Block Boundary Suggestion Project - Delineation

Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP)
Participant Guide for User Supplied Geographic
Information System (GIS) Software
Non-GUPS Guide – Instructions for Participating in BBSP with User Supplied GIS Software

Last updated August 2024.

U.S. Census Bureau

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................................
Section 1.

Planned 2030 Census Tabulation Block Boundaries ...........................................

Section 2.

Suggested Workflow ........................................................................................

2.1

Obtaining Census Shapefiles.............................................................................................

2.1.1 Shapefile Projection ....................................................................................................
2.2

Updating Census Bureau Shapefiles .................................................................................

2.3

Linear Feature Review ......................................................................................................

2.3.1 Creating the Update Layer for Linear Features ..........................................................
2.3.2 Required Attributes for Linear Features .....................................................................
2.4

Area Landmark Review .....................................................................................................

2.4.1 Creating the Update Layer for Area Landmarks .........................................................
2.4.2 Required Attributes for Area Landmarks ....................................................................
2.5

Legal Boundary Updates ...................................................................................................

2.5.1 Creating the Update Layer for Legal Boundary Updates ............................................
2.5.2 Required Attributes for Annexations and Deannexations..........................................
2.5.3 Required Attributes for Boundary Corrections...........................................................
2.5.4 Boundary Correction Criteria ......................................................................................
2.6

Linear Feature Extension Review......................................................................................

2.7

Prototype Block Review ....................................................................................................

2.7.1 Block Size Review ........................................................................................................
2.7.2 Block Shape Review ....................................................................................................
2.8

Block Boundary Suggestion Flagging ................................................................................

2.8.1 Block Boundary Criteria ..............................................................................................
2.8.2 Assigning a Must Hold Flag .........................................................................................
2.8.3 Assigning a Do Not Hold Flag ......................................................................................
2.9

Block Area Grouping Delineation .....................................................................................

2.9.1 Creating the Block Area Grouping ..............................................................................
2.9.2 Required Attributes for the Block Area Grouping ......................................................
2.10 Validation Checks ..............................................................................................................
2.11 Submitting Updates to the Census Bureau.......................................................................
Section 3.
U.S. Census Bureau

Creating Data Submissions ...............................................................................
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3.1

Submitting Linear Feature Updates / Block Boundary Suggestions .................................

3.2

Submitting Area Landmark Updates.................................................................................

3.3

Submitting Legal Boundary Updates ................................................................................

3.3.1 Minor Civil Division Change Polygon Shapefile ..........................................................
3.3.2 Incorporated Place Change Polygon Shapefile ...........................................................
3.3.3 Consolidated City Change Polygon Shapefile .............................................................
3.4

Submitting Block Area Grouping Updates ........................................................................

3.5

Creating .ZIP File containing All Change Files ...................................................................

Section 4.

File Submission through the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM) ..................

Appendix A

Street Type Abbreviations ................................................................................

Appendix B

MTFCC Descriptions .........................................................................................

Appendix C

Shapefile Data Dictionary .................................................................................

Appendix D

Acronyms .........................................................................................................

Appendix E

BBSP Participation Support ..............................................................................

U.S. Census Bureau

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: 2030 Census Planned Tabulation Block Boundaries by MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code
(MTFCC) ..............................................................................................................................
Table 2: Partnership Shapefiles for Submissions .............................................................................
Table 3: MTFCCs for Linear Feature Updates ..................................................................................
Table 4: Required Attributes for Linear Feature Updates ...............................................................
Table 5: MTFCCs for Area Landmark Updates .................................................................................
Table 6: Required Attributes for Area Landmark Updates ..............................................................
Table 7: Required Attributes for Annexations and Deannexations .................................................
Table 8: Required Attributes for Boundary Corrections ..................................................................
Table 9: Block Size Indicator Values.................................................................................................
Table 10: Description of Block Boundary Flag Values......................................................................
Table 11: Required Attributes for Block Area Groupings ................................................................
Table 12: Street Type Abbreviations................................................................................................
Table 13: Complete List of MTFCCs .................................................................................................
Table 14: Shapefile Layers, Geographic Levels, and Layer Names ..................................................
Table 15: American Indian Areas – Legal .........................................................................................
Table 16: American Indian / Alaska Native Areas – Statistical ........................................................
Table 17: American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Legal ....................................................................
Table 18: American Indian Tribal Subdivisions – Statistical.............................................................
Table 19: Alaska Native Regional Corporations ...............................................................................
Table 20: Prototype Block Shapefile ................................................................................................
Table 21: Congressional Districts .....................................................................................................
Table 22: Hawaiian Home Lands ......................................................................................................
Table 23: School Districts .................................................................................................................
Table 24: State Legislative Districts (Upper / Senate) .....................................................................
Table 25: State Legislative Districts (Lower / Senate) .....................................................................
Table 26: Urban Growth Areas ........................................................................................................
Table 27: Census Block Groups ........................................................................................................
Table 28: Census Blocks – Current ...................................................................................................
Table 29: Census Blocks – Census 2020 ...........................................................................................
U.S. Census Bureau

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Table 30: Census Tracts ...................................................................................................................
Table 31: Census Designated Places ................................................................................................
Table 32: Consolidated City .............................................................................................................
Table 33: County and Equivalent Areas ...........................................................................................
Table 34: County Subdivisions – Legal (MCD)..................................................................................
Table 35: County Subdivisions – Statistical (CCD)............................................................................
Table 36: Incorporated Place ...........................................................................................................
Table 37: States and Equivalents .....................................................................................................
Table 38: Subarrios ..........................................................................................................................
Table 39: Edges ................................................................................................................................
Table 40: Area Landmark .................................................................................................................
Table 41: Hydrography Area (water) ...............................................................................................
Table 42: Topological Faces – Geographic Entity Relationships ......................................................
Table 43: Topological Faces – Area Landmark Relationships ..........................................................
Table 44: Topological Faces – Hydrography Area (water) Relationships ........................................
Table 45: Linear Feature Names ......................................................................................................
Table 46: Acronyms..........................................................................................................................

U.S. Census Bureau

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Suggested Workflow .........................................................................................................

U.S. Census Bureau

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