature on the map identifies
the feature at the location. Results are displayed in the Identify window.

Edgewood Ct, highlighted in red, was
selected on the map from the active
edges layer. The Identify dialog box
displays the features attributes . Use the
scroll bar on the right to view all the
edge’s attributes.

Selecting and Deselecting Features
A click on the

Select Features button allows you to select features several ways.

To select a single feature, click the
Select Features button, choose Select
Feature(s) from the drop down menu, and click the feature on the map. To select

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multiple features, hold down the SHIFT key as you select the features. To remove one
or more features from a selection of multiple features, hold down the SHIFT key and
click the feature(s) again.
You can also select multiple features graphically dragging a box around them. You can
also use Select Features by Polygon, Select Features by Freehand, and Select Features
by Radius tools to select features using graphics you draw on the screen.
A click on the
Deselect Features button deselects the selected features in all
layers in a single action.

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A click on the
Select Features by Expression button allows you to select features
by querying the attribute table.

1. Click on the Select Features by
Expression button on the GUPS toolbar.

2. Double click on field name you want
select by to add it to the Expression
field below.

The select by express ion dialog box opens.

4. Double click on value in the Field
Values window button to add it to
the Expression field.

3. Click on the operator button to add it
to the Expression field.

5. Click on the arrow next to
the Select button to choose
how you wish to apply the
selection.

6. Choose how to apply the
selection. For this example,
we choose the Select option.

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The attribute table for the edges layer
opens. There are 17 edges in the file
that meet the expression BBSP = 4.

The Field Calculator button on the
toolbar allows you to take a number of
actions on the expression results, if
you choose to do so.

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A click on the
Field Calculator button allows you to create a new field from the
records selected or update an existing field. You can apply the expression to just the
selected records or to all the records in the table.

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A click on the
Select Features by Expression button allows you to select features
by querying the attribute table.
In this example, we want to view the features we have a assigned a do not hold flag.

1. Click on the Select Features by
Expression button on the GUPS toolbar.

The Select by Expression dialog box opens.

2. Click on the for the Fields and
Values menu to expand it.

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2. Double click on the
BBSP_2020 field to add it to the
Expression window,

3. Single click on the “ = ”
operator button to add it to the
Expression window,

Notice the message below the window that indicates the
expression is invalid. We have not yet added the value
for the expression.

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4. Click on the all unique button
to add it to the Expression
window.
There are 2 values shown in this
example:
1-Must hold
2- Do not hold
If you have not yet assigned
BBSP flags, no values will
appear in the window. Or, if you
assigned only one type of flag,
then only that flag type value will
appear.

5. Double click the value “2’ in
the values window to add it to
the expression.

6. Click the Select button

The features meeting the expression are highlighted on
the map. These are the features assigned a do not hold
flag (BBSP_2020 = 2).
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A click on the
Open Attribute Table button allows you to view the attribute table
for a layer on the map.

1. Click on the layer in the Table of
Contents to make it the active layer.

2. Click on the Open Attribute Table
button on the GUPS toolbar, which
opens the Attribute table.

Table fields are listed across the top
of the table.

Rows can be selected by clicking on
the row number.
To select a table record, click on the
row number on the left side of the
row. To select more than one record,
you can click on a record and then
holding down the CRTL key, click on
the other individual records you
would like to select. Or to select a
range of records in the table, click on
the first record you want to select,
then holding down the Shift key,
select the last record in the range.

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Using the Attribute Table Toolbars

THIS SECTION UNDER CONSTUCTION…
A click on the

Toggle Editing Mode button enables you to…

It also activates the

Save Edits button and the XXXX Button.
The

Save Edits button…

A click on the
Select Features Using an Expression button allows you to select
features by querying the attribute table. For a simple search by attributes on only one
column, choose Column Filter from the menu in the bottom left corner of the attribute
table. Select the field (column) on which the search should be performed from the dropdown menu, and click the Apply button. Then, only the matching features are shown in
the attribute table.

A click on the

Unselect All button…

A click on the

Move Selected to Top button …

A click on the

Invert Selection button…

A click on the

Pan to Selection button…

A click on the
Zoom to Selection button after selecting a feature on the map
allows you to view the feature at a greater map scale.
Clicking on the

View Table of Contents

Copy to Clipboard button allows you to…

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A click on the

Delete Attributes …

A click on the

Add Column button …

A click on the

Calculate Field button allows calculations to be quickly applied to

attributes visible in the table. This button uses the same expressions as the
Calculator button on the main GUPS toolbar.

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A click on the
Measure button allows you to determine distance between two or
more points on the map. Select the layer in the Table of Contents on which you want to
measure to make it the active layer. Click on the first point on your map and continue
clicking on points until you reach the final point. Each segment length, as well as the
total length, appears in the Measure window.
A click on the
New Bookmark button allows you to create and save geographic
locations in your map view and return to them later. To create a bookmark:

1. Zoom or pan to the area of
interest in the map view. .
2. Click on the
New Bookmark
button.
3. Click on the line that has New
Bookmark as the name. Backspace
over “New Bookmark” to enter a
descriptive name for the bookmark
(up to 255 characters).
4. Press the Close button.

A click on the
Show Bookmarks buttons allows you to view and manage your
spatial bookmarks. You cannot edit the bookmark name or coordinates. To zoom a
bookmark, click on a bookmark name in the Geospatial Bookmarks dialog box and then
click the Zoom to button. To delete a bookmark, click on the bookmark name , then
press the Delete button.
A click on the What’s This? button followed by a click in the page view indicates which
part of the page you are viewing.

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BBSP Toolbar
The BBSP toolbar provides the software functionality to complete the activities outlined
in the Suggested BBSP Workflow diagram. The detailed explanations for using the
BBSP toolbar buttons are contained in Section 6.

Button

Name
Add Feature
Extension
Add Line
Add Block Area
Grouping
Assign BBSP Flag
Edit Attributes
Delete Line

Function
Enables user to add a 2020 linear feature extension to create a
closed polygon for a suggested 2020 tabulation block.
Enables user to add a linear feature to the Census Bureau’s
partnership shapefile.
Enables user to create a Block Area Grouping over water.
Enables user to assign a “must hold” or “do not hold” flag to a
linear feature selected in the map window.
Enables user to edit attribute fields for a selected feature.
Enables user to delete a linear feature.

Add Point Landmark Enables user to add a point landmark.
Edit Point Landmark Enables user to modify the attributes of a point landmark.
Delete Point
Landmark

Enables user to Delete a point landmark.

Enables user to select faces (polygons) for adding and deleting
Modify Area Feature area from area landmarks and legal entities, or to create a new
entity or delete an existing one.
Review 2010 Feature Enables user to systematically review 2010 linear feature
Extensions
extensions to take an action for 2020 (Hold, Delete, Ignore).
Closed Polygon
Validation Check

Initiates a validation check to identify any non-closed polygons.

Block Boundary
Review

Enables user to systematically review features by BBSP category
(Hold, Do not Hold, NULL?).

Geography Review

View Table of Contents

Enables user to review the attribute table by field values for all
data layers.

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Export to .zip File
Review Change
Polygons
Map Management

Creates the .zip file containing all required data and shapefiles to
be submitted to the Census Bureau.
Enables user to review the transaction polygons for area
landmarks, area hydrography, and legal geography updates and
make further updates
Allows the user to choose the geographic participant program in
GUPS. Automatically loads the default map display layers based
on program chosen.
Enables user to search the map.by census tract, block, landmark
or street name and be zoomed to the feature.

Search
Display All Names

Displays all names for a street with multiple names assigned in
the MAF/TIGER System..

Figure 5.X BBSP Toolbar Buttons

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SideToolbar
The Side Toolbar allows you to add vector and raster data layers and import data tables.

Name

Function

Add Vector
Layer

Enables user to add shapefiles and geodatabase files to the
GUPS project.

Add Raster
Layer

Enables user to add raster datasets such as imagery.

Add PostGIS
Layer
Add SpatialLite
layer
Add MSSQL
Spatial Layer
Add Oracle
Spatial Layer
Add Oracle
GeoRaster
Layer
Add WM(T)S
layer
Add WCS layer

Enables user to add PostGIS layer.
Enables user to add a data from a SpatialLite database.
Enables user to add a MS SQL 2008 Spatial data.
Enables user to add data from a Spatial
Enables user to add raster imagery from an Oracle database.
Enables user to add Web Mapping Services and Web Mapping
Tile Services. Publicly accessible and secured WMS services
are supported.
Enables User to add Web Coverage Services, which provides
access to raster data useful for client-side map rendering.

Add WFS Layer

Enables user to add Web Feature Services.

Create New
SpatialLite Layer

Enables user to create a new SpatialLite layer from an existing
layer.

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Adding Data
A click on the
Add Vector Layer button allows you to add shapefile and
geodatabase files to your GUPS project.

1. Click on the Add Vector Layer
button on the Side Toolbar.

The Add vector layer dialog box opens.

3. Click on the File radio button.

4. The default t value in the Encoding menu is System. If you receive an error message
when opening your file, change the Encoding to UTF-8 in the drop down menu.

6. Click the Open button.

5. Click on the Browse button. Navigate to the folder where the
shapefile or geodatabase is saved on your computer.
This example shows the block size shapefile that is automatically
stored in the GUPS data directory when you installed GUPS:
GUPSGIS\gupsdata\BBSP\project\bbsp_2015_block_ssccc.shp,
where ssccc is the State/County code.

The block size shapefile is added to the
map, as reflected in the Table of
Contents.

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Adding a Web Mapping Service:
A click on the
Add WM(T)S Layer button allows you to add a Web Mapping Service
to your GUPS project.
If you do not have a state-wide or county web mapping service, one imagery option may
be the National Agricultural Imagery Service (NAIP) supplied in web mapping service
format by the U.S. Geological Survey. It is available at the URL:
http://raster.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/services/Orthoimagery/USGS_EROS_Ortho/ImageS
erver/WMSServer
The instructions below for adding a web mapping service to GUPS use the URL for the
USGS NAIP imagery.

1. Click on the Add WM(T)S Layer
button on the Side Toolbar.

The Add Layers from a WM(T)S Server
dialog box opens.

2. Click on the New button on the
Layers tab.
After you add a service, GUPS saves it
and it will appear as an option on the
drop down menu.

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The Create a new WMS Connection
dialog box opens.

3. Type in a name for the imagery
service in the Name field.

4. Type in the URLof the imagery
service in the URL field.

5. Type in a Username and
Password if your imagery service
requires it.
Username/Password is not
required for the USGS NAIP
imagery, so leave these fields
blank if connecting to USGS NAIP
imagery.

6. Click the OK button.

If your working
environment is inside a
firewall, you may be
prompted for your
Username and Password
to obtain resources from
outside the firewall.

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Your imagery service now appears in
the drop down menu.

7. Select the imagery service you just
added from the drop down menu.

8. Select the layer to display
Note: the USGS NAIP imagery used in
this example has only 1 layer available:
“0”.

9. Click the Add Button.

The WMS is added to the map. It
appears at the top of the Table of
Contents, which means it displays over
the top of the other layers. so you may
want to move it to the bottom by clicking
on the layer name and dragging it to the
bottom.

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A click on the
Add Raster Layer button allows you to add imagery to your GUPS
project if you do not have access to a web mapping service, if your have a less-thanideal internet connection, or an oppressive firewall. If you do not have a county or state
imagery dataset, you can download the USGS imagery on a county-per county basis.
After clicking on the Add Raster layer button, the Open a GDAL Supported Raster
Data Source dialog box opens. Navigate to the folder on your computer where the
imagery file is stored. Click on the file name in the window and Open.

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5.1.3 Table of Contents
The Table of Contents shows the layers on the map and the features represented by the
layer. The GUPS will automatically load and display a set of default data layers defined
by the Census Bureau for each geographic participant program. You can reorder the
layers to change the map display, add and remove layers, including user-provided data,
display or hide layers,and change the layer symbology and labeling

Table of Contents Toolbar

Expand and contract the
menus by clicking the (+) and
(-) boxes

Turn a layer on or off by
clicking the checkbox

Click a symbol to change its
properties

Figure 5.2 GUPS Table of Contents

The toolbar buttons at the top of the Table of Contents allow you to add and remove
layers or groups, manage layer visibility, filter the legend by map content, and expand
and contract the menus by clicking on the (+) and (-) symbol

Add New Group
Manage Layer Visibility

Allows layers in the Table of Contents to be
organized into groups
Allows preset layer views created by the user

Filter Legend by Map
Content

Displays in the Table of Contents only the map
layers in the current map view.

Expand All Menus (+)

Expands to show all menus

Collapse All Menus (-)

Collapses all menus

Remove Layer or
Group

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Removes layer or group from the Table of Contents

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Add New Group
Layers in the Table of Contents can be organized into groups. You can do this in two
ways:
1. Click on the
button on the Table of Contents Toolbar to add a new group. Type
in a name for the group and press the Enter key. Click on an existing layer and drag it
into the group you just created.
or
2. Select one or more layers in the Table of Contents, right click in the Table of
Contents window, and choose Group Selected. The selected layers are automatically
placed in a new group. To select more than one layer or group at the same time, hold
down the CTRL key while selecting the layers with the left mouse button.
To remove a layer from a group, you can click on the layer and drag it out of the group or
you can right click on the layer and choose Make toplevel item.
Groups can also be nested inside other groups.
You can show or hide all the layers in the group with a single click in the group’s
checkbox
Manage Layer Visibility (and Preset Views)
You can add preset views in the Table of Contents by clicking on the
button on the
Table of Contents Toolbar. You can choose to display a layer with specific
categorization and add this view to the Presets list. To add a preset view, click on the
button, choose Add Preset from the drop down menu, and assign a name to the
preset view. By clicking on the
button, you can view the list of all preset views that
you have established and from which you can choose.
A layer can be selected and dragged up or down in the Table of Contents to change the
order in which layers are drawn. Layers are drawn in the reverse order in which they
appear in the table contents. Layers that appear at the bottom of the table of contents
are drawn first and the layers near the top are drawn “over” the layers near the bottom.
Filter Legend by Map Content
You can remove from the Table of Contents display any layers which are not currently in
the map view extent by clicking on the
button. This feature ensures that the Table
of Contents does not contain entries for items not currently in the map view.

