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

Census 2010 Participant Statistical Areas Program
Verification Guidelines for all Participants

Version 0.4
December 2009

Table of Contents
1.

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 4
1.1
1.2

2.

Background…………………………………………………………… 4
Schedule………………………………………………………………..5

Verification Procedures………………………….……………………………5
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6

Before You Begin……………………………………………...………5
Verifying Linear Changes………………………………………..……7
Verifying Census Tract Changes………………………............……8
Verifying Block Group Changes…………………………………….. 9
Verifying CCD Changes……………………………………….….… 11
Verifying CDP Changes………………………………………..…… 12

3.

Submitting Verification Corrections to the U.S. Census Bureau………...14

4.

Using the Web Viewer…………………………………………………….... 18
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7

5.

Accessing the Web Viewer…………………………………………..18
Viewing the Legend……………..........................................………22
Modifying the Layer Display……………………..........................…23
General Web Viewer Tools………………….……………………….27
Selection Tab………………………………………………...………..29
Dataview Tab………………………......................………………….31
Changes Tab…………………………………………………...……..32

Downloading Verification Shapefiles…………………………………….… 33

Appendix A. Regional Census Center Contact List……………………….………36
Appendix B. Disclosure to Respondents……………………….…………….…… 37

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Acronyms for the Participant Statistical Areas Program
BAS
BG
CCD
CDP
FTP
HU
MTDB
MTPS
PSAP
RCC

Boundary and Annexation Survey
Block Group
Census County Division
Census Designated Place
File Transfer Protocol
Housing Unit
MAF/TIGER Database
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software
Participant Statistical Areas Program
Regional Census Center

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1. Introduction
1.1 Background
This document is designed to provide all the procedures necessary to allow local
participants to take part in the verification stage of the 2010 Participant Statistical
Areas Program (PSAP). These guidelines are intended to supplement the
Census 2010 Participant Statistical Areas Program Guidelines for all Participants,
which describes the procedures to be used for the earlier stages of the project.
The 2010 PSAP is the Census Bureau program that provides local officials with
the opportunity to review and revise statistical geographic entities in preparation
for the 2010 Census. The program includes census tracts, block groups, census
designated places, and census county divisions. Starting with the delineation of
Census Tracts for the 1940 Census, the Census Bureau has been working with
local governments to delineate these entities. The 2010 PSAP delineation
materials were distributed to participants in November of 2008. Data from the
Census 2010 as well as the American Community Survey will be tabulated for
each of these geographic areas.
The verification stage represents the last step in the 2010 PSAP process.
Verification begins only after the Census Bureau has updated our MAF/TIGER
database (MTDB) with the participant changes. All participants who submitted
2010 PSAP changes are eligible to take part in the verification stage and are
encouraged to do so. The purpose of the verification stage is to allow the
participant to determine whether the Census Bureau has correctly transferred
their proposed changes to the MTDB, as well as to review any other changes
deemed necessary by the Census Bureau to meet the program criteria and
guidelines.
The Census Bureau will provide the participants with a Web Viewer tool and a
set of downloadable shapefiles to assist with the verification process. Using
these materials, and following the procedures in this document, the participant
will either verify that all their original proposed changes were correctly reflected in
MTDB or identify specific cases where their original proposed changes were not
correctly transferred. If a participant finds cases where their original proposed
changes have not been incorporated into MTDB, the participant will notify the
Census Bureau so that we can make the necessary corrections before the final
2010 tabulation geography is created.
The Census Bureau appreciates all your work on the 2010 PSAP and hopes to
continue to work with you during the verification stage to help prepare useful
geographic areas for reporting the Census 2010 results. The knowledge provided
by our local partners allows the Census Bureau to meet many of the statistical

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and spatial data needs that are part of the agency’s mission: to be the statistical
source for a better understanding of our Nation.

1.2 Schedule
The verification stage will commence when the Census Bureau has updated the
MTDB and created the verification review files. This is currently scheduled to
occur in February 2010.
Geography staff in the Census Bureau’s Regional Census Centers (RCCs) will
notify each participant when their area is ready for verification by sending the
participant an e-mail.
The Census Bureau requests that participants complete verification for their
delineation area within 30 calendar days of receiving the notification e-mail from
the RCC. This is to ensure that the Census Bureau has time to make the
requested corrections to our database prior to the creation of final tabulation
geography. The verification schedule is so tight because the subsequent creation
of tabulation geography must undergo an extensive quality check and meet a
legally mandated schedule.

