[Geodata] [Tiger] A few interesting observations on the Tiger2007fedata

[Stephen Woodbridge]

Stephen Frost wrote:
> Stephen, et al,
> 
> * Stephen Woodbridge (woodbri at swoodbridge.com) wrote:
>> It is also important to note here that the zipcode info in Census is by  
>> and large circa 1990 when the Census last used the USPS Zip+4 database  
>> and did a mass merge/update of Tiger. This has an impact in a couple of  
>> ways:
> 
> Census has their seperate ZCTA system, but I don't believe that
> means that the detailed per-segment Zip codes aren't ever updated..  It
> would be easy enough to check (not that I have) obviously, by looking at
> a recently added zip code and checking to find it in the latest Census
> data anywhere.  I had thought that the Zip codes were updated as part of
> the MAF improvment process at the detailed edge level though.
> 

You bring up a good point. The ZCTA system is totally different from the 
zipcodes on segments and I'm pretty sure that they have NOT regenerated 
the new ZCTA polygons. ZCTA's are reporting areas and are built based on 
looking at the prevalent zipcode for the block edges and then doing some 
smooth to eliminate islands and holes in the polygons.

I am unsure as to what the status of zipcode updates with respect to 
MAF, but you are roight that it should be reasonably easy to check.

-Steve W.