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Expand All Menus
You can display all layers in a group by clicking on the
Contents toolbar.

button on the Table of

Collapse All Menus
You can turn off the visibility of layers in a group by clicking on the
Table of Contents toolbar.

button on the

Remove Layer or Group
You can remove a layer or a group in the Table of Contents clicking on the
Remove
Layer or Group button. To remove a layer, click on the layer you want to remove , and
while holding down the CTRL key, click the
button. To remove a group, follow the
same process, first selecting the group to be removed, and while holding down the
CTRL key, click the

button.

Re-ordering the Data Layers
In the Table of Contents, the order in which the layers are listed determines how the
layers are drawn on the map. The layers at the top draw on top of those below them. A
layer can be selected and dragged up or down in the table of contents to change the
drawing order.
To move a layer up or down: Click the mouse on the layer and drag the layer to the
desired position in the layer list. Release the mouse button to place the layer in its new
position.
Setting Layer Symbology
The GUPS loads a default layer symbology established for each Census Bureau
geographic partnership program. You can change the default symbology to suit your
preferences.

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To change the default symbology for a layer in GUPS:

1. Right Click on the layer in the
Table of Contents, which opens
the Layers drop down menu.
In this example, we chose the
edges layer.

2. Choose Properties.

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The Layer Properties dialog box opens

4. Double click the symbol you
want to edit in the layers list.
In this example, the symbol for
the 2020 Planned block
boundaries has been chosen.

3. Click on Style in the menu.

The Rule Properties dialog box opens.
The Label field shows the layer chosen.

5. Choose a different color for
the symbol from the drop down
menu or you can choose a
different symbol altogether for the
layer from the symbols window.

The Symbol window shows the current
symbol (light blue line).

6. Click OK to change the symbology or
Cancel if you do not want to change it.

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Label Display
You can change the default GUPS labeling display for features.
To change the default labeling for a layer in GUPS:

1. Right Click on the layer in the
Table of Contents, which opens
the Layers drop down menu.
In this example, we choose the
edges layer.

2. Choose Properties.

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The Layer Properties dialog box opens. In
this example, the edges layer was chosen.

4. You can change the
attribute field for labeling the
feature from the options in the
drop down menu.

3. Click on Labels in
the menu.

5. From the drop-down menus in the Text style window, you can
change the type: Font, Style, Color, Transparency, Case and more.

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You can always restore the default
setting for a layer.

1. Right click on the layer you
changed in the Table of
Contents, which opens the
Layers drop down menu again.

3. Select Load default style to
restore the layer’s original properties.
OR
4. Select Load all default style if you
want reset ALL the layers to the original
settings.

2 .Choose GUPS Layer.

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Layer Display
The checkbox for each of the data layers indicates whether the layer is displayed or
hidden.

To turn a layer on or off, click
the checkbox

Adding and Removing Layers
GUPS automatically loads a default set of data layers specified by the Census Bureau
for each geographic partnership program. You can add other data layers from the
Census Bureau’s partnership shapefile that are not in the default data layer set, or you
can add user-provided data.
A click on the
Add Vector Layer button on the Side toolbar allows you to add
shapefile and geodatabase files to your GUPS project. More detailed instructions with
accompanying graphics, are included under the Side toolbar section. (insert a hyperlink)
To remove a layer, click on the layer you want to remove , and while holding down the
CTRL key, click the

Remove Layer or Group button on the Table of Contents menu.

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5.1.5 Status Bar
The Status Bar displays information about the map. It allows you to adjust the map
scale and see the mouse cursor’s coordinates on the map.
Coordinate Display

Toggle

Map Scale

Map Render
(Draw)

Projection
Properties

Toggle

Allows you to toggle between the mouse’s coordinate position or the
map view extents as you pan and zoom in and out on the map.

Coordinate Display

Shows your current position in map coordinates (default is decimal
degrees for GUPS) as your map cursor is moved across the map.

Map Scale

Shows your current position in map coordinates (default is decimal
degrees for GUPS) as your map cursor is moved across the map.

Map Render
(Draw)

Allows you to temporarily prevent layers from drawing by clicking the
checkbox immediately to the left of “Render”.

Projection Properties Clicking on the icon will open the projection properties for the current
map.

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6 BBSP Suggested Workflow
Figure 6.1 on the following page depicts the Suggested Block Boundary Suggestion
Project Workflow for reviewing and updating Census Bureau data using the Geographic
Update Partnership Software (GUPS). Step-by-step instructions performing the
workflow activities using GUPS is outlined in a separate heading.
A state participating in the Block Boundary Suggestion Program may decide to perform
the work in-house or delegate the work to their state’s counties or a contractor. If the
state delegates the work, completed files must be returned to the state for review,
approval, and submission. Only the designated State Redistricting Data Program
Liaison may submit completed work to the Census Bureau.
A BBSP participant is not required to perform all update activities shown in the workflow
diagram. The area landmark, legal boundary, block area grouping, and point landmark
reviews are all optional. We suggest, however, that you make the decision whether to
perform each of these review/update activities based on your state’s redistricting
requirements and available resources. States with laws that require prison populations
to be re-allocated for the purposes of redistricting may wish to review the area
landmarks with the MTFCCs that represent prisons (K1235, K 1236, K1237, and K1238).
Since legal boundaries are always tabulation block boundaries, all states may wish to
review the legal boundaries, as reflected in the Census Bureau data, to ensure they are
accurate as of the review date. States with numerous islands may wish to create block
area groupings (BAGs) for 2020.
The Geographic Update Partnership Software contains a validation tool to ensure that
BBSP updates meet the established criteria and submission files meet Census Bureau
processing requirements. Although the validation tool is shown as a later step in the
BBSP workflow, the validation tool can be initiated at any time during update work. We
suggest that the validation tool be utilized early during the review and update process
and then periodically afterwards to lessen the possibility of extensive rework later.

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GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

Figure 6.1 Suggested BBSP Workflow

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6.1

Linear Feature Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

We recommend that you review the linear features in the Census
Bureau file to determine whether there are missing features or
existing features that should be deleted. You can import your own
shapefiles, geodatabases, Web Mapping Services and/or imagery
for comparison against Census Bureau data. If you plan to import
data for reference purposes, follow the directions for importing
user-provided geospatial data and/or web mapping services listed
in the Side Toolbar section. Then return to this section for
instructions for adding and deleting features or changing a feature’s
attribution.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Area
Grouping Review

Block Boundary
Flagging

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

Click Appendix A2: Linear Feature Updates Permitted, for the list of feature updates the
Census Bureau will accept.
To Add a Linear Feature:
1. Click on the Add Line button on the
BBSP toolbar.

2. Digitize the new linear feature by A) left
clicking the mouse at the starting point of
line and continuing to click at each vertex
(shape) point of the line. B) Right click
the mouse when you have completed the
new line.

A

B

The Add linear feature dialog box opens.

3. Type the name of the feature in the
Name field if the feature is named.
4. Click on the MTFCC drop down menu
to choose the appropriate code.

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The added linear feature and the name as
they appear on the map.

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To Delete a Linear Feature:
Note: You are not actually “deleting” a feature in the Census Bureau file. The software
assigns a change type to the feature in the attribute table. The feature is processed for
deletion after the Census Bureau receives the BBSP file. The feature flagged for
deletion will still appear in the GUPS map with a heavier weight orange dashed
symbology on top of the feature’s original symbology.

1. Click on the Delete Line button on the
BBSP toolbar.

2. Click on the feature(s) on the map you
want to delete.
In this example, there are two roads
named St Martins Rd. The one to chosen
for deletion is highlighted in yellow.

The Delete Linear Feature
confirmation dialog box opens.
3. Click OK to delete the feature.

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The deleted feature appears on the map
with a dashed orange line symbology on top
of the original feature symbology.
Note: The line is not actually deleted in the
shapefile, which means it is not removed
from the map. It has been assigned a
deletion flag for Census Bureau processing.

To Restore a Deleted Linear Feature:
1. Click on the Delete Line button on the
BBSP toolbar. (Yes, this is correct)

2. Click on the feature on the map that
you previously deleted.

The Delete Linear Feature dialog box
opens with a confirmation to Restore the
line. Click the OK button.

The Delete Line flag is removed from
the attribute table and the line is
restored.

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To Change the Attribution of a Linear Feature (Name, MTFCC, add Address Range)
Depending on the attribute update actions you intend to initiate, there a few steps that
we suggest you take first before editing a linear feature.

1. Click the checkbox for

> direction in the edges
layer to turn on the red
arrows if you plan to provide
address ranges. These
arrows indicate the FROM
and TO nodes for line
segments.

Before changing the name of a linear feature, check to see whether the feature has an
alternative name in the TIGER shapefile.
2. Select the feature in the map with the
toolbar.
3. Click on the

Select Feature(s) button on the GUPS

Display All Names button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Display all names dialog box opens, displaying the primary name of the feature. The
Alt. Name field shows the alternate name for the feature, if one is present.
4. Click on the drop down menu of the Alt. Names fields to see a third alternative name, if
one is present.

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To edit a linear feature:
1. Click on the Edit Attributes button on
the BBSP toolbar.

2. Click the linear feature
on the map whose
attributes you want to edit.

The Update Edge Attribute dialog box
opens with the TIGER Line Feature ID
(TLID) of the feature selected. The
Name field populates if the feature is
named. If the feature is not named, the
field is blank. The MTFCC field shows
the assigned MTFCC.

The address ranges for all features are blank in
the TIGER partnership shapefiles because the
ranges are stored in tables separate from the
shapefiles.
You can provide address ranges in these
fields, but be aware we may already have
address ranges. It is important to note which
node is the FROM node and which is the TO
node (based on the red directional arrows) so
that the address ranges are associated with
the correct side of the street and the correct
census block.
Note: Provide potential address ranges for
blocksides, such as 0-98, 100-198, etc. for
even parity and 1-99, 101-199, etc. for odd
parity address ranges. Do not provide actual
address ranges.

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4. To update the FULLNAME field:
If the field is blank: type in the new name.
If the field is already populated:
You can highlight the existing name and hit
delete or just backspace over the name to clear
the field. Then type in the new name.
Make sure to include the street type (ST, AVE,
BLVD, etc.) in all names.

5. Click on the MTFCC drop
down menu to change the
MTFCC.
6. Type in potential address ranges in the LTOADD
(left to address); RTOADD (right to address);
LFROM0ADD (left from address); RFROMADD (right
from address) fields based on the directional arrows.
The directional arrows show the origin node (FROM)
and the end node (TO).

Include a diagram with From and To nodes with the address ranges.

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6.2

Area Landmark Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

The Census Bureau accepts updates to area landmarks, including
hydrographic areas, as part of the Block Boundary Suggestion
Project.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Allowable updates include:
 Boundary corrections (adding and removing area)
 Creating a new area landmark or hydrographic area
 Removing an area landmark or hydrographic area
 Changing or adding a name

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Was Work
Delegated?

Create Data
Submission File

NO

Adding or removing area from an area landmark, including areal hydrography, is
accomplished by selecting the face or faces (polygons) that comprise the area of
change. If a face boundary does not already reflect the area needed for a boundary
update, you must digitize a linear feature to split the face and assign it the proper
MTFCC. Instructions for adding linear features are contained in Section 6.1.
There are some restrictions to area landmark updates. Appendix A1: Area Landmark
Updates Permitted, lists the feature updates the Census Bureau will accept.
If your state plans to reallocate prisoners during redistricting, you may wish to review the
existing area landmarks with MTFCCs K1235, K1236, K1237, and K1238, which
represent areas that contain prison populations.
To Review Area Landmarks, including area hydrography:
1. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature
dialog box opens.
2. Choose Area Landmark/Area
Hygrography from the drop down
menu.

The Info window populates with the
list of area landmarks and area
hygrography in the county.

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3. Click on a row in the list to select a
landmark. The map zooms you to the
selected landmark (Edgewood College).

You can make changes to the
selected area landmark with the
tools above the Info Window.

Select Feature(s)
Add selected faces to target entity
Remove selected faces from target entity
Select and zoom to previous entity on the list
Select and zoom to next entity on the list
Add new entity
Modify attributes of target entity
Delete selected entity

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To Add Area to an Area Landmark:

4. Click on the Select Feature(s) button on the
toolbar. Choose the method you want to use to
add the faces (polygons) to the landmark.

5. Click on the face(s) in the map you
want to add to the area landmark.
Selected face(s) are shown in light
yellow. To add more than one face,
click on the first face, hold down the
CTRL key, and continue clicking on
the other faces you want to add.

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6. Click on the Add button
on the Modify Area Feature
toolbar.

The face is added to the target entity,
now highlighted in dark yellow with
the full extent of the entity
(Edgewood College).

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To Remove Area from an Area Landmark:
4. Click on the Select Feature(s) button
on the toolbar. Choose the method you
want to remove the faces (polygons)
from the landmark.

5. Click on the face or faces in the map you
want to remove from the area landmark. The
selected face(s) are highlighted. To remove
more than one face, click on the first face,
hold down the CRTLkey, and click on the
remaining faces you want to remove.

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6. Click on the Remove
button on the Modify Area
Feature toolbar.

The face is removed from the target
entity (Edgewood College).

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To create a new Area Landmark:

2. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

1. Zoom to the area of
interest on the map.

The Modify Area Feature
dialog box opens.

3. Click on the Add Entity
button on the Modify Area
Feature toolbar.
4. Select Add Entity from
the drop down menu.

.
The Add Entity Attributes
dialog box opens. The State
and County codes fields are
pre-populated with the
GUPS county on which you
are working.

5. Type in the Full name of the new entity.
6. Assign an MTFCC code from the
drop down menu and click OK.

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7. Click on the Select
Features button on the
Modify Area Feature dialog
box.