2. Verification Procedures
2.1 Before You Begin
The primary purpose of verification is to check whether the changes which you
have already submitted to the Census Bureau have made it into the Census
Bureau’s geographic database. Verification will consist primarily of comparing
Census-provided verification files to the files which you actually submitted during
the earlier stage of the PSAP. The participant will access the verification files
either through the provided Web Viewer tool (described in Section 4) or by
directly downloading the data as ESRI shapefiles (described in Section 5). The
basic guidelines to be followed remain the same regardless of which of the two
verification methods is used. Participants will review the files and report any
problems that they see back to the Census Bureau, which will then, after
reviewing the case, make any needed corrections to the area. The verification
process is designed to be flexible and the participant should never hesitate to
contact their RCC if they have any questions during verification (RCC contact
information is provided in Appendix A).
The verification stage is meant to be a final review of the submission and
insertion of PSAP changes. It is not meant to be an extension of the earlier
delineation stage. Thus the Census Bureau will generally not accept new
changes to PSAP entity boundaries or attributes during the verification stage.
You should limit your review to a comparison between your original submitted

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files and the verification review files and only report cases where the two files do
not match (exceptions described in scenarios below). In most cases, verification
should be a quick and straightforward process. It is likely that the majority of
participants will not find any problems to report at all. However, it is still important
that you thoroughly review the boundaries and attributes of all PSAP entities
because this process represents your last chance to point out any errors to the
Census Bureau before the 2010 Census data is tabulated for these entities.
The sections below will go over the verification process for each type of change
in detail. Before starting the review of specific files, however, you should be
aware of the following general scenarios which you are likely to repeatedly
encounter during the verification process. These are common situations that may
initially appear to be errors needing correction but are most often not problems at
all. While keeping these scenarios in mind, do not hesitate to contact your RCC if
you are unsure of whether any particular case requires correction.
SCENARIO A: Spatial Shifts in the Underlying Data
When you first compare the verification files to your original submissions, you
may see areas where the entity boundaries in the two files are in slightly different
spatial locations. While this situation sometimes can indicate a true error, it is
more often the case that slight spatial differences are merely due to minor shifts
in the spatial location of the underlying linear features (such as roads or streams)
being used for the boundary. The single most important thing to keep in mind
when reviewing boundaries during verification is that there have been numerous
changes to these underlying features since the delineation phase of PSAP
began. The MTDB is constantly being updated to improve its spatial accuracy
and small spatial shifts are frequent. When such a shift to a linear feature occurs,
the Census Bureau will generally also move the boundaries associated with the
feature to the new location of the feature. While the location of the PSAP entity
boundary in the verification file may appear incorrect in relation to the original
submitted file, as long as the PSAP entity boundary actually continues to
follow the intended feature (road, stream, county boundary, etc.) this
should not be considered an error at all. This scenario is fairly common and
you should expect to encounter it frequently.

SCENARIO B: Post-Submission Criteria-Based Modifications
While in most cases, the Census Bureau accepted the original submitted
participant plans for Census Tracts, Block Groups, CCDs, and CDPs, in certain
cases modifications had to be made in order to meet the mandated criteria for
these entities. Certain entities may not, for example, have met the minimum
housing unit criteria in the original submission. In many areas the delineation
process entailed significant discussion and negotiation between the Census
Bureau and participants after the original submission was made. Because these

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changes were made after submission, they may not be reflected in the original
submitted files which you are comparing to the verification files and during
verification may falsely appear to be errors. If you have any questions about
whether a criteria-based modification was made to any PSAP entity, please
contact your RCC. They will research the changes and determine whether the
difference was intentional or not.
SCENARIO C: Added Features in File
You may notice that the verification files contain additional features (especially
roads) that were not present in the files used during the delineation stage. This is
expected and should not cause alarm. Many new roads were added to the MTDB
during the recent 2010 Census Address Canvassing project, updates from which
are present in the verification files but which were not present in the files used for
the delineation stage.

2.2 Verifying Linear Changes
During the delineation stage, many participants submitted linear changes, most
commonly adding linear features to serve as PSAP entity boundaries. It is
generally advisable to verify these line changes before moving onto a review of
the entities themselves. Verifying line changes is the most straightforward part of
the verification process.
Note that some participants did not submit any line changes. If this is the case,
you may skip this section.
Either using the Web Viewer (see Section 4) or the downloadable shapefiles (see
Section 5) display your original submitted linear changes as well as the
verification file lines. Using the tools provided in the Web Viewer or your own GIS
software, verify that each of your submitted line adds are also present in the
verification file.
The verification file for lines will be named as follows, depending on your method
of access:
Layer Name In Web “All lines”
Viewer
Shapefile Name
PVS_2009_v3_edges_.shp
( will be your
state/county code)
If you are using the Web Viewer, your original submitted changes will also
appear among the layers, named as “All lines-P”. The “P” stands for
“participant”.

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Please note that the Census Bureau may have intentionally rejected or
modified some of your line adds, especially where your lines duplicate or
closely follow already existing features in the MTDB. If you have any
question about why a particular line was not added, please contact your
RCC.
If no problems are found with lines or if you had no line changes to review, mark
“No Changes” in the “Line” area of the submission form and move on to review
the entity boundaries.
If problems are found, report them to your RCC. Minor problems can be reported
simply by taking a screenshot of the area of the missing or incorrect line and emailing it to the RCC along with a short description of the problem. For more
complicated cases, you may have to modify the linear verification shapefile using
the MTPS and return it to the RCC. See Section 3 for more details on how to
report problems to the RCC.

2.3 Verifying Census Tract Changes
During the delineation stage, some participants made changes to the boundaries
and/or attributes of their Census Tracts. During verification, you will compare
your submitted changes to the verification file to ensure that your changes have
been made to the MTDB.
Note that some participants did not submit any Census Tract changes. If this is
the case, you may skip this section.
Also note that the Census Bureau may have intentionally rejected or
modified some of your Census Tract changes if they resulted in tracts
which did not meet PSAP program criteria. If you have any questions,
please contact your RCC.

Either using the Web Viewer (see Section 4) or the downloadable shapefiles (see
Section 5) display your original submitted tract changes as well as the tract
verification file. Using the tools provided in the Web Viewer or your own GIS
software, verify that each of your submitted tract changes is reflected in the
verification file.
The verification file for tracts will be named as follows, depending on your
method of access:
Layer Name In Web Census Tract
Viewer
Shapefile Name
PVS_2009_v3_tract_.shp
( will be your

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state/county code)
If you are using the Web Viewer, your original submitted changes will also
appear among the layers, named as “Census Tract-P”. The quickest way to
make the tract comparison is to use the “Census Tract Changes” view function in
the Web Viewer (See Section 4, page 24)
Common Tract Problems You May See During Verification
Note that these problems may occur alone or in combination with each other.
1) Attribute Problems. You may have submitted a tract code or other
attribute (i.e. non-spatial) change that is not reflected in the verification file.
2) Minor Spatial Problems. You may have submitted a small boundary
correction that is not reflected in the verification file. Remember to always
keep in mind “Scenario A” described on page 6 when you examine minor
spatial differences.
3) Major Spatial Problems. You may have made a major spatial change (for
example, split an existing tract into two suffixed tracts) that is not reflected
in the verification file.
If no problems are found with tracts or if you had no tract changes to review,
mark “No Changes” in the “Tract” area of the submission form and move on to
review the other entity boundaries.
If problems are found, report them to your RCC. Any problems that solely relate
to tract attributes (tract code, etc.) can be communicated to the RCC by phone or
e-mail. Small spatial problems can be reported simply by taking a screenshot of
the area and e-mailing it to the RCC along with a short description of the
problem. For more major spatial problems you may have to modify the tract
verification shapefile and return the modified shapefile to the RCC. See Section 3
for more details on how to modify the shapefile and report problems to the RCC.

2.4 Verifying Block Group Changes
During the delineation stage, most participants made changes to the boundaries
and/or attributes of their Block Groups. During verification, you will compare your
submitted changes to the verification file to ensure that your block group changes
have been made to the MTDB.
Note that some participants did not submit any block group changes. If this is the
case, you may skip this section.

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Also note that the Census Bureau may have intentionally rejected or
modified some of your block group changes if they resulted in block
groups which did not meet PSAP program criteria. If you have any
questions, please contact your RCC.
Either using the Web Viewer (see Section 4) or the downloadable shapefiles (see
Section 5) display your original submitted block group changes as well as the
block group verification file. Using the tools provided in the Web Viewer or your
own GIS software, verify that each of your submitted block group changes is
reflected in the verification file.
The verification file for block groups will be named as follows, depending on your
method of access:
Layer Name In Web Census Block Group
Viewer
Shapefile Name
PVS_2009_v3_blkgrp_.shp
( will be your
state/county code)
If you are using the Web Viewer, your original submitted changes will also
appear among the layers, named as “Census Block Group-P”. The quickest
way to make the block group comparison is to use the “Census Block Group
Changes” view function in the Web Viewer (See Section 4, page 24)
Common Block Group Problems You May See During Verification
Note that these problems may occur alone or in combination with each other.
1) Attribute Problems. You may have submitted a block group code change
that is not reflected in the verification file. Note, however, that the Census
Bureau has recoded block groups to be sequential within Census Tract.
For this reason, you should not expect the block group numbers in the
original submission to always match the block group numbers in the
verification file. For example, you may encounter a case where the block
group “1” in your submission has been recoded as block group “2” in the
verification file, while the block group which was “2” in your submission
has now been recoded as “1”. As long as there are no block group
numbering gaps within the tract, this kind of code-swapping is not a
problem and should not be reported to the RCC. Further information
on the Census Bureau guidelines regarding block group numbering can be
found on page 44 of the PSAP Guidelines For All Participants which can
be found at the following location:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psap2010_main.html

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2) Minor Spatial Problems. You may have submitted a small boundary
change that is not reflected in the verification file. Remember, however, to
always keep in mind “Scenario A” described on page 6 when you examine
minor spatial differences.
3) Major Spatial Problems. You may have made a major spatial change (for
example, split an existing block group into two block groups or merged two
block groups into one) which is not reflected in the verification file.
If no problems are found with block groups, mark “No Changes” in the “Block
Group” area of the submission form and move on to review the other entity
boundaries. If problems are found, report them to your RCC. Any problems that
solely relate to block group attributes (block group code, etc.) can be
communicated to the RCC by phone or e-mail. Small spatial problems can be
reported simply by taking a screenshot of the area and e-mailing it to the RCC
along with a short description of the problem. For some major spatial problems
you may have to modify the block group verification shapefile using the MTPS
and return the modified shapefile to the RCC. See Section 3 for more details on
how to modify the shapefile and report problems to the RCC.

2.5 Verifying CCD Changes
During the delineation stage, some participants made changes to the boundaries
and/or attributes of their CCDs. During verification, you will compare your
submitted changes to the verification file to ensure that your CCD changes have
been made to the MTDB.
Note that many participants did not submit any CCD changes. If this is the case,
you may skip this section.
Also note that the Census Bureau may have intentionally rejected or
modified some of your CCD changes if they resulted in CCDs which did not
meet PSAP program criteria. If you have any questions, please contact
your RCC.
Either using the Web Viewer (see Section 4) or the downloadable shapefiles (see
Section 5) display your original submitted CCD changes as well as the CCD
verification file. Using the tools provided in the Web Viewer or your own GIS
software, verify that each of your submitted CCD changes is reflected in the
verification file.
The verification file for CCDs will be named as follows, depending on your
method of access:

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Layer Name In Web CCD
Viewer
Shapefile Name
PVS_2009_v3_cousub_.shp
( will be your
state/county code)
If you are using the Web Viewer, your original submitted changes will also
appear among the layers, named as “CCD-P”. The quickest way to make the
CCD comparison is to use the “Census CCD Changes” view function in the Web
Viewer (See Section 4, page 24)
Common CCD Problems You May See During Verification
Note that these situations may occur alone or in combination with each other.
1) Attribute Problems. You may have submitted a CCD code or name
change that is not reflected in the verification file.
2) Minor Spatial Problems. You may have submitted a small boundary
change that is not reflected in the verification file. Remember, however, to
always keep in mind “Scenario A” described on page 6 when you examine
minor spatial differences.
3) Major Spatial Problems. (This is extremely rare for CCDs) You may have
made a major spatial change to a CCD boundary that is not reflected in
the verification file.
If no problems are found with CCDs or if you have no CCD changes, mark “No
Changes” in the “CCD” area of the submission form and move on to review the
other entity boundaries. If problems are found, report them to your RCC. Any
problems that solely relate to CCD attributes (code, name, etc.) can be
communicated to the RCC by phone or e-mail. Small spatial problems can be
reported simply by taking a screenshot of the area and e-mailing it to the RCC
along with a short description of the problem. For major spatial problems you
may have to modify the CCD verification shapefile using the MTPS and return
the modified shapefile to the RCC. See Section 3 for more details on how to
modify the shapefile and report problems to the RCC.

2.6 Verifying CDP Changes
During the delineation stage, some participants made changes to the boundaries
and/or attributes of their CDPs. During verification, you will compare your
submitted changes to the verification file to ensure that your CDP changes have
been made to the MTDB.

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Note that many participants did not submit any CDP changes. If this is the case,
you may skip this section.
Note that the Census Bureau may have intentionally rejected or modified
some of your CDP changes if they resulted in CDPs which did not meet
PSAP program criteria.
Either using the Web Viewer (see Section 4) or the downloadable shapefiles (see
Section 5) display your original submitted CDP changes as well as the CDP
verification file. Using the tools provided in the Web Viewer or your own GIS
software, verify that each of your submitted CDP changes is reflected in the
verification file.
The verification file for CDPs will be named as follows, depending on your
method of access:
Layer Name In Web CDP
Viewer
Shapefile Name
PVS_2009_v3_cdp_.shp
( will be your
state/county code)
If you are using the Web Viewer, your original submitted changes will also
appear among the layers, named as “CDP-P”. The quickest way to make the
CDP comparison is to use the “Census CDP Changes” view function in the Web
Viewer (See Section 4, page 24)
Common CDP Problems You May See During Verification
Note that these situations may occur alone or in combination with each other.
1) Attribute Problems. You may have submitted a CDP code or name
change that is not reflected in the verification file. Note, however, that the
Census Bureau may have intentionally modified the name to meet CDP
program criteria. For example, while reviewing participant submissions,
the Census Bureau removed hyphens from most CDP names.
2) Minor Spatial Problems. You may have submitted a small boundary
change that is not reflected in the verification file. Remember, however, to
always keep in mind “Scenario A” described on page 6 when you examine
minor spatial differences. Note also that the Census Bureau in some
cases did make boundary revisions to ensure that CDPs did not overlap
with each other or with legal incorporated places.
3) Major Spatial Problems. You may have made a major spatial change to
a CDP boundary that is not reflected in the verification file.

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If no problems are found with CDPs or if you have no CDP changes, mark “No
Changes” in the “CDP” area of the submission form. If problems are found, report
them to your RCC. Any problems that solely relate to CDP attributes (code,
name, etc.) can be communicated to the RCC by phone or e-mail. Small spatial
problems can be reported simply by taking a screenshot of the area and emailing it to the RCC along with a short description of the problem. For major
spatial problems you may have to modify the CCD verification shapefile using the
MTPS and return the modified shapefile to the RCC. See Section 3 for more
details on how to modify the shapefile and report problems to the RCC.

3. Submitting Verification Corrections to the U.S. Census Bureau
No Changes
If you review all the entities and have no corrections to report, either return the
submission form by mail or fax to your RCC with all of the entities marked “No
Changes” or call/e-mail the RCC to inform them that you have completed
verification and have found no problems.
Types of Changes
If you do find problems, you need to report them to the RCC. The method of
reporting differs, however, according to the nature of the problem. The table
below shows how to report each type of error. Note that if there are ANY major
spatial problems within your county, you should include ALL corrections for the
county (including corrections for attribute and minor spatial problems) in the
verification shapefile so that the RCC can make all the corrections at once.
NOTE: The definition of what is a “minor” and what is a “major” spatial problem is
admittedly somewhat subjective, but generally speaking these are cases where
the area of needed change is both small and easily identifiable in a simple
screenshot and/or written description.
Error Type
Attribute Problem
(Name, Code,
etc.)
Minor Spatial
Problem

Reporting Method
Simply e-mail or call the RCC. Fully identify the entities with
the incorrect codes/names and provide the correct
codes/names for the entities.
If you are using the Web Viewer, zoom to the area in
question and use the Web Viewer “E-Mail Map” tool (see
page 27) to e-mail a map of the area to the RCC. If you are
not using the Web Viewer tool, create a screenshot of the
area in question and e-mail it. In either case, also provide a
brief description of the needed corrections in the e-mail.

Major Spatial

If there are major spatial problems, you may have to modify

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Problem

the verification shapefile using the MTPS software and
return it to the RCC. Instructions for how to do this are
provided below. Before submitting a shapefile, however,
always check with the RCC first to see if it is necessary or if
the change can be described by an e-mail and/or
screenshot.

Reporting Attribute Problems via e-mail: Example


In this example, you have identified an attribute problem in the verification
file using the Web Viewer. In your original submission, you had submitted
a new CDP with the name of “Yankleysville”. However, in the verification
file the CDP name has been misspelled as “Yankeysville”.



In this case, assume that this misspelling happens to be the only problem
found in the county.



Since this is a simple attribute problem, all you have to do is e-mail the
RCC a written description of the correction to be made. If you wanted, you
could also e-mail a screenshot, but this is not strictly necessary for
attribute problems.



Make sure to always include the full identifying information for entities.
You will want to fully identify the entity by code and location to ensure
there is no ambiguity. For example:
“The name of Yankleysville CDP (CDP FIPS code 456738 located in Hale
County) is misspelled in the verification file. Please correct the CDP name
from “Yankeysville” to the correct spelling of “Yankleysville””

Reporting Minor Spatial Problems via e-mail: Example


In this example, you have identified a minor spatial problem in the
verification file using the Web Viewer. In your original submission, the
boundary between block group 1 and block group 2 ran along Maureen
Stream for its entire length. You notice that in the verification file there is
one small area where the boundary does not follow the stream. This small
area needs to be moved from block group 1 to block group 2.



The change that needs to be made can be easily described and captured
in a screenshot, so it is not necessary to go through the trouble of
modifying and resubmitting the verification shapefile.

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

In the Web Viewer, zoom in close to the area in question. Make sure you
remain zoomed far enough out, however, that you can see the geographic
context of the area.



Use the Web Viewer “E-Mail Map” function to send a screenshot of the
area to the RCC.



Make sure to also include a description of the necessary change. In this
case, this is easy. Again, give as much identifying information as possible
in the e-mail:
“Please correct the boundary between BG 1 and BG 2 (in tract 450000,
Johnson County) to match the original submission by moving the specified
area from BG 1 to BG 2.”



NOTE: If the change you are requesting cannot easily be described in a
short e-mail of a sentence or two or with a phone call, you should probably
consider it to be a “major problem” requiring correction/resubmission of
the shapefile.

Correcting Major Spatial Problems in the MTPS: Example


In this example, you have identified a major spatial problem in the
verification file using the Web Viewer. In your original submission, you had
requested that tract 540200 be split into two tracts: 540201 and 540202.
You notice that the verification file does not reflect the requested split.



First discuss the case with the RCC to determine if this was an intentional
omission made in order to meet PSAP criteria and guidelines.



If the omission was not intentional, discuss with the RCC how best to
handle correcting the case. Even many “large” spatial changes may be
easily describable in an e-mail and thus not require re-submission of a
shapefile.



For purposes of this example, assume that after discussing with the RCC,
you have determined that this tract split is too large and complex a
correction to be handled via e-mail. This change will require correcting and
resubmitting the verification file.



First you will need to download the verification shapefiles from the Census
site. Instructions for downloading the verification shapefiles are found in
Section 5 of this document.

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

Open up the MTPS software (the same software you used for the
delineation stage). If you no longer have the software installed on your
computer, see Section 5.



Set up your MTPS data (See Section 5)



Choose your county.



Choose the entity type you wish to edit (in this case, tracts)



Start editing the file in the MTPS, splitting tract 540200 in order to create
the tracts 540201 and 540202. The editing process itself is identical to
what you did during the delineation stage. The MTPS editing tools will not
be described in detail here as they already have been described in the
guidelines for the delineation phase (the document Census 2010
Participant Statistical Areas Program Guidelines for all Participants), which
can be found at the following location:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psap2010_main.html



Note that if you had any additional changes in this county (whether major,
minor, or even attribute), you should make them at this time as well. To
reduce the risk that a correction is overlooked, all of the county’s
verification changes should be included in a single submission.



Once you have completed making all your edits to the verification file, it is
critical that you run all the MTPS data validations, just as you did during
the delineation phase.

When you have completed the data validations, you will transfer the file using the
Census Bureau’s Public Send a File Utility. Follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the Census Bureau’s Send a File Utility:
https://secure.census.gov/cgi-bin/sendfile
2. See the verification email for the username and password:
3. Under Source Information (Local), click on the Browse button to navigate
to the PSAP_ssccc_Return.zip file to send. Select the file from the
Choose file window by clicking on it. Click Open. The File to Send field
now contains the file name.
NOTE: Only one file can be sent at a time.

