Building Quality Address Data: A Census Bureau Perspective

1. Building Quality Address Data:A Census Bureau Perspective Rocket City Geospatial Conference Huntsville, AL November 16, 2011

2. Addresses are Vital to the Census Bureau • The Census Bureau maintains an address list for the 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico – called the Master Address File (MAF). • The MAF is used to support the mailing of Census questionnaires, household visits to conduct enumeration, the American Community Survey, and the final tabulation of population and housing units.

3. Address Sources for the MAF • United States Postal Service – regular Delivery Sequence File (DSF) updates • Field operations – Address Canvassing, Enumeration operations, Demographic Areas Address Listing • State and Local Government Partner-provided address files: • Added 2.5 million new addresses for the 2010 Census • Geocoded 3.7 million existing addresses for the 2010 Census

4. Building on Successful Partnerships • The Census Bureau recognizes State and Local governments as the authority on address data in their communities. • Goal is to expand our partnership efforts with State and Local governments to improve the quality and coverage of addresses in the MAF. • Exploring partnerships as a continuous source of address updates. • Soliciting ideas for new feedback products for our partners.

5. The GSS Initiative • This program is the focus of Geography Division work leading up to the 2020 Census. • An integrated program consisting of: • Improved address quality and coverage in the MAF • Continual geospatial updates (i.e., streets, address ranges, etc.) in the Census Bureau’s Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) Database • Enhanced quality assessment, measurement, and reporting

6. Expert Research at Census • Five reports created by outside experts: • The State and Anticipated Future of Addresses and Addressing • Identifying the Current State and Anticipated Future Direction of Potentially Useful Developing Technologies • Measuring Data Quality • Use of Handheld Computers and the Display/Capture of Geospatial Data • Researching Address and Spatial Data Digital Exchange • http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gss/reports.html • Summer at Census: • Steve Guptill; USGS Chief Scientist (Retired) • Quantifying the Quality of the MAF/TIGER Database • David Cowen; Distinguished Professor Emeritus • Use of Parcel Data to Update and Enhance Census Bureau Geospatial Data • http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gss/qaewg.html

7. Census Address Summit: Goals • Educate our partners about the GSS Initiative • Gain a common understanding regarding the definition of an address • Learn how our partners are collecting, using and maintaining addresses • Discuss the concept of a “targeted” address canvassing for the 2020 Census, and solicit partner feedback and suggestions

9. Observations from the Address Summit • Continuous partnerships are needed and welcomed • Public safety is a driving factor for local governments • Urban and rural areas will pose different challenges • Address coverage varies and is sometimes not known or quantifiable • Politics and budgetary concerns play a significant role in these discussions • Communication and engagement are key • Census needs to offer ways for partners to collaborate on address list development.

10. Results of the Address Summit • Proposed Pilot Projects with Partners • Expand Participation by Address Authorities in Data Sharing • Compile and maintain an online database of Addressing Authorities to enhance communications and facilitate collaboration • Web-based Address Management Tools • Build a community address toolkit that includes web-based address tools • Role-based access, ensure custodians maintain ownership of their data

11. Proposed Pilot Projects (cont.) • Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Address Standard and Implementation • Create training and outreach materials to improve understanding and increase implementation of the FGDC Address Standard • Federal/State/Local Address Coordination • Create a formalized model, at the state level, to allow for the development, maintenance and bi-directional sharing of high quality multiple use address data • Define a set of best practices, processes, roles and responsibilities for implementation, aggregate lessons learned where available

12. Proposed Pilot Projects (cont.) • Data Sharing – Local/State/USPS/Census – “Triangulation Model” • Create a process to encourage local governments to regularly share address lists with a single source (i.e., USPS) who would in turn share it with other interested parties (i.e., State, Census Bureau) • Hard to Capture Addresses • Provide input to the Census on how to continuously update hard to capture (i.e. hidden unit) address data • Expand dialog with non-traditional partners like non-profits and charitable institutions

13. How Else Can We Collaborate? • Census is setting a goal to update the MAF/TIGER System for each partner annually • The Census Bureau is exploring options to work with partners to maintain and update the MAF in a manner that is consistent with current USC Title 13 confidentiality guarantees • Possibilities include offering a secure, web-based method for address data exchange • Updated Block Counts of Housing Units • The Census Bureau is exploring the possibility of providing updated housing unit block counts • This process must fall within our current confidentiality and disclosure requirements for address data

14. Collaboration Through Standards • The Census Bureau is adopting and implementing these Data Standards: • FGDC Address Standard for the MAF • Draft ISO 19157 (Geographic Information – Data Quality) as a template for partner-supplied street feature data • NSSDA-recommended 7.6 meter CE as a minimum spatial accuracy requirement for street feature data • Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (‘FGDC Metadata Standard’) as a template for partner-supplied feature metadata • Migrating to ISO 19115 for feature metadata

15. Questions? Thank you! Greg Hanks 301-763-3093