8. Select the faces on the
map that comprise the new
entity.

9. Click on the Add button to
add the faces to create the
entity.

Because all areal features are comprised of faces (polygons), you may need to “split” a face
to accurately reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents
the boundary’s location and assign it the appropriate MTFCC. This splits the original face
into two faces. You can now select the face (polygon) you need to add to the new entity.
Click here for more information on adding a linear feature.

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Speedway Park is now reflected in the
Modify Area Feature dialog box with
MTFFC K2180 and reflected on the
map.

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To Delete an Area Landmark:
1. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature dialog box
opens.

2. Choose Area Landmark/Area
Hydrography from the drop down
menu.

The Info window populates with the list of
area landmarks and area hydrography in
the county.
Clicking on the blue arrows on the menu
toolbar moves you up and down through
the list, highlighting the feature on the map
as the feature is highlighted in the Info
window.

4. Select the entity in the list for deletion.

5. Click on the Delete
Entity button on the Modify
Area Feature toolbar.

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The Deletion confirmation
dialog box opens.

6. Confirm or cancel your delete action.

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6.3

Legal Boundary Updates (New for 2020)

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Block Boundary Suggestion Project participants may submit legal
boundary updates (annexations, de-annexations, incorporations
and dis-incorporations) for county subdivisions, incorporated
places, and consolidated cities. You may also submit boundary
corrections. The Census Bureau will reconcile the boundary
submissions with the appropriate local governments as part of our
2016 Boundary and Annexation Survey. Although legal
documentation (effective date, authority type, and ordinance
number) is not required for boundary updates submitted through
the BBSP, we strongly encourage you to submit the documentation to
expedite our ability to reconcile and process any legal updates reported.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

Important Note: If you do not plan to provide the legal documentation for a legal
boundary change (effective date, authorization type, and ordinance number), you must
report your boundary update as a Boundary Change, not a Legal Change, for Census
Bureau processing purposes, even if it is annexation or deannexation You make this
selection in the Select Output Type dialog box by clicking the radio button for Boundary
Change.
You do not have to provide the legal paperwork for a legal change, just the effective
date, authorization type, and ordinance number for changes to be processed as a Legal
Change.
To Add or Delete Area to make a boundary change, for both legal changes and
boundary corrections:

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To Add or Delete Area to make a boundary change, for both legal changes and
boundary corrections:
1. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

2. Choose the type of legal geography to
update from the drop down menu:
Consolidated City, MCD, or Place.

The Info window populates with the list
of entities in the county for the legal
geography chosen (Places in this
example).
3. Click on a row in the list to select
the legal entity (Place in this example).
You will be zoomed to the entity on
the map, highlighted in yellow.

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4. Zoom the area of interest on the map.

5. Click on the Select Feature button to
select the face (polygon) to add to the entity.

6. On the Modify Area Feature toolbar,
click on the Add button to add area to an
entity or the Remove button to remove
area from an entity.

The Select Output Type
dialog box opens.

7. Click the radio button for the type of change you
are providing.
If you plan to provide legal documentation for
boundary changes such as annexations and
deannexations, choose the Legal Change radio
button. You just need to provide the authorization
type, ordinance number, and effective date. You are
not required to provide the paperwork, although you
have that option.
If you do not plan to provide the legal documentation
(authorization type, ordinance number, and effective
date), then choose the Boundary Change radio
button.

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FOR A LEGAL CHANGE:

The Create Change Polygon dialog box
opens.
The State, County, Place, Name and LSAD
fields prepopulate based on your selection.

8. Type in the effective date of the legal change.
9. Select the Authorization Type from the drop
down menu: (NOTE: FUTURE RELEASE)
L= Local Law
O=Ordinance
R=Resolution
S=State Level Action
X=Other
10. Type in the documentation number or
appropriate information for t he Authorization
Type chosen in the DOCU field if you do not plan
to provide the actual legal action paperwork.
or
Click the Open Folder button if you wish to
provide the paperwork to support the
documentation. Navigate to the folder on your
computer to select the file to upload. GUPS
automatically populates the DOCU field with the
file name.
11. Choose CHNG_TYPE from the drop down
menu. Click OK or Cancel.

The face (polygon) is added to the legal entity.

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FOR A BOUNDARY CHANGE:
After selecting the Boundary change radio button and clicking OK, the face (polygon) is
added to the entity or deleted from the entity, depending on your choice of ADD AREA or
REMOVE AREA on the Modify Area Feature Toolbar.

The face (polygon) is added to the legal
entity because the Add Area button was
selected on the Modify Area Feature button.

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To Add a New Legal Entity:
1. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

2. Click on the Select Features button.
3. Click on the faces (polygons) on the
map that comprise the new legal entity.
4. Click on the New Entity Button.

The Add New Entity dialog box opens.

4. Type a name in the Name field.
5. Choose the type of Legal/Statistical
area from the drop down LSAD menu.
OK.
6. Type in the date the change became
legally effective.
7. Choose the authorization type from the
drop down menu. (Future Enhancement)
8. Type n the appropriate Documentation
number, or if you prefer, you can click on
the Open Folder button, and upload the
actual paperwork, which will automatically
populate the DOCU field with the
filename.
9. Click OK
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The Info window in the Modify Area
Feature dialog box now shows Pinetree
Village.
Note: The “a” followed by a 4-digit
number is simply a placeholder in the
software until the Census Bureau
verifies the entity and assigns an official
FIPS code. Do not use the code for the
new entity shown in the Info window for
any official purposes.

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To Delete a Legal Entity:
1. Click on the Modify Area Feature
button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

2. Choose the legal geography to update
from the drop down menu: Consolidated
City, MCD, or Place.

The Info window populates with the list
of entities in the county for the legal
geography chosen (In this example,
Esquire Estates was chosen, a new
entity that we previously added that
we now want to delete.)
3. Click on a row in the list to select
the legal entity (Place in this example).
You will be zoomed to the entity on
the map, highlighted in yellow.
4. Click on the Delete button.

The Deletion confirmation dialog box opens.

5. Confirm the deletion by clicking OK.
Esquire Estates has been
deleted from the map.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

6.4

Point Landmark Review
GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Point landmark review is an optional activity. Updates are limited
because many of the point landmarks stored in the MAF/TIGER
System originate from the national Geographic Names Information
System. Appendix A3: Point Landmark Updates Permitted, lists
the feature updates the Census Bureau will accept.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

To Add a Point Landmark:

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

1. Zoom on the map to the area of interest.

2. Click on the Add Point Landmark
button on the BBSP toolbar.

3. Using your mouse, click the location on the map
to add the point landmark. In this example, we will
add a traffic circle point landmark to the end of
Cody Cir.

The Add Point Landmark
dialog box opens after clicking
the mouse on the map.

4. Type in a name for the added
point landmark.
5. Click on the drop down arrow to
assign the appropriate MTFCC.
6. Click the Save button.

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The point landmark appears on the map
with the name you provided

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To Modify Point Landmark Attribution:
2. Click on the Modify Point Landmark
button on the BBSP toolbar.

2. Click on the point landmark you want
to modify.

The Edit Point Landmark dialog box opens.

3. Click in the FULLNAME field to
change the name of the point
landmark.
4. Click on the drop down arrow
to change the MTFCC.

5. Click Save to save your changes.

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To Delete a Point Landmark:
2. Click on the Delete Point Landmark
button on the BBSP toolbar.

2. Click on the point landmark you want
to delete.

The Delete Point Landmark dialog box opens.

3. Click the OK button to delete the
point landmark.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

6.5

2010 Linear Feature Extension Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

You are not required to review the 2010 feature extensions.
However, please be aware that if you would like a 2010 feature
extension held as 2020 block boundary, you must take an action
on the 2010 feature extension. The 2010 feature extensions will
not be automatically held as block boundaries for 2020.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

If you choose to review the 2010 feature extensions, you may:

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

1)
Hold the feature extension. A 2010 feature extensions
flagged as a feature extension for 2020 will automatically be flagged
as “must-hold”, along with the feature segment from which it is being extended.
2)
Delete the 2010 feature extension. The 2010 feature extensions marked for
deletion by participants will help the Census Bureau remove features from the
MAF/TIGER System that no longer serve a current data tabulation purpose.
3)
Ignore the 2010 feature extension. If you take no action on a 2010 feature
extension, the Census Bureau will determine whether to hold the extension and the
feature associated with it as a 2020 block boundary. Be aware that if you do not assign
an “Ignore” flag to a 2010 linear feature extension during your review, each time you
activate the 2010 Linear feature Extension tool in GUPS, the tool will display the entire
list of 2010 linear feature extensions which were not assigned a flag. If you assign a
flag (Hold, Delete, or Ignore) to a 2010 linear feature extension, the extension is
removed from the list of 2010 feature extensions to be reviewed.

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To Review and Assign Flags to 2010 Feature Extensions:
2. Click on the 2010 Linear Feature
Extension Review button on the BBSP
toolbar.

The Review 2010 Feature Extension dialog box opens.

2. Click on Find in the Review 2010
Feature Extension dialog box.

The search results if there are no
2010 linear feature extensions in the
county.
3. Click the OK button. No further
action required.

View Table of Contents

The search results if there are 2010
linear feature extensions in the
county, listed by FeatureID. This
county has only one 2010 linear
feature extension, FeatureID 66623.

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3. Double click the left mouse button on a
row to select a 2010 linear feature
extension and you will be zoomed to it on
the map. In this case, this is a feature
extension from Park Rd.

4. Choose an action to assign to the extension:
Must Hold, Delete Linear, or Ignore.
After the action is applied, the map
symbology changes to reflect your
choice. In this case, a Must Hold
action was chosen.

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After the action is applied, the map
symbology changes to reflect your
choice. In this case, a Must hold
action was chosen.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

6.6

Block Size Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

To facilitate your BBSP work, the Census Bureau assigned the
2020 planned tabulation blocks a block size. The block size
indicator is based on a range of the number of housing units in the
block. It is important to note that although discrete numbers have
been established in order to assign each block a size value, the
actual number of housing units in a block is approximate.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

YES

Was Work
Delegated?

Factors considered when establishing the block sizes were the
criteria for blocks groups, with a minimum housing unit count
threshold of 240 and a maximum of 1200, and the census tract criteria, with a minimum
housing unit count of 480, optimum count of 1,600, and a maximum of 3,200.
NO

Submit Data to
Census

Create Data
Submission File

NO

The table below lists the block size categories. Discrete number ranges were
established for the purposes of assigning a block size category to each block. Again,
the actual number of housing units in a block is approximate.

A

Approximate Number
Housing Units
Greater than 2000 housing units

B

1,600-1,999

C

1,200-1,599

D

1,000-1,199

E

700-999

F

480-699

G

400-479

H

240-399

Size

I
Z

1-239
Potential “0” housing unit block

Figure X.X Block Size Categories
The GUPS does not contain a specific tool for reviewing the 2020 planned blocks by
size. However, the directions below will allow you to select blocks by size category to
determine whether you wish to take an action on a planned 2020 tabulation block.
Factors to consider when reviewing block size are the block boundaries necessary for
the 2020 Participant Statistical Areas Program. For example, you may wish to review
planned blocks in the “A” and “B” size categories because they are near or exceed the
optimum 2020 census tract housing unit count. You may also choose to review blocks in
the C through H categories to suggest block boundaries, as appropriate, for the
delineation of the 2020 block groups.

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To review the blocks by size:
The block size shapefile is not included as a layer in the partnership shapefiles. You
must first add it to the map as a layer.
1. Click on the Add Vector Layer
button on the Side Toolbar.

The Add vector layer dialog box opens.

3. Click on the File radio button.

4. The default t value in the Encoding menu is System. If that does
not work, choose UTF-8 from the Encoding drop down menu.

5. Click on the Browse button. Navigate to the folder where the
GUPS data was automatically stored upon installation:
GUPSGIS\gupsdata\BBSP\project\bbsp_2015_block_ssccc.shp,
where ssccc is the State/County code, to add it to the project.
6. Click the Open button.

The block size shapefile is added to the
map, as reflected in the Table of
Contents.

7. Click on the block size layer to make it
the active layer.

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8. Click on the Open Attribute Table
button on the GUPS Toolbar.

The block attribute table opens. There
are 10,264 blocks in county 55025.

Scroll all the way to the right using the
scrollbar at the bottom of the table to
view the BLKSZIND field.

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To view the counts of blocks by size category:
9. Click on the Select by Expression
button on the Attribute Table Menu
toolbar.

The Select by expression dialog box for
the block size shapefile opens.

10. Click on the “ + ” sign for Fields and
Values to expand the menu.
This screen shot shows the expanded
menu for Fields and Values.

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11. Double click on the BLKSZIND field
to add it to the Expression Window.
12. Single click on the “ = ” operator
button above the expression window to
add it to the expression.

13. At the bottom of the Values window,
click on the all unique button to see all
size categories present in the county.
Notice that there are no “A”, “B”, “C”, or
“D” block size categories in this county.
Choose the size category to review.
14. For this example, we want to choose
category “E”, so double click on “E” in the
Values window to add it to the expression
field.
15. Click on the Select button at the
bottom on the dialog box.

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The results are returned in the attribute table.
Of the 10,264 blocks in the county, there are
3 with the size category “E”, as indicated at
the top of the attribute table window.

To see the selected records :
17. Click on the Show Selected Features drop down menu at the
bottom left of the attribute table.

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Will need new screen
shot of selected rows
only

To see the block on the map:
18. Click on a row in the attribute table.
19. Click on the Show All Features drop down menu at the bottom
left of the attribute table and choose Show Features Visible on Map.

20. Click on the Zoom to Selection
button on the Attribute Table Menu
toolbar.

The map view is zoomed to the block
chosen.
Determine what action, if any, you may
wish to take on the block.. In the case of
an extremely large block, there may be
one or more missing features to be
added to the Census shapefile and must
hold flags assigned to one or more of
them.

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Census block with no selection highlight.

You can follow the same procedures outlined above to review small blocks if you wish,
time permitting. You may wish to place a do not hold flag on one or more of the planned
block boundaries. Candidate small blocks for review include highway cloverleafs and
medians.

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6.7

Block Boundary Suggestion Flagging (Assigning
Must Hold and Do Not Hold Flags)

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

To identify linear features that you want the Census Bureau to hold
or not hold as 2020 Census tabulation block boundaries, you will
use the BBSP feature flagging button on the BBSP toolbar in the
GUPS.

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

YES

Was Work
Delegated?

You can refer to the list of features and boundaries planned as
2020 tabulation block boundaries in Part 1, Chapter 1, Planned
2020 Census Tabulation Block Boundaries. Because these
features are planned boundaries, it is not necessary for you to place a must-hold flag on
them. However, you may place a must-hold flag on a feature that is 2020 planned block
boundary to help ensure that the feature is held if the 2020 tabulation block criteria
change from now until the time the Census Bureau creates the 2020 tabulation blocks.
This action is not recommended for legal and statistical boundary features, which are
always tabulation block boundaries, but may be applied to features such as roads or
perennial water, but only if you truly need these features as block boundaries.
NO

Submit Data to
Census

Create Data
Submission File

NO

You may also place a do-not-hold flag on features that are not desirable as block
boundaries. Features that are potential candidates for assigning a do-not hold flag
include private roads, trails, unimproved roads and single line hydrographic features. Be
aware that assigning a “do-not-hold ” flag to a feature that is a 2020 planned block
boundary does not ensure that the Census Bureau will honor your request.
The GUPS displays the planned 2020 Census tabulation bock boundaries in light blue
on the map. These are the linear features with CBBFLG = “4” in the attribute table.
The GUPS displays ineligible block boundaries in light red on the map. These are the
linear features with CBBFLG = “9” in the attribute table. As you assign Must Hold
(BBSP_ 2020 =1) and Do Not Hold (BBSP = 2) flags to features, the feature symbology
displayed by the GUPS changes. As shown in Figure x.x, features assigned a Must
Hold flag will have a heavier weight dashed blue symbology added on top of the original
feature symbology Features assigned a Do Not Hold flag will have a heavier weight
dashed red line added on top of the original feature symbology. This dual symbology
allows you to visualize the planned or ineligible status of the feature and the flag, if any,
that you assigned to the feature. Figure x.x shows examples of the dual symbology
after block boundary suggestion flags have been applied.

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Linear feature is a 2020 Planned Block
Boundary (light blue); user has flagged
it as a Must Hold (dashed dark blue).

Linear feature is a 2020 Planned Block
Boundary (light blue); user has flagged
it as a Do Not Hold (dashed dark red).

Linear feature is a 2020 Ineligible Block
Boundary (light red); user has flagged it
as a Must Hold (dashed dark blue).
(Permitted, but may not be accepted by
the Census Bureau.)

If you want to use an existing feature as a 2020 block boundary but it does not form a
closed a polygon, you may create a 2020 linear feature extension. A linear feature
extension is a short, non-visible line that:



Is no longer than 300 feet in length
Is a straight line from the end of road and intersects a non-road feature.
Highways and freeways are acceptable as long as they have no housing units.
You may create linear feature extensions to feature with MTFCCs:
C3024 Levee
C3027 Dam
Hxxxx (Hydrographic features)
L4010 Pipelines
L4020 Powerlines



P0002 Shoreline
P0003 Intermittent Shoreline
Rxxxx (Railroads)
S1100 Primary Roads

Does not intersect a cul-de sac shown as an open circle or “lollipop” in the
Census Bureau files

Illustrations of acceptable and unacceptable linear feature extensions are shown in
Figure x.x below.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

2020 Linear Feature Extension Examples
Acceptable:
Example 1

Example 2
Green St

Green Ct

Green Ct

Green St

MTFCC C3061 Cul-de-Sac or
MTFCC C3062 Traffic Circle

Feature Extension
Less than 300’

No point feature at
street ending.

Feature Extension
Less than 300’

Highway 65
(No housing units)

Highway 65
(No housing units)

Not Acceptable:
Example 1

Example 2
Main St

Green Ct

Green Ct

Green St

Cul-de-sac or Traffic
Circle shown as open
circle or “lollipop”

Highway
23

Feature Extension
Not Allowed
Even if less than 300’

Highway 65

Feature Extension
NOT allowed because
it is at an angle, not a
straight line from the
end of the street.

Initiate the closed polygon validation check routinely throughout your BBSP flag assignment.
This validation will alert you to any non-closed polygons where you have assigned a musthold flag to a feature, but that feature does not form a closed polygon. Routinely employing
the closed polygon validation check will help ensure that your work is accurate and reduce
the likelihood of having to review a large number of areas at the end of project due to
polygon validation check failures.

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To assign a 2020 block boundary suggestion to a feature:

1.. Zoom to your area of interest on the map.

2. Click on the BBSP Flag button on the
BBSP toolbar.

3. Select a feature in the map view by
clicking on it.
The Edge Hold Do Not Hold dialog box
opens, displaying the feature TIGER Line
ID. The CBBFLG field displays whether
the feature is a Planned block boundary,
Ineligible Block Boundary or NULL (no
CBBFLG assigned).

4. Click on the Action drop down menu to
choose Hold or Do not Hold and then
Save or Cancel.
Note: All features not assigned as a
2020 planned or ineligible block boundary
by the Census Bureau have a NULL
value. It is not necessary to assign a
BBSP flag to every feature. The NULL
value in the dropdown menu allows you to
revert the status of a feature to NULL
after you have assigned a Hold or Do not
hold flag.

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If you assign a “Do not hold” BBSP flag to
a planned 2020 tabulation block
boundary, you receive this warning
message. You may either change the
BBSP flag you assigned or retain it by
clicking the OK button.

This feature with an original “NULL” value was assigned
a “Do Not Hold” BBSP flag.

This feature with an original “NULL” value was
assigned a “Must hold” BBSP flag.

This feature with a “Planned” value was assigned
a “Do not hold” BBSP flag.

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To create a 2020 linear feature extension:
1. Click on the Add Extension button on
the BBSP toolbar.

An informational message appears with
the criteria for creating a linear feature
extension.

2. Digitize the feature extension by A)
clicking the mouse button at the end point
of the feature, then B) right clicking the
mouse at the point along the feature
where the extension will intersect.

The Add Extension dialog box opens,
displaying the length of the feature
extension.

A

B

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The GUPS automatically assigns a Must
Hold flag to the feature extension as well
as the feature segment from which it
extends.
Note: In this example, a feature
extension was added to Blue Bill Park Dr
S. Water Bay Dr is not a planned block
boundary nor flagged as a 2020 BBSP
suggestion, so this will remain an
unclosed polygon until further action is
taken by the user.

If you add a linear feature extension over
300 feet, you receive a warning message.

Provide a justification (150
characters maximum) in the
space provided if you want to
retain the extension and then
click Save. Click Cancel to
delete the feature extension.

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6.8

Block Area Grouping Delineation
GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Delineating block area groupings is an optional activity. During the
2020 Census tabulation block delineation, the Census Bureau will
automatically group islands to form a single tabulation block if they
have no road features and are within a 5 kilometer radius.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

You may also group specific islands to suggest a 2020 tabulation
block, called a block area grouping (BAG). BAGs are exempt from
the 5 kilometer radius requirement. The criteria for creating a
Block Area Grouping are:





Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

BAG must consist of two or more islands.
BAG perimeter must be entirely over water.
BAGs cannot overlap.
BAGs cannot cross the boundary of other tabulation geographies, such as county
or incorporated place boundaries.

To create a Block Area Grouping:
1. Zoom to your area of
interest on the map.
2. Click on the Add Block Area
Grouping button on the BBSP toolbar.

4. Click Save to retain the BAG.
Click Cancel if you would like
to discard the BAG entirely or
want to draw a different BAG
boundary.

View Table of Contents

3. Digitize a polygon over water
around the islands that
comprise the BAG.

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6.9

Block Boundary Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

You can review your block boundary suggestions before submitting
an updated county to the Census Bureau (if you are the State RDP
Liaison) or to the State (if you are a designee).

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

To review your Block boundary suggestions:

General
Geography &
Update Review

Block Boundary
Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

1. Click on the Block Boundary Review
button on the BBSP Toolbar.

The Block Boundary Review dialog box
opens, with a drop down menu options to
display edges with assigned Hold or Do
Not Hold flags..

1. Choose the BBSP flag type to
review and Click OK.
Click on the Up or Down blue arrows
to systematically move through the
list of features, by category chosen.

GUPS displays the count of edges in the
county for the chosen category.

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2 Double click on a row to be zoomed to
the feature on the map.

3. Click on the feature on the map to change
the BBSP flag value.
The Edge Hold Do Not Hold dialog box opens.

4. Choose the new BBSP flag
value from the Action drop down
menu and click Save.

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After choosing the NULL value
flag from the Action drop down
menu, the Must Hold value is
removed from Bishop Dr.

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6.10 General Geography and Change Review

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

The GUPS provides two tools, not specific to the Block Boundary
Suggestion Project, you can use for reviewing your updated layers.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

The first tool is the Review Change Polygons tool. It provides the
ability to view the transactions created from the edits you made to
area landmarks, including area hydrography, and legal entities,
including consolidated cities, MCDs, and incorporated places.
You can review the transaction polygons that represent boundary
changes, new entities you added, or entities you deleted. The tool
also provides the ability to make further changes to your updates as you review your
original updates.
YES

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

The second tool is the Geography Review tool. It provides the ability to review all
shapefile layers, This tool also allows you to filter the layer based on field values in the
attribute table. Please be aware that you cannot make changes using the Geography
Review tool.

Of these two tools, you can only make changes to your previous updates using the Review
Change Polygons tool, not the Geography Review tool. However, the Geography Review
tool can be very helpful, especially as an overall review of geography inventories for new
entities, deleted entities, or entities with boundary changes.

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To Review Change Polygons:
1. Click on the Review Change
Polygons button on the BBSP Toolbar.

The Review Change Polygons dialog box opens,
directly below the Table of Contents Window. The
dialog box can undocked and moved anywhere on
the page.

2. Choose the areal geography you want
to review from the drop down menu.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2
The list of entities you have updated
for the type geography chosen is listed
in the Info window. In this example,
Place was the Geography chosen. In
this example, we’ll review the change
for Esquire Estates.

3. Click on the entity to review. The
map zooms you to the entity.

4. Click on the Legal Entity Change
button (If you have chosen
Consolidated City, MCD, or Place) to
open a dialog box where you can
review your changes and make
further updates if desired.

The Create Change Polygons dialog box
opens. The fields are populated with the
changes you made.

You can update any of the fields
from the drop down menus or by
typing new information in the
editable fields. If all information is
correct, or, after updating the fields,
click the OK button.

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You can also review the transaction polygons that you created to add or remove area
from legal entities.

MORE INSTRUCTIONS UNDER CONSTUCTION

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To conduct a Geography Review:

1. Click on the Geography Review
button on the BBSP toolbar.

The Geography Review Tool dialog box opens.

2. Click on the layer name in the
drop down menu you want to review.

The layers that include “_changes_” in the name are the files you most likely want to
review.
These layers are the transaction data output files for the type of geography included in the
name, where you have made changes to the layer. For example, the highlighted row in the
figure above, bbsp15_55025_changes_incplace, is the transaction file for incorporated
places.

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6.11 Validation Check

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Once you have completed your BBSP work, you must initiate a
validation check to ensure that your must-hold block boundary
suggestions form a closed polygon. The validation check must
be run at least once before the BBSP data output files can be
submitted to the Census Bureau. You may also initiate the
validation check at any point during your BBSP work. We
recommend you perform the validation check early in the
delineation process to ensure you are not making errors that may
require extensive re-work later.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Area
Grouping Review

Block Boundary
Flagging

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

To validate your updates:
1. Click on the Closed Polygon Validation
Check button on the BBSP Toolbar.

2. Click on Find in the Verify Closed
Polygon dialog box.

The search returns the list of features
that do not form a closed polygon.
3. Double click on a row to be
zoomed to that feature on the map.

4. Update the feature (Harrison Ct) to
form a closed polygon (add a linear
feature extension) or remove the
“must-hold” block boundary
suggestion flag.

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6.12 Work Delegated?

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Only the designated State RDP Liaison may submit BBSP files to
the Census Bureau. If you are a county, agency, or contractor
completing BBSP work on behalf of the state, you must first submit
the updated county file(s) to the State RDP liaison for review and
approval.

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

YES

Was Work
Delegated?

The GUPS creates two different data output files in .zip format,
depending on whether the RDP Liaison is creating the data output
for submission to the Census Bureau or the state’s designee is creating data output files
for submission to the RDP Liaison for review and approval. The data output .zip file
naming conventions are standardized for each type of data output file:
NO

Submit Data to
Census

Create Data
Submission File

NO

Files created by a state’s designee for submission to the State RDP Liaison for review
and approval are named bbsp15_ssccc_DataDirectory.zip, where ssccc is the state
and county FIPS code of the file. The file must be sent to the State RDP Liaison for
review, approval, and submission to the Census Bureau.
If the State RDP liaison plans to return a file to their designee for further work after
reviewing a file submitted by the designee, they should create a file named
bbsp15_ssccc_DataDirectory.zip by choosing the Share with Another Participant
radio button on the Select Output type dialog box.
Files created by the RDP Liaison for submission to the Census Bureau are named
bbsp15_ssccc_return.zip, where ssccc is the state and county FIPS code of the file.
The State RDP Liaison chooses the Export for Census radio button on the Select
Output Style type dialog box. Please note that State RDP Liaisons are required to utilize
the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) for file submission to the Census Bureau.

The GUPS automatically packages into the data output .zip file all the files required for
submission to the Census Bureau.
Follow the directions below for creating data output files and sending them to the
appropriate recipient.

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Work Delegated?
Yes: Work Was Performed by the State’s Designee (not the
State RDP Liaison)

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Area
Grouping Review

Block Boundary
Flagging

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

1. Click on the Export to Zip button on
the BBSP Toolbar.

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

The Select Output Type dialog box opens.

2. Click on the Share with Another
Participant radio button.
3. Click the Export button.

The Select Output Location dialog box
opens.

C:\Users\WiscState\GUPSGIS\gupsdata

WiscState

View Table of Contents

4. Specify the location on your computer
where you would like the data output .zip
file saved. Double click the BBSP folder,
since this is your participant program.