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4.

In the Target Information (Remote Directory) section, select the
appropriate RCC from the pull down menu.

5.

Do not make an entry for New File Name.

6.

Under Notify by E-mail, type the participant e-mail address in the Sender’s
Email Address field. In the Census Bureau Employee’s E-Mail Address
field, enter the appropriate RCC email address.

7.

After filling in all the fields correctly, click on Upload. If an error occurs,
Clear and repeat the steps.
NOTE: If a file must be resubmitted for any reason, rename the file. If not,
the utility produces an error message. Please retain the default
naming convention of PSAP_ssccc_Return when renaming it.
For example:



PSAP_42027_Return_revised.zip
PSAP_42027_Return_2.zip.

4. Using the Web Viewer
For most participants, the Web Viewer will be the primary tool used during the
verification stage. It was developed by the same company that developed the
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) which you have already used in the
delineation stage of the project. The Web Viewer is a website which allows you to
view all the Census Bureau verification review files, as well as all your original
requested changes. The Web Viewer also allows participants to upload their own
shapefiles to further assist in comparison.
The Web Viewer does not allow any changes to be made to the files. The tool is
designed only to allow participants to identify any potential problems; corrections
must be made via other methods. Section 3 describes what to do when you find
problems that you believe need to be corrected by the Census Bureau.

4.1 Accessing the Web Viewer


To access the Web Viewer, open a standard web-browser (Internet
Explorer works the best) and go to the following site:
http://ecots1.geo.census.gov/mtpsmaps/index.php



You should see the screen below:

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

In the left hand box (“Log in as:”) choose “PSAP Program Participant”:



Fill in the three right-hand boxes with your Participant ID, User Name, and
Password.
Your Participant ID is unique for each participant and should appear in the
e-mail you received at the start of verification.
For User Name, type in a lower-case psap as shown below.
For Password, type in pwpsap (all lower case)
Then click on the “Log In” button.






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

You should see the screen below:



You may choose either the “Entity Name” or “Core County” from the
second drop-down.
If you choose “Core County”, you must type in the five-digit FIPS code of
the county you want to review.
If you choose “Entity Name”, you must type in the full name of the county
you want to review.
You may also click on the “List All Maps” link to display all the maps for
your area.





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

A list of maps will appear as below:



Generally, you will want to select the map that solely contains the data for
your county. In this case, our example is Madison County, Iowa.



Left-click on the magnifying glass



The map will open up:

2010 PSAP Verification Guidelines

to bring up the map.

21



Note that not every geographic entity will immediately appear when you
first open the map. You may need to zoom in further in order to see
certain entities.

4.2 Viewing the Legend
The legend does not immediately appear on the screen. One of the first things
you want to do is to display the legend.


Click on the “Legend” tab in the upper-right hand corner of the screen:



The Legend will appear on the screen:

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Note: the legend will only contain features that are visible at the current scale.
Some features are scale dependent and therefore you may have to zoom in
further to view them. See the next section for more information on turning
layers on and off and modifying the scale at which they can be viewed.

4.3 Modifying the Layer Display
The Web Viewer allows you to change the layers that appear on the screen,
select pre-determined views, and add your own files to the display. In order to
access all these options, you must first click on the “Layers” tab on the top right
hand side of the screen:



The layers window will appear:

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Showing/Hiding Layers
 Notice that certain layers are checked (visible) by default, while other
layers are unchecked (hidden).
 To make a layer visible or hidden, simply check or uncheck the box under
“Show Layer” for that layer.
 Important: After you have made all your changes, make sure to click the
Redraw Map button. Until you click Redraw Map, your changes will not be
applied.
Showing/Hiding Labels
 You may also want to check or uncheck the “Show Label” boxes,
depending on whether you also want the label for a feature to appear on
the screen.

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

Important: After you have made all your changes, make sure to click the
Redraw Map button. Until you click Redraw Map, your changes will not be
applied.

Using Pre-determined Views


Oftentimes, the participant only needs to view the final boundaries and the
original submitted changes to see if the Census has made the changes
correctly. The Web Viewer allows you to quickly view only the final
boundary and the changes for each PSAP entity by selecting a pre-set
view.



REMINDER: During the Census Bureau’s review of your original
submission, changes may have been made to entities based on
PSAP criteria. These changes should have been discussed with you.
In these instances, the original submission may not match the
verification file.



Click on the Views dropdown to see all the possible options:



For example, if you select “Census Tract Changes” (do not forget to
click Redraw Map), all layers will disappear from the display other than
the final Census Tract boundaries and your original submitted Tract
changes:

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

Note that for PSAP, you have the option of choosing four views:
1) Census Tract Changes
2) Census Block Group Changes
3) Census CDP Changes
4) Census CCD Changes



In every case, when the view is selected, two layers will appear on the
map, as shown above.
The plain, unsuffixed layer (e.g. the “Census Tract” layer above) will
show the final boundaries in the Census database.
The layer with the –P suffix (e.g. the “Census Tract—P” layer above)
will show your original submitted changes.




