FIPS to ANSI Transition

1
FIPS to ANSI Transition

• Michael Ratcliffe
• Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch
• Geography Division
• U.S. Census Bureau
• 301-763-8977
• michael.r.ratcliffe_at_census.gov

2
FIPS to ANSI Transition

• Geographic entity types discussed in this
  presentation (with former FIPS series)
• States and equivalent entities (FIPS 5-2)
• Counties and equivalent entities (FIPS 6-4)
• Congressional districts (FIPS 9-1)
• Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
  and related statistical areas (FIPS 8-6)
• Places and county subdivisions (FIPS 55-3)

3
FIPS to ANSI Transition

• Code standards with oversight changes only
• States and equivalents
• Counties and equivalents
• Congressional Districts

4
Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
and related statistical entities

• Code structure adopted in 2003 was not under FIPS
  oversight
• Geographic Entity Length Range
• Metropolitan Statistical Areas 5
  digits 10000-59999
• Micropolitan Statistical Areas 5
  digits 10000-59999
• Metropolitan Divisions 5 digits 10004-59994
• New England City and Town Areas 5
  digits 70000-79999
• NECTA Divisions 5 digits 70004-79994
• Combined Statistical Areas 3 digits 100-599
• Combined NECTAs 3 digits 700-799
• Metropolitan divisions and NECTA divisions are
  distinguished from metropolitan and micropolitan
  statistical areas and NECTAs by codes that end in
  4.

5
Place and County Subdivisions

• USGS was the maintenance agency for FIPS 55-3.
• Decision to adopt Geographic Names Information
  System ID as standard code, effective January 1,
  2006
• GNIS ID is a variable length, permanent, numeric
  identifier, up to 10 digits (though none are
  longer than 8 digits)

6
GNIS ID examples

• Alexandria, VA 1498415
• Baltimore, MD 1702381
• Seattle, WA 2411856
• Tacoma, WA 2412025
• Takoma Park, MD 2390660
• Washington, DC 1702382

7
What will the Census Bureau do?

• We will include GNIS IDs in the MAF/TIGER
  database for the following entities
• States and equivalent areas
• Counties and equivalent areas
• County subdivisions
• Sub-minor civil divisions (Puerto Rico only)
  Consolidated cities
• Incorporated places and census designated places
• American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian
  areas
• Alaska Native Regional Corporations
• American Indian tribal subdivisions
• Supplemental codes only the GNIS ID does not
  supplant the standard 2-digit state code and
  3-digit county code.

8
What will the Census Bureau do?

• We are committed to maintaining, and issuing new,
  5-digit place and county subdivision codes
  through at least 2012.
• Because FIPS is a well-known and recognized
  acronym, we will retain it, but restyle it as
  Federal Information Processing Series

9
What will the Census Bureau do?

• We will include the GNIS ID (as fixed length
  character data) in products containing geographic
  information, along with the 5-digit place and
  county subdivision codes.
• STATEFP ............................24
• STATENS ..01714934
• COUNTYFP .031
• COUNTYNS ..01712500
• COUSUBNS ................01929469
• COUSUBFP ......................91160
• PLACENS ..02390660
• PLACEFP 76650
• Name .Takoma Park

10
Questions?

• Contact
• Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch
• Geography Division
• 301-763-3056