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C:\Users\WiscState\GUPSGIS\gupsdata\BBSP

WiscState
WiscState

5. Click on the output folder.

6. Click on the Choose button.

The Zip File Output dialog box opens.
Your file directory in the message will
look similar to this, with the exception
of the state and county code (ssccc).
Note: Files created using the Share
With Another Participant radio button
will have the naming convention
bbsp15_ssccc_DataDirectory.zip.

Open Fie / Folder?
(Y/N)
C:/Users/WiscState/GUPSGIS/gupsdata/BBSP/output/bbsp15_55025_DataDirectory.zip
Open Fie / Folder? (Y/N)

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After the .zip file has been created, send the completed .zip file(s) to the State RDP
Liaison for review and approval. You and your State RDP Liaison will need to make
arrangements for file exchange. If, after reviewing the file, the State RDP Liaison
determines that changes are needed, the file may be returned to you for additional work
or the changes may be made by the RDP Liaison. The State RDP Liaison will submit
reviewed and approved files to the Census Bureau.

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Work Delegated?
NO: State RDP LIAISON performed the work.

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Area
Grouping Review

Block Boundary
Flagging

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

1. Click on the Export to Zip button on
the BBSP toolbar.

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

The Select Output Type dialog box opens.

2. Click on the Export for Census radio
button.
3. Click the Export button.

The Select Output Location dialog box opens.

C:\Users\WiscState\GUPSGIS\gupsdata

WiscState

View Table of Contents

4. Specify the location on your computer
where you would like the data output .zip
file saved. Double click the BBSP folder,
since this is your participant program.

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C:\Users\WiscState\GUPSGIS\gupsdata\BBSP

WiscState

5. Click on the output folder.

6. Click on the Choose button.

The Zip File Output dialog box opens.
Your file directory in the message will look similar to this,
with the exception of the state and county code (ssccc).
Note: Files created using the Export for Census radio
button will have the naming convention
bbsp15_ssccc_return.zip.

Open Fie / Folder?
(Y/N)
C:/Users/WiscState/GUPSGIS/gupsdata/BBSP/output/bbsp15_55025_return.zip
Open Fie / Folder? (Y/N)

7. Submit files to the Census Bureau
using the instructions in Section 7,
File Submission Through SWIM.

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NOTE TO RDP STATE LIASONS THAT HAVE DELEGATED WORK TO DESIGNEES:
Arrange with your designees how you plan to share files. When your designee
completes work, they should submit files to you for review, approval and submission to
the Census Bureau. If changes are needed after reviewing a file, it is at your discretion
whether to return the file to the designee or make the changes yourself.
If you choose to return the file to your designee for further work, follow the steps outlined
for a designee to create the appropriate data output file. You will choose the Share with
Another Participant radio button instead of the Export for Census radio button.

Click on the Share with Another
Participant radio button instead of the
Export for Census radio button.

The naming convention of the data output file is different
(bbsp15_ssccc_DataDirectory.zip) than the naming convention for data output files that
you submit to the Census Bureau (bbsp15_ssccc_return.zip). Make arrangements to
return the file to the designee for further work.

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7 File Submission through SWIM
The Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) is a tool for U.S.
Census Bureau partners to send their geospatial data to a Census
Bureau server. For security reasons, we cannot accept files sent
via email or through our former ftp site.

GUPS & Geospatial Data
Available on Web

YES
Designee Completes Work

Linear Feature
Review

Area Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

Point Landmark
Review

Geographic Data Reviews

2010 Feature
Extension Review

For the Redistricting Data Program, including the Phase 1 Block
Boundary Suggestion Project, the Census Bureau will only accept
files submitted by the State RDP Liaison. If a county, agency, or
contractor is performing work on behalf of the state, the State must
review, approve, and submit the files.

RDP Liaison
Delegates Work?

NO
RDP Liaison Completes Work

Block Size Review
(manual process)

YES

Block Boundary
Flagging

Block Area
Grouping Review

BBSP Update Activities

Block Boundary
Review

General
Geography &
Update Review

Validation
Check

Quality Control

Changes
Needed?

Submit Work to
RDP Liaison

NO

Designee Creates
Data Output Fifle

Submit Data to
Census

YES

Create Data
Submission File

Was Work
Delegated?

NO

To establish a SWIM account, you must first be provided a registration token by the
Census Bureau, which is a unique, single-use 12-digit number associated to an
individual. Every user must have their own token in order to register. Once the token
has been used to establish your account, it is no longer required to access your account.
To access the SWIM, enter the following URL in a new browser window:
https://respond.census.gov/swim/.
Follow the directions below for account access and file upload.

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7.1 Login Page
The Login page is the first page you will see:

If you already have a
SWIM account, enter your
Email, Password, then
click Login.

If you do not have a SWIM
account, click Register
Account. You must first
have a SWIM token to
create your account.

Figure 7.1: SWIM Login Screen

7.1.1 If you already have a SWIM Account:
1. Enter your Email address and Password
2. Click the Login button, which directs you to the Welcome page.

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7.1.2 If you do not yet have a SWIM Account:
1. Click the Register Account button, which directs you to the Account
Registration page.
2. Enter the 12 digit Registration Token number provided to you by the Census
Bureau.
3. Complete all other fields. Click the Submit button.

Enter the Registration Token number
provided to you by the Census Bureau.
The name you enter as “First Name”
will be the name that appears on the
Welcome Page.

Figure 7.2: SWIM Account Registration Screen

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7. 2 Welcome Page
The Welcome page is where you initiate the file upload process. Because the SWIM
tracks files submitted and the submission date, the page appearance will change after
you have successfully uploaded files.
1. To submit a file, click the Start New Upload button.

This is the name you entered in the “First Name” field.

Figure 7.3: SWIM Welcome Screen (no previous files uploaded)

.

If you previously uploaded files, the list of files appears here.

Figure 7.4: SWIM Welcome Screen (files previously uploaded)

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7.3 Geographic Program Page
The Geographic Program Page allows you to select the partnership program for which
you are submitting data.
1. Click on the radio button next to Redistricting Data Program (RDP).
2. Click the Next button.

Click the RDP radio button, then Next button.

Figure 7.5: SWIM Geographic Program Page

7.4 Select a State
After choosing the Redistricting Data Program (RDP), you will be directed to specify the
state for which you are submitting data.
1. From the drop down list, click on your state name.
2. Click on the Next button.

Click on the arrow to choose your state,
then click the Next button.

Figure 7.6: SWIM Select a State Page (for RDP)

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7. 5 Select a .ZIP File to Upload
Files for upload must be in a .zip format. You can upload only one .zip file at a time. For
the Redistricting Data Program, the GUPS will automatically create a separate .zip file
for each county.
1. Click on the + Add File button.
2. Navigate to the directory on your computer to choose the .zip file to upload.
3. Complete the Comments box, including pertinent information about data
projection or supporting documentation.
4. Click on the Next button.

Click Add File button, then go to the directory on your computer to
select the file to upload. For BBSP, the filename for submission to
the Census Bureau should be bbsp15_ssccc_return.zip, where
ssccc is the state and county.
The filename appears here after you have selected the file from
your computer directory.
Enter pertinent notes in the Comments box.
When done, click the Next button.

Figure 7.7: Select a .ZIP File to Upload Page

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7.6 Thank You Page
The “Thank You” page confirms the receipt of your file submission.
If you do not have any additional files to upload, click on Log Out. The Census Bureau
will acknowledge the receipt of the uploaded file.
If you have additional files to upload, click on Upload Form. This choice returns you
to the Welcome screen.

If you have more files to upload, click the
Upload Form link, which returns you to the
Welcome Screen to start a new upload.
If you’re done uploading files, click the
Log Out link.

Figure 7.8: Thank You Page

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APPENDIX A: UPDATES ALLOWED, BY MTFCC
A.1 Area Landmark Updates Permitted

C3023

Island

Y

Can
You
DELETE?
Y

H2030

Lake/Pond

Y

Y

Y

H2040

Reservoir

Y

Y

Y

H2041

Treatment Pond

Y

Y

Y

H2051

Bay/Estuary/Gulf/Sound

Y

Y

Y

H2081

Glacier

Y

Y

Y

K1231

Hospital

Y

Y

Y

K1235

Juvenile Institution

Y

Y

Y

K1236

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

K2110

Local Jail or Detention Center
Federal Penitentiary, State Prison, or
Prison Farm
Military Installation

Y

Y

Y

K2131

Hospital/Hospice/Urgent Care Facility

Y

Y

Y

K2180

Park

Y

Y

Y

K2181

National Park Service Land

Y

Y

Y

K2182

National Forest or Other Federal Land

Y

Y

Y

K2183

Tribal Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

Y

Y

Y

K2184

State Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

MTFCC

K1237

K2185
K2186
K2187
K2188
K2189
K2190

DESCRIPTION

Regional Park, Forest, or Recreation
Area
County Park, Forest, or Recreation
Area
County Subdivision Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area
Incorporated Place Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area
Private Park, Forest, or Recreation
Area
Other Park, Forest, or Recreation Area
(quasi-public, independent park,
commission, etc.)

Can You
ADD?

Can You
MODIFY
ATTRIBUTES?
Y

K2424

Marina

Y

Y

Y

K2457

Airport - Area Representation

Y

Y

Y

K2540

University or College

Y

Y

Y

K2561

Golf Course

Y

Y

Y

K2582

Cemetery

Y

Y

Y

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A.2 Linear Feature Updates Permitted
Can
You
ADD?
Y

Can
Can You
You
MODIFY
DELETE? ATTRIBUTES?
Y
Y

MTFCC

DESCRIPTION

C3024

Levee

C3027

Dam

Y

Y

Y

H3010

Stream/River

Y

Y

Y

H3013

Braided Stream

Y

Y

Y

H3020

Canal, Ditch, or Aqueduct

Y

Y

Y

K2432

Pier/Dock

Y

Y

Y

K2459

Runway/Taxiway

Y

Y

Y

L4010

Pipeline

Y

Y

Y

L4020

Power Line

Y

Y

Y

L4040

Conveyor

N

N

N

L4110

Fence Line

Y

Y

Y

L4121

Ridge Line

Y

Y

Y

L4125

Cliff/Escarpment

Y

Y

Y

L4130

Point-to Point Line

Y

Y

Y

L4140

Property/Parcel Line (includes PLSS)

Y

Y

Y

L4165

Ferry Crossing

Y

Y

Y

P0001

Nonvisible Legal/Statistical Boundary

Y

Y

Y

P0002

Perennial Shoreline

Y

Y

Y

P0003

Intermittent Shoreline

Y

Y

Y

P0004

Other non-visible bounding edge (e.g.,
Census water boundary, boundary of areal
feature

Y

Y

Y

R1011

Railroad Feature (Main, Spur, or Yard

Y

Y

Y

R1051

Carline, Streetcar Tract Monorail, Other Mass

Y

Y

Y

R1052

Cog Rail Line, Incline Rail Line, Tram

Y

Y

Y

S1100

Primary Road

Y

Y

Y

S1200

Secondary Road

Y

Y

Y

S1400

Local Neighborhood Road, Rural Road, City
Street

Y

Y

Y

S1500

Vehicular Trail (4WD)

Y

Y

Y

S1630

Ramp

Y

Y

Y

S1640

Service Drive usually along a limited access
highway

Y

Y

Y

S1730

Alley

Y

Y

Y

S1740

Private Road for service vehicles (logging, oil
fields, ranches, etc.)

Y

Y

Y

S1820

Bike Path or Trail

Y

Y

Y

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A.3 Point Landmark Updates Permitted
Can
You
ADD?

Can
You
DELETE?

Can You
MODIFY
ATTRIBUTES?

MTFCC

DESCRIPTION

C3022

Mountain Peak or Summit

Y

N

N

C3061

Cul-de-sac

Y

Y

Y

C3062

Traffic Circle

Y

Y

Y

K2451

Airport of Airfield * Modifications or
deletions not allowed because sourced
from GNIS

Y

N

N

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

APPENDIX B: MTFCC DESCRIPTIONS - COMPLETE LIST
The MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Code (MTFCC) is a 5-digit code assigned by the
Census Bureau to classify and describe geographic objects or features in Census
Bureau MAF/TIGER products. The table below describes each code. A more
comprehensive version of the table can be downloaded at
http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/mtfcc.html
MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

C3022

Mountain Peak or Summit

A prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of the
Earth's surface.

C3023

Island

An area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low
wetland. [including archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, isla,
isle, key, moku and rock]

C3024

Levee

An embankment flanking a stream or other flowing water feature to
prevent overflow.

C3026

Quarry (not water-filled),
Open Pit Mine or Mine

An area from which commercial minerals are or were removed from
the Earth; not including an oilfield or gas field.

C3027

Dam

A barrier built across the course of a stream to impound water and/or
control water flow.

C3061

Cul-de-sac

An expanded paved area at the end of a street used by vehicles for
turning around. For mapping purposes, the U.S. Census Bureau
maps it only as a point feature.

C3062

Traffic Circle

A circular intersection allowing for continuous movement of traffic at
the meeting of roadways.

C3066

Gate

A movable barrier across a road.

C3067

Toll Booth

A structure or barrier where a fee is collected for using a road.

C3070

Tower/Beacon

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, generally used for
observation, storage, or electronic transmission.

C3071

Lookout Tower

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for observation.

C3072

Transmission Tower
A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for electronic
including cell, radio and TV transmission.

C3073

Water Tower

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for water
storage.

C3074

Lighthouse Beacon

A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for transmission
of light and possibly sound generally to aid in navigation.

C3075

Tank/Tank Farm

One or more manmade structures, each higher than its diameter,
used for liquid (other than water) or gas storage or for distribution
activities.

C3076

Windmill Farm

One or more manmade structures used to generate power from the
wind.

C3077

Solar Farm

One or more manmade structures used to generate power from the
sun.

C3078

Monument or Memorial

A manmade structure to educate, commemorate, or memorialize an
event, person, or feature.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

C3079

Boundary Monument Point

A material object placed on or near a boundary line to preserve and
identify the location of the boundary line on the ground.