Adding Your Own Shapefile(s) to the Map



The Web Viewer allows you to upload your own shapefile(s) and
display them on the screen as a layer.
Participants may also want to compare the final file to one or more of
their own shapefiles to help determine if their changes were correctly
made. On the bottom of the screen, click on the “Upload Layer” link:

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

The window below will appear:



You can click on the “Browse” button to navigate to wherever you have
your shapefile(s) stored.
Note that in order for the Web Viewer to upload shapefiles, they must
first be stored in a zip file.
Your zip file must contain at least three files (.shp, .shx, and .dbf) in
order for upload to proceed.
In the Layer Name in the Map box, type in whatever name you want
to appear in the legend for this layer when it appears on the map.
Your shapefile should now appear in the map display and should be
listed as a layer in the layer view.






4.4 General Web Viewer Tools

Zoom to whole county

Click this icon to zoom out to the entire
county

Choose a previous zoom to
display

Use this tool to choose one of the last 5
map displays and zoom to it.

Zoom in

Click or draw a rectangle to zoom into an
area

Zoom out

Click or draw a rectangle to zoom out of an
area

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Drag

Get info

Click and drag the map to re-adjust the
center

Click a feature to get information on it.

Measure a distance

Use this tool to draw a line between
features and click to display the distance.
Draw a polygon to display area.

Print map

Print the current map view

Email map

Email the current map view. You can use
this function to report minor problems to
the RCC

4.5.1 Zoom to Previous Extent


When you click this tool, you will be able to choose a previous map extent.
Click on the map you wish to display.

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4.5.2 Measurement Tool


This tool can be used to measure distance or area



In order to measure distance, draw a line between two features. To draw a
line click on the starting point of the line and then click on the end point.
You do not need to double click.



After you click the end of the line, the line will disappear. The distance will
appear in the upper right corner of the screen.



To measure an area, draw a polygon, clicking on each shape point.
Double click to close the polygon.



The area and length of the perimeter is displayed in the upper right corner
of the screen. Again, the lines used to create the polygon will disappear.

4.5 Selection Tab
The selection tab is used with the get info tool
. Users should use the
selection tab to choose an “active” selection layer so that they may get
information about the features in that layer. The get info tool will only get
information about features that are in the current layer in the selection tab.

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

Once the selection tab is active, the user must select the layer from which
they want information.



Note: In order for a map layer to show when the selection tab is active, the
layer must be turned on in the layers tab. For example, in order to select a
Block Group, the Census Block Group layer must be turned on. To turn on
a layer (and make it available to get information) click the layers tab and
then click “Show Layer” and “Show Labels” for that layer.



Select the appropriate layer for the feature. In this case, let’s assume you
want to examine one of your submitted changes for Block Groups. You will
select the “Census Block Group—P” layer:



Once you have selected the correct layer, you may now use the info tool
and left-click on the map to get the information for a specific change.
The attributes will appear on the right side of the screen:

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4.6 Dataview Tab
The Dataview tab is useful for zooming into a specific entity or seeing a complete
list of a certain feature or entity type.


Click on the Dataview tab in the top right hand side of the screen.



Select the Dataview Layer. For example, pick Census Tract if you want to
see a list of all the Census Tracts in the county.

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

All of the tracts will appear and you can zoom to a specific one by clicking
on the magnifying glass icon.



You can also search entities by specific attributes. For example, if you
were looking specifically for a tract with a TRACTCE code of 060100, but
did not want to scroll through the entire list, you could choose TRACTCE
from the Column drag-down and then type in ‘060100’ in the box to the
right:



Now only the one specified tract (060100) will show up in the list:

4.7 Changes Tab
The changes tab allows the user to view changes by layer (Block Group, Tract,
etc.) The user can zoom to each change to verify that the Census Bureau’s
MAF/TIGER database incorporated the submitted changes correctly. This will
likely be one of the most useful tools in the Web Viewer for PSAP Verification as
it is the quickest way to systematically check that all changes have been correctly
made.



Click on the Changes Tab.
The List Changes for Layer box will immediately pop up:



Choose a layer (note that all of the layers in the list will have a “P” suffix,
indicating that they are change layers)
All the submitted changes for that feature (tract, BG, etc.) will appear on
the right hand side of the screen and you can now zoom to each one by
one to check that each change has been correctly made:



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5. Downloading Verification Shapefiles
In addition to the Web Viewer, the Census Bureau will also provide shapefiles
which represent the PSAP entities after we have made all the participant’s
requested changes to the MTDB.
The Web Viewer only allows participants to view the changes submitted during
the annotation phase of the project. If extensive updates to the entities are
necessary, you must download these shapefiles from our partnership shapefile
download site. You will then modify the shapefiles using the regular MTPS
module and return them to us.
If only small boundary corrections or a few code changes are needed, you do not
need to return a shapefile to us. In that case, feel free to contact us directly and
we’ll zoom to the same area in the Web Viewer, see the update(s) that we may
have missed, and make the needed corrections. If you are unsure whether or not
you need to return a corrected shapefile, just contact your RCC and they will let
you know how to proceed.
To download, modify, and re-submit the shapefiles, follow the steps below:
Before downloading shapefiles, make sure you have the MTPS software installed
on your computer.


