OMB Supporting Statement Part B_MAFTIGER__

Department of Commerce

United States Census Bureau

OMB Information Collection Request

MAF TIGER Generic Clearance

OMB Control Number 0607-0809

Part B – Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

The Master Address File (MAF) Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (TIGER) Generic Clearance covers a variety of operations that update the MAF and TIGER in advance of data collection activities. These data collections include the decennial census, the American Community Survey, and a variety of Census Bureau surveys that use the MAF as an address frame. The ongoing field operations to update the address list as part of the Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL) program are detailed in this package.

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

The DAAL operations are conducted on an ongoing basis in potentially any county across the country. Census Bureau field staff canvass selected 2010 Census tabulation blocks in an effort to improve the address list in areas where substantial address changes may have occurred that have not been added to the MTdb through regular update operations, and/or in blocks in the area or group quarters frame sample for the demographic surveys.

The Master Address File Coverage Study (MAFCS) is a new operation conducted as part of DAAL. The MAFCS uses probabilistic sampling methods to select blocks to canvass in the United States (except remote areas of Alaska) and Puerto Rico. Blocks that are known to include public lands, nonresidential military facilities, or only street medians are out of scope for the MAFCS. Blocks are stratified by their measure of size (i.e., the number of units in the block). They are also clustered by block number within stratum to increase the likelihood of selecting blocks that are geographically close in order to optimize field work. Differential sampling rates are assigned to each stratum, and blocks (or block clusters) are systematically selected within the stratum. The sampling rates are designed to optimize the national estimates for the number of added units to the MAF at the national level and some sub-national levels.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

The data collection is a dependent address listing operation. An existing address list is extracted from the MAF, and field staff work from the addresses that exist on the ground to the address list to provide updates to the list. These updates can include updates to an address, such as spelling or number errors, adding an address to the list, marking an address on the list as nonexistent or a duplicate of another addresses on the list, or validating an existing address record and all the data that accompanies it. There is an automated listing instrument for this data collection known as the Listing and Mapping Application (LiMA). The LiMA is a corporate address listing automated instrument.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

Response is sometimes a by-product of this data collection. For housing units, attempt at attaining a response is undertaken only when additional address data is needed. For Group Quarters, some contact information for the facility as well as address and other information about the facility is required. No other personal data is collected, so response is not tracked or related to the quality of the data collected.

4. Tests of Procedures or Methods

There are no tests of procedures or methods. Anything that is being tested is related to the selection of the blocks for inclusion in the field listing activities.

5. Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection

For more information, contact Robin A. Pennington at (301) 763-8132, robin.a.pennington@census.gov.

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