C3080

Survey Control Point

A point on the ground whose position (horizontal or vertical) is known
and can be used as a base for additional survey work.

C3081

Locality Point

A point that identifies the location and name of an unbounded locality
(e.g., crossroad, community, populated place or locale).

C3085

Alaska Native Village
Official Point

A point that serves as the core of an Alaska Native village and is
used in defining Alaska Native village statistical areas.

C3088

Landfill

A disposal facility at which solid waste is placed on or in the land.

G2100 American Indian Area

A legally defined state- or federally recognized reservation and/or offreservation trust land (excludes statistical American Indian areas).

G2101 American Indian Area
(Reservation Only)

American Indian Area (Reservation Only)

G2102 American Indian Area (OffReservation Trust Land
Only)

American Indian Area (Off-Reservation Trust Land Only)

G2120 Hawaiian Home Land

A legal area held in trust for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

G2130 Alaska Native Village
Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity that represents the residences,
permanent and/or seasonal, for Alaska Natives who are members of
or receiving governmental services from the defining legal Alaska
Native Village corporation.

G2140 Oklahoma Tribal Statistical
Area

A statistical entity identified and delineated by the Census Bureau in
consultation with federally recognized American Indian tribes that
have no current reservation, but had a former reservation in
Oklahoma.

G2150 State-designated Tribal
Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the Census
Bureau by a state-appointed liaison for a state-recognized American
Indian tribe that does not currently have a reservation and/or lands in
trust.

G2160 Tribal Designated Statistical A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the Census
Area
Bureau by a federally recognized American Indian tribe that does not
currently have a reservation and/or off-reservation trust land.
G2170 American Indian Joint Use
Area

An area administered jointly and/or claimed by two or more American
Indian tribes.

G2200 Alaska Native Regional
Corporation

Corporate entities established to conduct both business and nonprofit
affairs of Alaska Natives pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-203). There are twelve
geographically defined ANRCs and they are all within and cover most
of the State of Alaska (the Annette Island Reserve-an American
Indian reservation-is excluded from any ANRC). The boundaries of
ANRCs have been legally established.

G2300 Tribal Subdivision

Administrative subdivisions of federally recognized American Indian
reservations, off-reservation trust lands, or Oklahoma tribal statistical
areas (OTSAs). These entities are internal units of self-government or
administration that serve social, cultural, and/or economic purposes
for the American Indians on the reservations, off-reservation trust
lands, or OTSAs.

G2400 Tribal Census Tract

A relatively small and permanent statistical subdivision of a federally
recognized American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust
land, delineated by American Indian tribal participants or the Census
Bureau for the purpose of presenting demographic data.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

G2410 Tribal Block Group

A cluster of census blocks within a single tribal census tract
delineated by American Indian tribal participants or the Census
Bureau for the purpose of presenting demographic data

G3100 Combined Statistical Area

A grouping of adjacent metropolitan and/or micropolitan statistical
areas that have a degree of economic and social integration, as
measured by commuting.

G3110 Metropolitan and
An area containing a substantial population nucleus together with
Micropolitan Statistical Area adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social
integration with that core, as measured by commuting. Defined using
whole counties and equivalents.
G3120 Metropolitan Division

A county or grouping of counties that is a subdivision of a
Metropolitan Statistical Area containing an urbanized area with a
population of 2.5 million or more.

G3200 Combined New England
City and Town Area

A grouping of adjacent New England city and town areas that have a
degree of economic and social integration, as measured by
commuting.

G3210 New England City and
An area containing a substantial population nucleus together with
Town Metropolitan and
adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social
Micropolitan Statistical Area integration with that core, as measured by commuting. Defined using
Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in New England.
G3220 New England City and
Town Division

A grouping of cities and towns in New England that is a subdivision of
a New England City and Town Area containing an urbanized area
with a population of 2.5 million or more.

G3500 Urban Area

Densely settled territory that contains at least 2,500 people. The
subtypes of this feature are Urbanized Area (UA), which consists of
50,000 + people and Urban Cluster, which ranges between 2,500 and
49,999 people.

G4000 State or Equivalent Feature The primary governmental divisions of the United States. The District
of Columbia is treated as a statistical equivalent of a state for census
purposes, as is Puerto Rico.
G4020 County or Equivalent
Feature

The primary division of a state or state equivalent area. The primary
divisions of 48 states are termed County, but other terms are used
such as Borough in Alaska, Parish in Louisiana, and Municipio in
Puerto Rico. This feature includes independent cities, which are
incorporated places that are not part of any county.

G4040 County Subdivision

The primary divisions of counties and equivalent features for the
reporting of Census Bureau data. The subtypes of this feature are
Minor Civil Division, Census County Division/Census Subarea, and
Unorganized Territory. This feature includes independent places,
which are incorporated places that are not part of any county
subdivision.

G4050 Estates

Estates are subdivisions of the three major islands in the United
States Virgin Islands (USVI).

G4060 Subbarrio (Subminor Civil
Division)

Legally defined divisions (subbarrios) of minor civil divisions (barriospueblo and barrios) in Puerto Rico.

G4110 Incorporated Place

A legal entity incorporated under state law to provide general-purpose
governmental services to a concentration of population. Incorporated
places are generally designated as a city, borough, municipality,
town, village, or, in a few instances, have no legal description.

G4120 Consolidated City

An incorporated place that has merged governmentally with a county
or minor civil division, but one or more of the incorporated places
continues to function within the consolidation. It is a place that
contains additional separately incorporated places.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

G4210 Census Designated Place

A statistical area defined for a named concentration of population and
the statistical counterpart of an incorporated place

G4300 Economic Census Place

The lowest level of geographic area for presentation of some types of
Economic Census data. It includes incorporated places, consolidated
cities, census designated places (CDPs), minor civil divisions (MCDs)
in selected states, and balances of MCDs or counties. An
incorporated place, CDP, MCD, or balance of MCD qualifies as an
economic census place if it contains 5,000 or more residents, or
5,000 or more jobs, according to the most current data available.

G5020 Census Tract

Relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a County or
equivalent feature delineated by local participants as part of the
Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program.

G5030 Block Group

A cluster of census blocks having the same first digit of their four-digit
identifying numbers within a Census Tract. For example, block group
3 (BG 3) within a Census Tract includes all blocks numbered from
3000 to 3999.

G5040 Tabulation Block

The lowest-order census defined statistical area. It is an area, such
as a city block, bounded primarily by physical features but sometimes
by invisible city or property boundaries. A tabulation block boundary
does not cross the boundary of any other geographic area for which
the Census Bureau tabulates data. The subtypes of this feature are
Count Question Resolution (CQR), current, and census.

G5200 Congressional District

The 435 areas from which people are elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives. Additional equivalent features exist for state
equivalents with nonvoting delegates or no representative. The
subtypes of this feature are 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 111th
Congressional Districts, plus subsequent Congresses.

G5210 State Legislative District
(Upper Chamber

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from which
members are elected to the upper or unicameral chamber of a state
governing body. The upper chamber is the senate in a bicameral
legislature, and the unicameral case is a single house legislature
(Nebraska).

G5220 State Legislative District
(Lower Chamber)

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from which
members are elected to the lower chamber of a state governing body.
The lower chamber is the House of Representatives in a bicameral
legislature.

G5240 Voting District

The generic name for the geographic features, such as precincts,
wards, and election districts, established by state, local, and tribal
governments for the purpose of conducting elections.

G5400 Elementary School District

A geographic area within which officials provide public elementary
grade-level educational services for residents.

G5410 Secondary School District

A geographic area within which officials provide public secondary
grade-level educational services for residents.

G5420 Unified School District

A geographic area within which officials provide public educational
services for all grade levels for residents.

G6100 Public-Use Microdata Area

A decennial census area with a population of at least 100,000 or
more persons for which the Census Bureau provides selected
extracts of household-level data that are screened to protect
confidentiality.

G6300 Traffic Analysis District

An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for tabulating
journey-to-work and place-of-work data. A Traffic Analysis District
(TAD) consists of one or more Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs).

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

G6320 Traffic Analysis Zone

An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for tabulating
journey-to-work and place-of-work data.

G6330 Urban Growth Area

An area defined under state authority to manage urbanization that the
U.S. Census Bureau includes in the MAF/TIGER® Database in
agreement with the state.

G6340 ZIP Code Tabulation Area
(Three-Digit)

An approximate statistical-area representation of a U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) 3-digit ZIP Code service area.

G6350 Zip Code Tabulation Area
(Five-Digit)

An approximate statistical-area representation of a U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) 5-digit ZIP Code service area.

G6400 Commercial Region

For the purpose of presenting economic statistical data, municipios in
Puerto Rico are grouped into commercial regions.

H1100

Connector

A known, but nonspecific, hydrographic connection between two
nonadjacent water features.

H2025

Swamp/Marsh

A poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or grassy,
possibly covered with open water. [includes bog, cienega, marais and
pocosin]

H2030

Lake/Pond

A standing body of water that is surrounded by land.

H2040

Reservoir

An artificially impounded body of water.

H2041

Treatment Pond

An artificial body of water built to treat fouled water.

H2051

Bay/Estuary/Gulf/Sound

A body of water partly surrounded by land. [includes arm, bight, cove
and inlet]

H2053

Ocean/Sea

The great body of salt water that covers much of the earth.

H2060

Gravel Pit/Quarry filled with A body of water in a place or area from which commercial minerals
water
were removed from the Earth.

H2081

Glacier

A body of ice moving outward and down slope from an area of
accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on the top
or side of a mountain or mountainous area. [includes ice field and ice
patch]

H3010

Stream/River

A natural flowing waterway. [includes anabranch, awawa, branch,
brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, and run]

H3013

Braided Stream

A natural flowing waterway with an intricate network of interlacing
channels.

H3020

Canal, Ditch or Aqueduct

An artificial waterway constructed to transport water, to irrigate or
drain land, to connect two or more bodies of water, or to serve as a
waterway for watercraft. [includes lateral]

K1121

Apartment Building or
Complex

A building or group of buildings that contain multiple living quarters
generally for which rent is paid.

K1223

Trailer Court or Mobile
Home Park

An area in which parking space for house trailers is rented, usually
providing utilities and services.

K1225

Crew-of-Vessel Location

A point or area in which the population of military or merchant marine
vessels at sea are assigned, usually being at or near the home port
pier.

K1226

Housing Facility/Dormitory
for Workers

A structure providing housing for a number of persons employed as
semi-permanent or seasonal laborers.

K1227

Hotel, Motel, Resort, Spa,
Hostel, YMCA, or YWCA

A structure providing transient lodging or living quarters, generally for
some payment.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

K1228

Campground

An area used for setting up mobile temporary living quarters
(camp) or holding a camp meeting, sometimes providing utilities
and other amenities.

K1229

Shelter or Mission

A structure providing low-cost or free living quarters established
by a welfare or educational organization for the needy people of a
district.

K1231

Hospital/Hospice/Urgent Care
Facility

One or more structures where the sick or injured may receive
medical or surgical attention. [including infirmary]

K1233

Nursing Home, Retirement
Home, or Home for the Aged

A structure to house and provide care for the elderly.

K1234

County Home or Poor Farm

One or more structures administered by a local government that
serve as living quarters for the indigent.

K1235

Juvenile Institution

A facility (correctional or non-correctional) where groups of
juveniles reside; this includes training schools, detention centers,
residential treatment centers and orphanages.

K1236

Local Jail or Detention Center

One or more structures that serve as a place for the confinement
of adult persons in lawful detention, administered by a local
(county, municipal, etc.) government.

K1237

Federal Penitentiary, State
Prison, or Prison Farm

An institution that serves as a place for the confinement of adult
persons in lawful detention, administered by the federal
government or a state government.

K1238

Other Correctional Institution

One or more structures that serve as a place for the confinement
of adult persons in lawful detention, not elsewhere classified or
administered by a government of unknown jurisdiction.

K1239

Convent, Monastery, Rectory,
Other Religious Group
Quarters

One or more structures intended for use as a residence for those
having a religious vocation.

K1241

Sorority, Fraternity, or College
Dormitory

One or more structures associated with a social or educational
organization that serve as living quarters for college students.

K2100

Governmental

A place where employees are employed in federal, state, local, or
tribal government.

K2110

Military Installation

An area owned and/or occupied by the Department of Defense for
use by a branch of the armed forces (such as the Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marines, or Coast Guard), or a state owned area for the
use of the National Guard.

K2165

Government Center

A place used by members of government (either federal, state,
local, or tribal) for administration and public business.

K2167

Convention Center

An exhibition hall or conference center with enough open space to
host public and private business and social events.

K2180

Park

Parkland defined and administered by federal, state, and local
governments.

K2181

National Park Service Land

Area—National parks, National Monuments, and so forth—under
the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

K2182

National Forest or Other
Federal Land

Land under the management and jurisdiction of the federal
government, specifically including areas designated as National
Forest, and excluding areas under the jurisdiction of the National
Park Service.

K2183

Tribal Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of an
American Indian tribe.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

K2184

State Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a state
government.

K2185

Regional Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a
regional government.

K2186

County Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a
county government.

K2187

County Subdivision Park,
Forest, or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a
minor civil division (town/township) government.

K2188

Incorporated Place Park,
Forest, or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a
municipal government.

K2189

Private Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area

A privately owned place or area set aside for recreation or
preservation of a cultural or natural resource.

K2190

Other Park, Forest, or
Recreation Area (quasi-public,
independent park,
commission, etc.)

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a
cultural or natural resource and under the administration of some
other type of government or agency such as an independent park
authority or commission.

K2191

Post Office

An official facility of the U.S. Postal Service used for processing
and distributing mail and other postal material.

K2193

Fire Department

Fire Department.

K2194

Police Station

Police Station.

K2195

Library

Library.

K2196

City/Town Hall

City/Town Hall.

K2300

Commercial Workplace

A place of employment for wholesale, retail, or other trade.

K2361

Shopping Center or Major
Retail Center

A group of retail establishments within a planned subdivision
sharing a common parking area.

