[mapserver-users] OGR Support for TIGER 2000 Data?

[Rob Martinson]

Zip information via Zip Code Tabulation Areas from TIGER 2000 are now
available at: http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zcta.html. Or as boundary
files for each state from:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/z52000.html.

They have also made available online a database of ZIP codes compiled
from '99 information. This is the most recent freely available ZIP
information for the US that I know of. It contains zip codes, centroid,
placename, zip type, and FIPS for the country. I have parsed a copy of
this table and dumped them to a mySQL database on the server which I use
quite often along side Mapserver. This table from November '99 is
available at: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/zip1999.html

Hope this helps...

Rob Martinson
Nichebox - http://www.nichebox.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu 
> [mailto:owner-mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu] On Behalf Of 
> Kieran J. Ames
> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 6:05 PM
> To: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
> Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] OGR Support for TIGER 2000 Data?
> 
> 
> List
> It seems mapserver.gis.umn.edu is down. :(
> Questions...
> I'm trying to understand these TIGER files and can't quite 
> grasp the record types. I'm wondering if ZIP CODES are 
> available within these data, since my Zip code polygon files 
> are a few years old. Thanks, Kieran
> 
> 
> Ed McNierney wrote:
> 
> > Dawn breaks on Marblehead (as they say around here...)
> >
> > Rob -
> >
> > Thanks!  I have no problems at all and my OGRINFO tests work, and 
> > MapServer works.
> >
> > Jeff threw me off the trail by naming the directory in 
> which he stored 
> > the TGR25001.* files "TGR25001".  As a result, I thought he 
> was simply 
> > specifying the root name of the files - and that OGR would 
> simply look 
> > for TGR25001.* in the same directory as specified.  Instead, he was 
> > specifying the name of the DIRECTORY holding all the 
> TGR25001.* files.
> >
> > I'm happy - everything works.  Thanks everyone for the help!  Jeff, 
> > you might want to update your excellent example pages to make this 
> > distinction clearer.
> >
> >         - Ed
> >
> > Ed McNierney
> > Chief Mapmaker
> > TopoZone.com
> > ed at topozone.com
> > (978) 251-4242
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Rob Martinson [mailto:cathode at nichebox.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 2:56 PM
> > To: 'Jeff McKenna'; Ed McNierney
> > Cc: 'Users'
> > Subject: RE: [mapserver-users] OGR Support for TIGER 2000 Data?
> >
> > Okay, this was a bit confusing to me but I now see what Jeff is 
> > saying. OGR must look at the entire directory of raw data 
> to open any 
> > of the layers instead of a single .RT* file. I thought Jeff 
> just meant 
> > that the full path to the file must be specified, but 
> instead just the 
> > directory where the layers reside must be specified.
> >
> > For example, my TIGER data is in:
> >
> > /usr/local/mapdata/TIGER_2000/WA/53063/
> >
> > In this directory I have files TGR53063.RT1 through TGR53063.RTZ.
> >
> > Instead of calling ogrinfo as:
> >
> > ogrinfo /usr/local/mapdata/TIGER_2000/WA/53063/TGR53063.RT1
> >
> > Try calling as:
> >
> > ogrinfo /usr/local/mapdata/TIGER_2000/WA/53063
> >
> > So OGR can look at the entire data structure. Works for me 
> on this end 
> > now. Thanks Jeff!
> >
> > Rob Martinson
> > Nichebox - http://www.nichebox.com
> > Development - http://dev.nichebox.com
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
> > > [mailto:owner-mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu] On 
> Behalf Of Jeff 
> > > McKenna
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 4:01 PM
> > > To: Ed McNierney
> > > Cc: Users
> > > Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] OGR Support for TIGER 2000 Data?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Thank for figuring that out!  However, I still can't get it
> > > to work.
> > > > I'm running the OGR tools I built (under Windows 2000) 
> in the GDAL 
> > > > 1.1.5 distribution.  OGRINFO still refuses to recognize the
> > > data set.
> > > > Are you using a different OGR?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Hi Ed,
> > >
> > > I just checked out the latest CVS version of GDAL 
> (v1.1.5) and built 
> > > it (under Windows NT), and OGRINFO works fine for me.  Hmm.  I 
> > > placed OGRINFO into the directory where the TIGER data 
> resides (i.e. 
> > > placed TGR25001.RT1, TGR25001.RT2... in the same directory as 
> > > OGRINFO).  The syntax I used for OGRINFO is: $ ogrinfo 
> > > full/path/to/data
> > >
> > > This worked fine for me.  Maybe someone else has some ideas?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Jeff McKenna
> > > GIS Specialist
> > > DM Solutions Group Inc.
> > > Ottawa, Ontario
> > > http://www.dmsolutions.ca/
> > >
> 
>