FACT SHEET Geographic Support System (GSS) Initiative Summary * The GSS Initiative is an integrated program of improved address coverage, continual spatial feature updates, and enhanced quality assessment and measurement o All activities contribute to Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geocoding and Referencing System (TIGER) database improvement o Builds on the accomplishments of the last decade’s MAF/TIGER Enhancement Program (the MTEP) which redesigned the MAF/TIGER database(s), improved the positional accuracy of TIGER spatial features, and emphasized quality measurement * Supports a targeted, rather than complete, Address Canvassing operation during 2019 in preparation for the 2020 decennial census o Establishing an acceptable address list for each level of government is pivotal (the definition of “acceptable” will be a partnership collaboration between government partners and the Census Bureau) o Progress and performance are reviewed on a continual basis, ensuring a sufficiently mature state by FY2015 for a key decision on targeted address canvassing * Continual updates throughout the decade support current surveys o Improved address coverage and feature updates for current survey samples (for example, the American Community Survey) throughout the decade, leading to improved data collection and data dissemination programs * Major participants are the US Census Bureau with federal, state, local, and tribal governments, contractor partners, and all users of MAF/TIGER data * The total budget request is $407.1 million for the 10-year program life cycle beginning in FY2011 FY2011 Preparatory Activities (October 2010 – April 2011) * Outside experts delivered five reports identifying the state of the industry and recommending pilot projects highlighting emerging technologies; downloadable from http://www2.census.gov/geo/research/ o The State and Anticipated Future of Addresses and Addressing o Identifying the Current State and Anticipated Future Direction of Potentially Useful Developing Technologies o Measuring Data Quality o Use of Handheld Computers and the Display/Capture of Geospatial Data o Researching Address and Spatial Data Digital Exchange * Ten Working Groups formed Address Coverage and Sources Partnerships Feature Coverage and Sources Policy Geocoding Project and Contract Management Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Quality, Assessments, and Evaluations MAF/TIGER Integration/Linkage Research and Development o The Working Groups are evaluating existing data, determining how partners will contribute data, developing standards that reflect requirements, and exploring emerging technologies (secure web exchange process for address and spatial data, improving ways to ingest partner-supplied address and spatial data, identifying products and services facilitating the exchange of data, investigating imagery use and change detection methods) o Consist of staff from many Census Bureau divisions and other federal agencies (including the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Geodetic Survey) * Began outreach and market research o Communicating and engaging with professional organizations and advisory groups; attending conferences, delivering presentations, participating on panel discussions, and gathering information o Initial market research that includes developing lists of potential vendors/services, pursuing cooperative research and development in areas of common interest using “no cost” contracts, developing a Contract Plan FY2011 Ongoing Activities ($26.3 million) (May 2011 – September 2011) FY2011 is devoted to research and development as the Working Groups investigate and recommend specific courses of action to achieve: Address improvement: explore methodologies to achieve complete coverage and a current address list, concentrating on rural areas, Puerto Rico, and group quarters, and improving geocoding of all addresses to their location * Initiate programs with partners to continuously receive addresses throughout the decade; includes researching tracking, processing and reporting systems to facilitate address receipt and processing * Identify commercial address list sources; conduct quality reviews * Upgrade the Community Address Update System (CAUS) software to facilitate the future expansion of rural address collection and enable hardware for Global Positioning System (GPS) rather than manual collection of housing unit locations Feature improvement: continuous update of the street network and attributes to facilitate improving the successful assignment of addresses to their correct geography * Broaden participation in existing programs for receiving partner Geographic Information System (GIS) files and imagery (both critical as source data); includes expanding functioning management, acquisiton, distribution, and use systems * Research change detection techniques; includes review/analysis of existing commercial software [both street network and address update applicability] Quality improvement: broaden quality assessments and provide quantitative measures * Continue building the inventory of GPS control points to assess the positional accuracy of street locations * Research effective methods for evaluating existing data Partnerships: strengthen existing and develop new partnerships * Research methodologies for working with partners in acquiring their address and spatial data in the most efficient and least intrusive ways FY2012 Plans Research and development continues through FY2012; additionally, implementation begins. Benefits of the Investment * Supports conducting a targeted Address Canvassing operation in 2019 o Provides cost avoidance for the 2020 decennial census * Supports expanded use of MAF/TIGER for the Census Bureau’s statistical programs * Responsive to oversight (e.g. the General Accountability Office (GAO), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and the National Research Council, amongst others, have repeatedly reported on MAF/TIGER shortcomings) * Supports federal agency geospatial data responsibilities * Aligns with our commitment to provide high quality geographic products to the general public. Examples of benefits to data users include: o Relevant and accurate reporting of demographic and economic statistics o A more accurate picture of the United States and its population for decision-makers (at all levels of government) and commercial enterprises o Resources for state and local government planners in their analysis of population growth and change for identifying the need for types of services, new amenities, and schools * Ensures data currency by capturing new street growth and halts the degradation of the existing street network’s positional accuracy and attributes o provides the financial benefit of avoiding a full spatial data accuracy program late in the decade in preparation of the next decennial census * Increases field staff efficiency through the availability of more accurate maps and improved address coverage Version 2011.06.13 GSS Initiative / FACT SHEET / FY2011 and Beyond 1