K2362

Industrial Building or Industrial One or more manufacturing establishments within an area zoned
Park
for fabrication, construction, or other similar trades.

K2363

Office Building or Office Park

K2364

Farm/Vineyard/Winery/Orchard An agricultural establishment where crops are grown and/or
animals are raised, usually for food.

K2366

Other Employment Center

A place of employment not elsewhere classified or of unknown
type.

K2400

Transportation Terminal

A facility where one or more modes of transportation can be
accessed by people or for the shipment of goods; examples of
such a facility include marine terminal, bus station, train station,
airport and truck warehouse.

K2424

Marina

A place where privately owned, light-craft are moored.

K2432

Pier/Dock

A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by
piles. This platform may provide access to ships and boats, or it
may be used for recreational purposes.

K2451

Airport or Airfield

A manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft. [including
airstrip, landing field and landing strip]

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One or more structures housing employees performing business,
clerical, or professional services.

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MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

K2452

Train Station, Trolley or
Mass Transit Rail Station

A place where travelers can board and exit rail transit lines, including
associated ticketing, freight, and other commercial offices.

K2453

Bus Terminal

A place where travelers can board and exit mass motor vehicle
transit, including associated ticketing, freight, and other commercial
offices.

K2454

Marine Terminal

A place where travelers can board and exit water transit or where
cargo is handled, including associated ticketing, freight, and other
commercial offices.

K2455

Seaplane Anchorage

A place where an airplane equipped with floats for landing on or
taking off from a body of water can debark and load.

K2456

Airport—Intermodal
Transportation
Hub/Terminal

A major air transportation facility where travelers can board and exit
airplanes and connect with other (i.e. non-air) modes of
transportation.

K2457

Airport—Statistical
Representation

The area of an airport adjusted to include whole 2000 census blocks
used for the delineation of urban areas.

K2458

Park and Ride
Facility/Parking Lot

A place where motorists can park their cars and transfer to other
modes of transportation.

K2459

Runway/Taxiway

A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by airplanes for taking
off and landing at an airport.

K2460

Helicopter Landing Pad

A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by helicopters for
taking off and landing.

K2540

University or College

A building or group of buildings used as an institution for postsecondary study, teaching, and learning. [including seminary]

K2545

Museum, Visitor Center,
Cultural Center, or Tourist
Attraction

An attraction of historical, cultural, educational or other interest that
provides information or displays artifacts.

K2561

Golf Course

A place designed for playing golf.

K2564

Amusement Center

A facility that offers entertainment, performances or sporting events.
Examples include arena, auditorium, theater, stadium, coliseum, race
course, theme park, fairgrounds and shooting range.

K2582

Cemetery

A place or area for burying the dead. [including burying ground and
memorial garden]

K2586

Zoo

A facility in which terrestrial and/or marine animals are confined
within enclosures and displayed to the public for educational,
preservation, and research purposes.

K3544

Place of Worship

A sanctified place or structure where people gather for religious
worship; examples include church, synagogue, temple, and mosque.

L4010

Pipeline

A long tubular conduit or series of pipes, often underground, with
pumps and valves for flow control, used to transport fluid (e.g., crude
oil, natural gas), especially over great distances.

L4020

Powerline

One or more wires, often on elevated towers, used for conducting
high-voltage electric power.

L4031

Aerial Tramway/Ski Lift

A conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers
suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers.

L4040

Conveyor

A mechanical apparatus that uses a moving belt to transport items
from one place to another.

L4110

Fence Line

A man-made barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually
made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to
confine, or to mark a boundary.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2
MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

L4121

Ridge Line

The line of highest elevation along a ridge.

L4125

Cliff/Escarpment

A very steep or vertical slope. [including bluff, crag, head, headland,
nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim and rimrock]

L4130

Point-to-Point Line

A line defined as beginning at one location point and ending at
another, both of which are in sight.

L4140

Property/Parcel Line
(Including PLSS)

This feature class may denote a nonvisible boundary of either public or
private lands (e.g., a park boundary) or it may denote a Public Land
Survey System or equivalent survey line.

L4150

Coastline

The line that separates either land or Inland water from Coastal,
Territorial or Great Lakes water. Where land directly borders Coastal,
Territorial or Great Lakes water, the shoreline represents the
Coastline. Where Inland water (such as a river) flows into Coastal,
Territorial or Great Lakes water, the closure line separating the Inland
water from the other class of water represents the Coastline.

L4165

Ferry Crossing

The route used to carry or convey people or cargo back and forth over
a waterbody in a boat.

R1011

Railroad Feature (Main,
Spur, or Yard)

A line of fixed rails or tracks that carries mainstream railroad traffic.
Such a rail line can be a main line or spur line, or part of a rail yard.

R1052

Cog Rail Line, Incline Rail
Line, Tram

A special purpose rail line for climbing steep grades that is typically
inaccessible to mainstream railroad traffic. Note that aerial tramways
and streetcars (which may also be called “trams”) are accounted for by
other MTFCCs and do not belong in R1052.

S1100

Primary Road

Primary roads are generally divided, limited-access highways within
the interstate highway system or under state management, and are
distinguished by the presence of interchanges. These highways are
accessible by ramps and may include some toll highways.

S1200

Secondary Road

Secondary roads are main arteries, usually in the U.S. Highway, State
Highway or County Highway system. These roads have one or more
lanes of traffic in each direction, may or may not be divided, and
usually have at-grade intersections with many other roads and
driveways. They often have both a local name and a route number.

S1400

Local Neighborhood Road, Generally a paved non-arterial street, road, or byway that usually has
Rural Road, City Street
a single lane of traffic in each direction. Roads in this feature class
may be privately or publicly maintained. Scenic park roads would be
included in this feature class, as would (depending on the region of the
country) some unpaved roads.

S1500

Vehicular Trail (4WD)

An unpaved dirt trail where a four-wheel drive vehicle is required.
These vehicular trails are found almost exclusively in very rural areas.
Minor, unpaved roads usable by ordinary cars and trucks belong in the
S1400 category.

S1630

Ramp

A road that allows controlled access from adjacent roads onto a limited
access highway, often in the form of a cloverleaf interchange. These
roads are unaddressable.

S1640

Service Drive usually along A road, usually paralleling a limited access highway, that provides
a limited access highway
access to structures along the highway. These roads can be named
and may intersect with other roads.

S1710

Walkway/Pedestrian Trail

A path that is used for walking, being either too narrow for or legally
restricted from vehicular traffic.

S1720

Stairway

A pedestrian passageway from one level to another by a series of
steps.

S1730

Alley

A service road that does not generally have associated addressed
structures and is usually unnamed. It is located at the rear of buildings
and properties and is used for deliveries.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

MTFCC

Feature Class

Feature Class Description

S1740

Private Road for service
A road within private property that is privately maintained for service,
vehicles (logging, oil fields, extractive, or other purposes. These roads are often unnamed.
ranches, etc.)

S1750

Internal U.S. Census
Bureau use

Internal U.S. Census Bureau use.

S1780

Parking Lot Road

The main travel route for vehicles through a paved parking area.

S1820

Bike Path or Trail

A path that is used for manual or small, motorized bicycles, being
either too narrow for or legally restricted from vehicular traffic.

S1830

Bridle Path

A path that is used for horses, being either too narrow for or legally
restricted from vehicular traffic.

S2000

Road Median

The unpaved area or barrier between the carriageways of a divided
road.

P0001

Nonvisible Linear
Legal/Statistical Boundary

A legal/statistical boundary line that does not correspond to a
shoreline or other visible feature on the ground.

P0002

Perennial Shoreline

The more-or-less permanent boundary between land and water for a
water feature that exists year-round.

P0003

Intermittent Shoreline

The boundary between land and water (when water is present) for a
water feature that does not exist year-round.

P0004

Other non-visible bounding
Edge (e.g., Census water
boundary, boundary of an
areal feature)

A bounding Edge that does not represent a legal/statistical boundary,
and does not correspond to a shoreline or other visible feature on the
ground. Many such Edges bound area landmarks, while many others
separate water features from each other (e.g., where a bay meets the
ocean).

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

APPENDIX C: PARTNERSHIP SHAPEFILE DATA DICTIONARY
-Partnership ShapefilesShapefile Layer

Geographic
Level

Name

American Indian Areas (AIA) - Legal

County/State

Aial

American Indian / Alaska Native Areas (AIANA) - Statistical

County/State

Aias

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Legal

County/State

Aitsl

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Statistical

County/State

Aitss

Alaska Native Regional Corporations (ANRC)

County/State

Anrc

Area Landmark

County only

Arealm
Bag

Block Area Grouping

County/State

Census Block Groups

County only

Bg

Block Size Indicator

County only

Block

Metropolitan/ Micropolitan Statistical Area

County/State

Cbsa

County Subdivisions – Statistical

County/State

Ccd

Congressional Districts (CD)

County/State

Cd

Census Designated Places (CDP)

County/State

Cdp

Consolidated Cities

County only

Concity

Counties and Equivalent Areas

County/State

County

Census Tracts

County only

Curtracts

Edges (All Lines)

County only

Edges

School Districts (Elementary)

County/State

Elsd

County Subdivisions – Legal

County/State

Mcd

New England City and Town Area

County/State

Necta

Offsets

County only

Offset

Incorporated Places

County/State

Place

Point Landmarks

County only

Pointlm

Public Use Microdata Areas – Census 2010

County/State

Puma2010

School Districts (Secondary)

County/State

Scsd

State Legislative Districts (Lower/House)

County/State

Sldl

State Legislative Districts (Upper/Senate)

County/State

Sldu

States and Equivalent Areas

State only

State

Subbarrios

County only

Submcd

Census Blocks - Current

County only

Tabblock

Census Blocks – Census 2010

County only

Tabblock2010

Traffic Analysis Districts – Census 2010

County only

Tad2010

Traffic Analysis Zone

County only

Taz2010

Tribal Block Group

County/State

Tbg

Census Tracts – Census 2010

County/State

Tracts2010

Urban Area/ Urban Cluster – Census 2010

County/State

Uac

Urban Growth Areas (UGA)

County only

Uga

School Districts (Unified)

County/State

Unsd

Hydrography - Area

County only

Water

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

Address Ranges (Relationship Table)

County

Addr

Linear Feature Names (Relationship Table)

County

Allnames

Topological Faces - Area Landmark Relationship

County

Areafaces

Topological Faces (Listing of faces with all geocodes)

County

Faces

Topological Faces - Area Hydrography Relationship

County

Hydrofaces

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Alaska Native Regional Corporations (Alaska Only)ATTRIBUTE
FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

ANRCFP

5

String

FIPS ANRC Code (State Based)

ANRCCE

2

String

Current Census ANRC Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

Record ID for any boundary update

AREA

10

RELATE

120

String
Numeric (3
decimal places)
String

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

Acreage of area update
Relationship description

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

AIANHFSR

1

String

Vintage updated with returned data
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group.

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-American Indian Areas – Legal ATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE

4

String

COMPTYP

1

String

AIANNHFSR

1

String

NAMELSAD

100

String

Census AIANNH Code
Indicates if reservation (or equivalent) or offreservation trust land is present, or both
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group.
Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

Record ID for any boundary update

AREA

10

RELATE

120

String
Numeric (3
decimal places)
String

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

Acreage of area update
Relationship description

-American Indian / Alaska Native Areas – StatisticalATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

4

String

COUNTYFP*
AIANNHCE
COMPTYP

1

AIANNHFSR

1

NAMELSAD

100

String

Census AIANNH Code
Indicates if reservation (or equivalent) or offreservation trust land is present, or both
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group.
Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

String
String

FUNCSTAT

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-American Indian / Alaska Native Areas – StatisticalCHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

VINTAGE

2

Char
String

Vintage updated with returned data

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

-American Indian Tribal Subdivisions - LegalATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE

4

String

Census AIANNH Code

TRIBSUBCE

1

String

Census Tribal subdivision

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

Record ID for any boundary update

AREA

10

RELATE

120

String
Numeric (3
decimal
places)
String

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

AIANNHFSR

1

String

Vintage updated with returned data
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group.

Acreage of area update
Relationship description

-American Indian Tribal Subdivisions - StatisticalATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE

4

String

Census AIANNH Code

TRIBSUBCE

1

String

Census Tribal subdivision

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-American Indian Tribal Subdivisions - StatisticalNAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

Record ID for any boundary update

AREA

10

RELATE

120

String
Numeric (3
decimal
places)
String

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

Acreage of area update
Relationship description

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

AIANNHFSR

1

String

Vintage updated with returned data
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American
Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or
group.

