Developer

Description
This API returns the US Census Block geography ID information given a passed Latitude and Longitude.

Latest data version released jun2012. Previous data versions include jun2011, dec2011.

Why We Provide It
We are providing this API to increase the value of the transparency of the National Broadband Map. Just about every major dataset in the US Federal Government uses some form of Census geography. With this API you can retrieve the US Census Block by providing a latitude and longitude coordinate. Providing this search allows developers to build applications which foster connectivity from their individual location to the full array of federal databases based on census geography.

Review Data Dictionary

JSON   XML

API Base
http://www.broadbandmap.gov/broadbandmap/

API Call
{API Base}census/{geographyType}?latitude={latitude}&longitude={longitude}&format={format}&callback={functionName}&showall={showall}

Sample Call
http://www.broadbandmap.gov/broadbandmap/census/block?latitude=42.456&longitude=-74.987&format=json

Required Parameters
geographyType:
specify one of the following geography types: state, county, tract, block, congdistrict, statehouse, statesenate, censusplace, msa

latitude:
latitude of a point. Example: 41.486857

longitude:
longitude of a point. Example: -71.294392

Optional Parameters
format:
XML, JSON, JSONP (XML is default)

callback:
JSONP callback function name

showall:
If the coordinate lies on the boundary of multiple geographies, for a complete list use showall=true to display intersection element(false is default)

Response

JSON   XML

{
 "status":"OK",
 "responseTime":3,
 "message":[
  
 ],
 "Results":{
  "block":[
   {
    "envelope":{
     "minx":-75.00211799999998,
     "maxx":-74.97493999999999,
     "miny":42.446905999999984,
     "maxy":42.46748799999998
    },
    "geographyType":"BLOCK2010",
    "FIPS":"360775908001027"
   }
  ]
 }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<Response status="OK" responseTime="2">
  <Results>
    <block FIPS="360775908001027">
      <envelope>
        <maxx>-74.97493999999999</maxx>
        <maxy>42.46748799999998</maxy>
        <minx>-75.00211799999998</minx>
        <miny>42.446905999999984</miny>
     </envelope>
     <geographyType>BLOCK2010</geographyType>
  </block>
</Results>
</Response>