If you are using the MTPS already installed on your computer:
o You must ensure that you have a folder on your C: drive named
MTPSData. Check to see if you have such a folder on your C:
drive.
o If you do not have such a folder, create one. Make sure it is named
exactly as MTPSData (this is case-sensitive).
o If you do already have a folder named MTPSData on your C: drive,
open it.
o If you notice any files already existing in the folder save them
elsewhere (if they are still needed) and remove them from the
folder.



If you no longer have the MTPS installed, follow this link

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psap2010_main.html
and follow the installation instructions (when the software initially asks you for
the “data discs”, select “Skip” and continue the setup process).

2010 PSAP Verification Guidelines

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

Once you have verified that MTPS is installed on your computer, use any
standard web-browser to go to the Participant Verification Shapefile
Download Page at

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/pvs/PVS_main.html



Several programs will be listed. Choose PSAP.



This will take you to the page below:

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34



Select your state and county from the dropdowns.



Although you have the option of choosing various layers by checking on
individual layers, as PSAP participants you will always check the “All
available data” option.



Click Submit.



Choose the MTPSData folder on your C: drive as the destination folder for
the shapefiles.



Add the file named SetupFile_PSAP.xml to the the MTPSData folder.
This file is available from the data discs you received during the
delineation portion of the program. If you no longer have this disc, please
contact geo.psap.list@census.gov for a replacement.



Add the file named MTPS1.txt to the MTPSData folder. This file is
available on the same data discs mentioned above.



Then open MTPS and proceed to edit the files as needed, using the same
basic procedures used during the delineation stage.

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Appendix A. Regional Census Center Contact Information
Atlanta RCC: Geography
285 Peachtree Center Avenue NE
Marquis II Tower, Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30303-1230
Phone: (404) 332-2711
Fax: (404) 332-2787
E-mail: atlanta.geography@census.gov

Detroit RCC: Geography
300 River Place Drive, Suite 2950
Detroit, MI 48207
Phone: (313) 396-5002
Fax: (313) 567-2119
E-mail: detroit.geography@census.gov

Boston RCC: Geography
One Beacon Street, 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02108-3107
Phone: (617) 223-3600
Fax: (617) 223-3675
E-mail: boston.geography@census.gov

Kansas City RCC: Geography
2001 NE 46th Street, Suite LL100
Kansas City, MO 64116-2051
Phone: (816) 994-2020
Fax: (816) 994-2033
E-mail:
kansas.city.geography@census.gov

Charlotte RCC: Geography
3701 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 250
Charlotte, NC 28273
Phone: (704) 936-4200
Fax: (704) 936-4225
E-mail:
charlotte.rcc.geography@census.gov

Los Angeles RCC: Geography
9301 Corbin Avenue, Suite 1000
Northridge, CA 91324-2406
Phone: (818) 717-6701
Fax: (818) 717-6778
E-mail:
los.angeles.geography@census.gov

Chicago RCC: Geography
500 West Madison Street, Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60661-4555
Phone: (312) 454-2705
Fax: (312) 488-1510
E-mail: chicago.geography@census.gov

New York RCC: Geography
330 West 34th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10001-2406
Phone: (212) 971-8800
Fax: (212) 971-8990
E-mail:
new.york.rcc.geography@census.gov

Dallas RCC: Geography
2777 N Stemmons Freeway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75207
Phone: (214) 267-6920
Fax: (214) 267-6970
E-mail: dallas.geography@census.gov

Philadelphia RCC: Geography
1234 Market Street, Suite 340
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3780
Phone: (215) 717-1000
Fax: (215) 253-8001
E-mail:
philadelphia.geography@census.gov

Denver RCC: Geography
6950 W Jefferson Avenue, Suite 250
Lakewood, CO 80235-2032
Phone: (720) 475-3600
Fax: (720) 962-4606
E-mail:
denver.rcc.geography@census.gov

Seattle RCC: Geography
19820 North Creek Parkway N, Suite
100
Bothell, WA 98011
Phone: (425) 908-3010
Fax: (425) 908-3020
E-mail: seattle.geography@census.gov

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Appendix 2. Disclosures to Respondents
The Geography Division manages programs to continuously update features,
boundaries, addresses, and geographic entities in the Master Address File /
Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System
(MAF/TIGER) database that is used to support programs and to conduct the
census and surveys. The PSAP program was developed to give local participants
the opportunity to review and update, if necessary, statistical entities for use in
tabulating and publishing data from the 2010 Census, the American Community
Survey, and other surveys.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average
24 hours per respondent, including time for reviewing instructions, assembling
materials, organizing and reviewing the information, and reporting any needed
changes. We anticipate that an estimated 1400 participants will respond.
Remaining entities may be worked by Census Bureau regional staff. For larger
areas or areas with many changes, however, the respondent burden may be 90
hours or longer to complete. Please send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden to:
Paperwork Project
0607-0795
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Room 3K138
Washington, D.C. 20233
You may e-mail comments to Paperwork@census.gov. Use “Paperwork Project
0607-0795” as the subject.
Responses to this survey are voluntary. The authority for conducting these
activities is covered under the legal authority of Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 141 and
193.
No agency may conduct and no person may be required to respond to a
collection of information unless it displays a valid Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) approval number. The OMB approval number for this information
collection is 0607-0795.

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