-Congressional DistrictsATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

CDFP

2

String

Congressional District Code

CDTYP

1

String

Congressional District Type

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective date or vintage

NEW_CODE

2

String

New Congressional District Code

RELTYPE1

2

String

Relationship Type 1

RELTYPE2

2

String

Relationship Type 2

RELTYPE3

2

String

Relationship Type 3

RELTYPE4

2

String

Relationship Type 4

RELTYPE5

2

String

Relationship Type 5

REL_ENT1

8

String

Relationship Entity 1

REL_ENT2

8

String

Relationship Entity 2

REL_ENT3

8

String

Relationship Entity 3

REL_ENT4

8

String

Relationship Entity 4

REL_ENT5

8

String

Relationship Entity 5

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Congressional DistrictsRELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

CDSESSN

3

String

Congressional District Session Code

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

-Hawaiian Home Lands (Hawaii Only)ATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

AIANNHCE

4

String

COMPTYP

1

String

NAMELSAD

100

String

Census AIANNH Code
Indicates if reservation (or equivalent) or off-reservation
trust land is present, or both
Name with translated LSAD

AIANNHNS

8

String

ANSI numeric identifier for AIANNH Areas

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS55 class code describing entity

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting documentation

FORM_ID

4

Record ID for any boundary update

AREA

10

RELATE

120

String
Numeric (3
decimal
places)
String

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

VINTAGE

2

String

AIANNHFSR

1

String

NAME

100

String

Vintage updated with returned data
Flag indicating level of recognition of an American Indian,
Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian tribe or group.
Name

Acreage of area update
Relationship description

-School Districts (Elementary, Secondary, Unified)ATTRIBUTE
FIELD
STATEFP

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

SDLEA

5

String

Current Local Education Agency Code

NAME

100

String

Name of School District

LSAD

2

Integer

Legal/Statistical Area Description

HIGRADE

2

String

Highest grade for which the district is financially responsible

LOGRADE

2

String

Lowest grade for which the district is financially responsible

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-School Districts (Elementary, Secondary, Unified)PARTFLG*

1

String

POLYID

4

String

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Part Flag Indicator
Record ID for each update polygon for linking back to the
submission log
Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

FUNCSTAT

3

String

Functional Status

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-State Legislative Districts (Upper/Senate)ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

SLDUST

3

String

SLD Upper Chamber Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

NEW_NAME

100

String

New SLDU Name

NEW_CODE

3

String

New SLDU Code

RELTYPE1

2

String

Relationship Type 1

RELTYPE2

2

String

Relationship Type 2

RELTYPE3

2

String

Relationship Type 3

RELTYPE4

2

String

Relationship Type 4

RELTYPE5

2

String

Relationship Type 5

REL_ENT1

8

String

Relationship Entity 1

REL_ENT2

8

String

Relationship Entity 2

REL_ENT3

8

String

Relationship Entity 3

REL_ENT4

8

String

Relationship Entity 4

REL_ENT5

8

String

Relationship Entity 5

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

LSY

4

String

Legislative Session Year

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

-State Legislative Districts (Lower/Senate)ATTRIBUTE FIELD

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LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-State Legislative Districts (Lower/Senate)STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

SLDLST

3

String

SLD Lower Chamber Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

PARTFLG*

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

NEW_NAME

100

String

New SLDL Name

NEW_CODE

3

String

New SLDL Code

RELTYPE1

2

String

Relationship Type 1

RELTYPE2

2

String

Relationship Type 2

RELTYPE3

2

String

Relationship Type 3

RELTYPE4

2

String

Relationship Type 4

RELTYPE5

2

String

Relationship Type 5

REL_ENT1

8

String

Relationship Entity 1

REL_ENT2

8

String

Relationship Entity 2

REL_ENT3

8

String

Relationship Entity 3

REL_ENT4

8

String

Relationship Entity 4

REL_ENT5

8

String

Relationship Entity 5

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

LSY

4

String

Legislative Session Year

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Urban Growth AreasATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

UGACE

5

String

Urban Growth Area Code

UGATYP

1

String

Urban Growth Area Type

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

PARTFLG

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

AREA

10

Double

Acreage of Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

NAME

100

String

Name

-Census Block GroupsATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

TRACTCE

6

String

Census Tract Code

BLKGRPCE

1

String

BLKGRPID

12

String

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Block Group Code
FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract
Code, Block Group Code
Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

BGTYP

1

String

Block Group Characteristic Flag

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-Census Blocks – CurrentATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

STATEFP10

2

String

FIPS 2010 State Code

COUNTYFP10

3

String

FIPS 2010 County Code

TRACTCE10

6

String

Census Tract Code

BLOCKCE

4

String

Tabulation Block Number

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Census Blocks – CurrentSUFFIX1CE

2

String

Census Block Suffix 1

SUFFIX2CE

2

String

BLOCKID

19

String

Census Block Suffix 2
FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract
Code, Tabulation Block Number, Census Block
Suffix 1, Census Block Suffix 2

-Census Blocks – Census 2010ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP10

2

String

FIPS 2010 State Code

COUNTYFP10

3

String

FIPS 2010 County Code

TRACTCE10

6

String

Census Tract Code

BLOCKCE

4

String

BLOCKID10

15

String

PARTFLG

1

String

Tabulation Block Number
FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract
Code, Tabulation Block Number
Part Flag Indicator

HOUSING10

9

Integer

2010 Housing

POP10

9

Integer

Census 2010 population count

-Census TractsATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

TRACTCE

6

String

Census Tract Code

NAME

100

String

TRACTID

11

String

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Name
FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract
Code
Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

TRACTTYP

1

String

Tract Characteristic Flag

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

TRACTLABEL

7

String

Tract number used for LUCA geocoding

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-Census Designated PlacesATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

PLACEFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Place Code

PLACENS

5

String

ANSI feature code for the place

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Census Designated PlacesNAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

PARTFLG

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Consolidated City ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

CONCITYFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Place Code

CONCITYCE

4

String

Census Consolidated City Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

PLACENS

8

String

ANSI feature code for the place

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting Documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

(MTPS and Web BAS only)

AREA

10

Double

Acreage of Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

-County and Equivalent Areas ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

COUNTYNS

8

String

NAMELSAD

100

String

FIPS County Code
ANSI Feature Code for the County or Equivalent
Feature
Name with translated LSAD code

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of area update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting Documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

(MTPS / Web BAS only)

AREA

10

Double

Acreage of Area Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-County Subdivisions Shapefile – Legal (MCD)ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

COUSUBFP

5

String

FIPS County Subdivision Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

COUSUBNS

8

String

ANSI feature code for the county subdivision

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting Documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

(MTPS and Web BAS only)

AREA

10

Double

Acreage of Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-County Subdivisions Shapefile –Statistical (CCD)ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

COUSUBFP

5

String

FIPS County Subdivision Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

COUSUBNS

8

String

ANSI feature code for the county subdivision

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-Incorporated Place Shapefile-

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Incorporated Place ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP*

3

String

FIPS County Code

PLACEFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Place Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

PLACENS

8

String

ANSI feature code for the place

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

CLASSFP

2

String

FIPS 55 Class Code describing an entity

PARTFLG

1

String

Part Flag Indicator

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

DOCU

120

String

Supporting Documentation

FORM_ID

4

String

(MTPS and Web BAS only)

AREA

10

Double

Acreage of Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

-States and Equivalent AreasATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
STATEUSPS

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

USPS State Abbreviation

NAME

10

Integer

Name

LSAD

5

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

STATENS

120

String

ANSI feature code for the state

-SubbarriosATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

COUSUBFP

5

String

FIPS County Subdivision Code

SUBMCDFP

5

String

FIPS Sub-minor Civil Division Code

NAMELSAD

100

String

Name with translated LSAD

SUBMCDNS

8

String

ANSI feature code for the sub-minor civil division

LSAD

2

String

Legal/Statistical Area Description

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-SubbarriosAREA

10

Double

Acreage of Update

RELATE

120

String

Relationship Description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

FORM_ID

4

String

(MTPS and Web BAS only)

NAME

100

String

Name

VINTAGE

2

String

Vintage updated with returned data

FUNCSTAT

1

String

Functional Status

-Edges (All Lines) ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

State FIPS Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

County FIPS Code

TLID

10

Integer

Permanent Edge ID

TFIDL

10

Integer

Permanent Face ID (Left)

TFIDR

10

Integer

Permanent Face ID (Right)

MTFCC

5

String

FIDELITY

1

String

FULLNAME

120

String

SMID

22

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code
Indication to a respondent when their entity
boundary has changed through spatial enhancement
Prefix qualifier code, prefix direction code, prefix type
code, base name, suffix type code, suffix qualifier
code
Spatial Tmeta ID

BBSPFLG

1

String

2010 block boundary suggestion

CBBFLG

1

String

BBSP_2020

1

String

CHNG_TYPE

2

String

Planned 2020 block boundary
BBSP Participant suggested 2020 Census block
boundary
Type of linear update

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

LTOADD

10

String

Left To Address

RTOADD

10

String

Right To Address

LFROMADD

10

String

Left From Address

RFROMADD

10

String

Right From Address

ZIPL

5

String

Left Zip Code

ZIPR

5

String

Right Zip Code

-Area Landmark ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

MTFCC

5

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Area Landmark Shapefile-

AREAID

10

Integer

Prefix direction code, prefix type code, base name,
suffix type code, suffix direction code
Landmark identification number

ANSICODE

8

String

ANSI code for area landmarks

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Landmark update

EFF_DATE

8

String

Effective Date or Vintage

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

BAG

3

String

Block Area Grouping

ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

ANSICODE

8

String

ANSI code for hydrography area

MTFCC

5

String

FULLNAME

120

String

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code
Prefix direction code, prefix type code, base name,
suffix type, suffix type code, suffix direction code
Type of Area Update

HYDROID

10

String

Hydrography Identification Number

RELATE

120

String

Relationship description

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

FULLNAME

120

String

-Hydrography Area Shapefile-

-Point Landmarks ShapefileATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

STATEFP
COUNTYFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

3

String

FIPS County Code

POINTID

10

Integer

Point Landmark Identification Number

ANSICODE

8

Char

Official Code for Federal Agency use

MTFCC

5

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FULLNAME

120

String

Prefix type code, base name, suffix type code

CHNG_TYPE

1

String

Type of Area Update

JUSTIFY

150

Char

Justification

-Topological Faces – Geographic Entity Relationships TableATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

TFID

20

Integer

Permanent Face ID

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Topological Faces – Geographic Entity Relationships TableCOUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

TRIBSUBCE

3

String

Census Tribal Subdivision

TTRACTCE

6

String

Tribal Census Tract Code

TBLKGRPCE

1

String

Tribal Census Block Group Code

AIANNHCE

4

String

COMPTYP

1

String

ANRCCE

5

String

Census AIANNH Code
Indicates if reservation (or equivalent) or offreservation trust land is present, or both
FIPS ANRC Code

SLDUST

3

String

SLD Upper Chamber Code

SLDLST

3

String

ELSD

5

String

SCSD

5

String

UNSD

5

String

CDFP

2

String

SLD Lower Chamber Code
Current ELSD Local Education Agency (LEA)
Code
Current SCSD Local Education Agency (LEA)
Code
Current UNSD Local Education Agency (LEA)
Code
Congressional District Code

TRACTCE

6

String

Census Tract Code

UACE

5

String

Census Urban Area Code

BLKGRPCE

1

String

Census Block Group Code

BLOCKCE

4

String

Tabulation Block Number

SUFFIX1CE

2

String

Census Block Suffix 1

SUFFIX2CE

2

String

Census Block Suffix 2

TAZCE

6

String

Traffic Analysis Zone Code

SUBMCDFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Sub-minor Civil Division Code

UGACE

5

String

Urban Growth Area Code

VTDST10

6

String

2010 Voting District Code

STATEFP10

2

String

FIPS 2010 State Code

COUNTYFP10

3

String

FIPS 2010 County Code

TRACTCE10

6

String

Census 2010 Tract Code

PLACEFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Place Code

COUSUBFP

5

String

FIPS 55 County Subdivision Code

CONCITYFP

5

String

FIPS 55 Place Code

LWFLG

1

String

Land/Water Flag

-Topological Faces – Area Landmark Relationships TableATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

TFID

20

Integer

Permanent Face ID

AREAID

22

Integer

Object ID

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Topological Faces – Hydrography Area Relationships TableATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

TFID

20

Integer

Permanent Face ID

HYDROID

22

Integer

Object ID

-Address Ranges Table ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

TLID

22

Integer

TIGER Line ID

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

FROMHN

12

String

From House Number

TOHN

12

String

To House Number

SIDE

1

String

Side Indicator Flag

ZIP

5

String

5-digit ZIP Code

PLUS4

4

String

ZIP+4 Code

LFROMADD

10

String

Left From Address

LTOADD

10

String

Left To Address

RFROMADD

10

String

Right From Address

RTOADD

10

String

Right To Address

ZIPL

5

String

Left 5-digit ZIP Code

ZIPR

5

String

Right 5-digit ZIP Code

ZIP4L

4

String

Left ZIP+4 Code

ZIP4R

4

String

Right ZIP+4 Code

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

-Linear Feature Names Table ATTRIBUTE FIELD

LENGTH

TYPE

DESCRIPTION

OID

22

Integer

Object ID

STATEFP

2

String

FIPS State Code

COUNTYFP

3

String

FIPS County Code

NAME

100

String

Name

PREDIR

2

String

Prefix Direction code component of feature name

PRETYP

3

String

Prefix Type code component of feature name

PREQUAL

2

String

Prefix Qualifier code component of feature name

SUFDIR

2

String

Suffix Direction code component of feature name

SUFTYP

3

String

Suffix Type code component of feature name

SUFQUAL

2

String

Suffix Qualifier code component of feature name

MTFCC

5

String

MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

PAFLAG

1

String

Primary/Alternate flag

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

APPENDIX D: ACRONYMS

Acronym
BAS
BAG
BBSP
CBBFLG
CRVRDO
GNIS
GUPS
MAF/TIGER
MCD
MTFCC
OGC
SWIM
URL
VTD

View Table of Contents

Explanation
Boundary and Annexation Survey
Block Area Grouping
Block Boundary Suggestion Program
Census Block Boundary Flag
Census Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office
Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Update Partnership Software
Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic and Encoding
Reference (System)
Minor Civil Division
MAF TIGER Feature Classification Code
Open Geospatial Consortium
Secure Web Incoming Module
Uniform Resource Locator
Voting District Project

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

APPENDIX E: BBSP PARTICIPANT SUPPORT
Direct all questions regarding the Block Boundary Suggestion Project, including
procedural and GUPS technical questions, to:
Census Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office (301) 763-4039

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Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

APPENDIX F: COUNTY COMPLETION TRACKING SHEET
BBSP Participants can use these sheets to track completed work and submissions to the
state (for designees) or the Census Bureau (RDP Liaison). This worksheet is available
as a downloadable Excel file from www.census.gov/rdo (website TBD)...

View Table of Contents

SUBMISSION TRACKING

Validation
Check

General Geog
Review

Block Boundary
Review

QC

BAGs

BBSP
Flags

Block Size
Review

BBSP UPDATE
2010 Feature
Extension Rev

Pt Landmark
Review

Legal Boundary
Review

County Name

Area Landmark
Review

County
FIPS

Linear Feature
Review

GEOGRAPHIC DATA

Date
Sent
to State
(Designee)

175 | Page

Date Sent To
Census
(RDP Liaison)

Block Boundary Suggestion Project GUPS User’s Guide_DRAFT V 0.2

View Table of Contents

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