INTRODUCTION
The TIGER/Line Files contain information that describes the points, lines, and areas on Census Bureau maps. The files are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic data from the Census Bureau's TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) System, which is used to support mapping and other geographic activities of its decennial census and sample survey programs.
The TIGER/Line files provide information on streets, rivers, railroads, and other line features, where they intersect and the areas they enclose, in a form that can be processed by a computer. TIGER/Line records contain latitude/longitude coordinates, codes identifying census geographic areas, and address ranges and ZIP Codes. While these files contain geographic data, they are not maps or geographic information systems by themselves. Users must first import or reformat the data into an application system or software.
Does Public Domain Software Exist for Viewing TIGER/Line Files?
LandView is public-domain software suitable for viewing and some elementary processing of TIGER/Line Files.
Users can create and view maps using the LandView software on a CD-ROM disc (TIGER/Line Files--1992) from the U.S. Census and available in many public libraries.
Users can create and view maps using the LandView software on this disc. LandView will display the line and landmark features from the TIGER/Line files, identify 1990 census block groups, and link them to selected 1990 census data.
Can TIGER/Line Files be Used with GIS or Other Software?
TIGER/Line information can be imported into most geographic information systems to create thematic maps, do address matching, link to other geographic data, or perform other geographic analysis. A list of vendors who can process TIGER/Line files or who offer geographic services is available from the Census Bureau upon request at 301-763-4100.
LandView is a desktop mapping program designed to display the contents of TIGER/Line files and provide access to corresponding census population and housing data.
LandView is an adaptation of the computer mapping application known as MARPLOT, which is part of the Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) system. CAMEO was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to facilitate the implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (also known as Title III), a far-reaching law requiring communities to develop emergency response plans addressing chemical hazards and to make available to the public information on chemical hazards in the community. TIGER/Line files are the geographic base for CAMEO.
What are Landview's Capabilities?
LandView will . . .
Marx, R. W. 1990. (Guest Editor) "The Census Bureau's TIGER System." Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. 17: 1-133.
TIGER/Line Files, 1992 Technical Documentation / prepared by the Bureau of the Census. - Washington, DC: The Bureau, 1993.
Use these guidelines to determine whether and how to use TIGER for specific applications.
Advice for the specific kind of Feature Network being attempted:
Advice for the specific type of Spatial Analysis operation being attempted:
Advice for the specific type of Coordinate Accuracy operation being attempted: