Master Address File (MAF) and Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) Update Activities

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

Master Address File (MAF) and Topologically Integrated Geographic

Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) Update Activities

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public

and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on

proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room

5327, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or

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copies of the information collection instruments and instructions

should be directed to Lynn Minneman, Bureau of the Census, SFC-2, Room

1308-A, Washington, DC 20233. Phone number 301-457-2036.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Note: The present clearance expires June 30, 1998. This request

covers field activities to be conducted from July 1, 1998 through

September 30, 2000. Operations occurring during the period from

October 1, 1997 through June 30, 1998 are listed here only to

explain the total respondent burden for FY98 shown in part III.

The Census Bureau presently operates a generic clearance covering

activities involving respondent burden associated with updating our

Master Address File (MAF) and Topologically Integrated Geographic

Encoding and Referencing (TIGER). We now propose to extend that generic

clearance to cover update activities we will undertake during the next

three fiscal years.

Under the terms of the generic clearance, we plan to submit a

request for OMB clearance that will describe all planned activities for

the entire period; we will not submit a separate clearance package for

each updating activity. We will send a letter to OMB at least five days

before the planned start of each activity that gives more exact

details, examples of forms, and final estimates of respondent burden.

We also will file a year-end summary with OMB after the close of each

fiscal year giving results of each activity conducted. This generic

clearance enables OMB to review our overall strategy for MAF and TIGER

updating in advance, instead of reviewing each activity in isolation

shortly before the planned start.

The MAF is a national address list that is being created and

continually updated with information from the U.S. Postal Service

Delivery Sequence File. The Census Bureau plans to use the MAF for

mailing or delivering questionnaires to households for Census 2000 and

as a sampling frame for our demographic current surveys. In the past,

the Census Bureau has built a new address list for each decennial

census. The MAF we are building during Census 2000 is meant to be kept

current thereafter, eliminating the need to build a completely new

address list for future censuses and surveys. The TIGER is a geographic

system that maps the entire country in Census blocks with applicable

address range or living quarter location information. Linking MAF and

TIGER allows us to assign each address to the appropriate Census Block,

produce maps as needed and publish results at the appropriate level of

geographic detail. The following are descriptions of each activity we

plan to conduct under the clearance for the next three fiscal years.

1. Address Listing (AL)

Census 2000 Address Listing will be conducted in 2.93 million

blocks that have a preponderance of noncity-style addresses; for

example, ``RR 1, Box 89,'' ``PO Box 678,'' or ``General Delivery.'' AL

also will be conducted in all of Puerto Rico. Temporary Census Bureau

employees called ``listers'' will canvass (walk or drive) each of these

blocks, identifying each structure where people live or could live,

including housing units and group quarters. They will record the block

number and each physical location address or description on Form D-

101B, Address Listing Page. For each living quarters, the lister will

attempt to conduct an interview to collect the mailing address, an E-

911 address for living quarters with no posted city-style mailing

address, occupant name or group quarters contact person name, and

telephone number. If no one is at home, the lister will attempt to

interview a neighbor to obtain this information. If unable to obtain

the information, the lister will attempt up to two telephone callbacks

to obtain the information. There will be no personal callbacks to

conduct an interview during Address Listing. The lister will also spot

the location of the living quarters on a Block Map and update the Block

Maps by adding missing roads, road names, or other map features as

necessary, and deleting roads that no longer exist.

The information collected will be used to create our Master Address

File (MAF) for Census 2000 and survey use. The map additions and

deletions will be used to update our TIGER maps. The processed address

information and map spots will be directly used to deliver a Census

2000 Questionnaire to each housing unit in these blocks.

The operation will be conducted from August through December, 1998.

There will be approximately 22.4 million respondents with an estimated

response time of 1.5 minutes per living quarters. Approximately 4.7

million respondents will be interviewed in FY98 with a respondent

burden of 117,500 hours. Approximately 17.7 million respondents will be

interviewed in FY99 with a respondent burden of 442,500 hours.

In addition to the blocks mentioned above, AL will be conducted in

the rural portion of 39 counties that are in the 1999 American

Community Survey. Since a MAF is needed earlier in these counties than

in the rest of the country, the Address Listing will be conducted

between February and May, 1998, using slightly different forms and

callback rules. Housing units will be listed on Form DX-101B, Housing

Unit Address Listing Page. Special places will be listed on Form DX-

101C, Special Place Listing Page. The information collected will be

almost identical to that listed above, however, more callbacks are

authorized to obtain the mailing address. The lister will make up to

three personal and two telephone callbacks to obtain the information

for households where no one is home on the initial visit. There will be

approximately 320,000 respondents with an estimated response time of

two minutes per household. The total respondent burden is estimated at

10,666 hours.

2. Block Canvass (BC)

The Census 2000 Block Canvass is scheduled to take place from

January 18, 1999 through June 4, 1999 in all areas where there is

predominately city-style addressing and mail delivery and where the

Census Bureau will conduct a mailout/mailback census. BC is a dependent

field canvassing activity where listers will canvass assigned blocks

looking for every place where people live or could live using Form D-

451A, Address Listing Page, which lists every living quarters currently

in the MAF for these blocks. Listers will attempt to interview at

predesignated living quarters (every third housing unit and all multi-

unit structures) to verify that living quarters' address and unit

designation, as necessary, and the addresses of the living quarters on

either side. They will also obtain mailing addresses when these are

different from the house number and street name address. They will

visit the next housing unit to obtain the information if no one is home

at the predesignated unit. Listers also will contact the resident

manager, superintendent, or other knowledgeable person at all multi-

unit structures to verify addresses and unit designations for each

unit. For special places, the lister will visually check those on the

list and add any that are missing. Listers will visit living quarters

not on their list to obtain the house number and street name address

and a mailing address (if different) for each living quarters. This

information will be listed on Form D-451B, Block Canvass Add Page, or

Form D-451B, Block Canvass Special Place Add Page. For special places,

the lister will also obtain a contact person name and telephone number.

BC will improve coverage by verifying addresses on our MAF, making

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corrections to those addresses as necessary, deleting nonexistent,

uninhabitable, or nonresidential living quarters, capturing non-city

style mailing addresses when the posted city-style address is not used

for mail, and adding addresses for living quarters missing from the

MAF. The processed MAF after BC will be used to label and deliver

Census 2000 Questionnaires and for other Census Bureau surveys.

The estimated number of respondents for BC is 27,500,000. The

estimated time per response is 2 minutes. The total estimated

respondent burden is 916,667 hours.

3. Field Verification for Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA FV)

This operation will verify the existence of predominately noncity-

style addresses that the local government officials add during their

review of the MAF. This operation will take place around May of 1999.

LUCA FV will increase the integrity of the MAF by validating addresses

that are added by local government officials prior to these updates

being included in the Census Mailout/Delivery.

Listers will receive Form D-137, LUCA Field Verification Address

Listing Page, that will include all addresses within a block that

contains at least one add from a LUCA participant. Addresses that need

to be verified will be identified on the listing pages by a blank

action code field. Listers will conduct a brief interview to verify the

existence and address of the specified unit and enter an action code on

the listing page indicating that the unit exists or does not exist.

We will verify approximately 5 million addresses across the United

States. The estimated time per response is 1.5 minutes. The total

estimated respondent burden is 125,000 hours.

In addition to the above, LUCA FV will be conducted in the Census

2000 Dress Rehearsal sites of Columbia, SC, Sacramento, CA, and

Menominee, WI. This operation will verify the existence of 100% of the

addresses, both city-style and noncity-style, that the local

governments have added to the address list during LUCA. The operation

will be the same as described above for Census 2000, using Form DX-137,

LUCA Field Verification Address Listing Page. The operation will take

place in December, 1997.

We will verify approximately 22,423 addresses in the Dress

Rehearsal sites. The estimated time per response is 1.5 minutes. The

total estimated respondent burden is 561 hours.

4. Update Leave (U/L)

Update/leave will occur in the same counties as specified above for

operation 1, Address Listing, and throughout Puerto Rico. Each U/L

enumerator will receive an Address Register, which includes a listing

and Block Maps, and a pre-addressed Census 2000 Questionnaire for each

address included in the listing. The Form D-105A, Address Listing Page,

will include a record for each living quarters processed during Address

Listing. The Block Maps will show a map spot for each listed structure

that contained living quarters. The enumerator will completely canvass

each assigned block in March of 2000. U/L will update the inventory of

housing units by adding any new residential construction to the Form D-

105B, U/L Add Page, and the Block Maps, and will deliver a Census 2000

Questionnaire to each housing unit.

The enumerator will attempt to complete a short interview at each

address to verify the address information collected during Address

Listing or to obtain the address information for new units. They will

also give the respondent the Questionnaire to complete and mail back.

(The Questionnaire is covered by a different OMB clearance and is not

described in this notice.) When no one is home, the enumerator will

place the Questionnaire in a bag and hang it on the doorknob. There

will be no callbacks for U/L.

The estimated number of households for U/L is 22.4 million,

however, we estimate that the total number of respondents will be 7.5

million. The estimated time per response is 1.5 minutes. The total

estimated respondent burden is 187,500 hours.

In addition to the above, U/L will be conducted in the rural

portions of the Columbia, SC and Menominee, WI Census 2000 Dress

Rehearsal sites. This operation will occur in March and April of 1998.

It will update the address lists and Block Maps and deliver the Dress

Rehearsal Questionnaire in these counties using Form DX-105A, Address

Listing Page, and DX-105B, U/L Add Page. The procedures will be the

same as described above for Census 2000. The estimated number of

households is 75,000, however, we estimate that the total number of

respondents will be 25,000. The estimated time per response is 2

minutes. The total estimated respondent burden is 834 hours.

5. Urban Update Leave (UU/L)

The Urban Update/Leave operation for Census 2000 will be conducted

in March 2000, in areas where there is predominately city-style

addressing but in which the U.S. Postal Service does not deliver mail

to housing units at their posted city-style address. UU/L may also be

done in areas where the U.S. Postal Service delivers mail to a central

drop point with no identifiable mail receptacles for each individual

housing unit. The procedures for this operation are the same as

described for operation 4, Update/Leave. The enumerators will use Form

D-XXXX, Address Listing Page, and Form D-XXXY, UU/L Add Page, for this

operation. The total estimated number of households is 1 million,

however, we estimate that the total number of respondents is 334,000.

The estimated time per response is 2 minutes. The total estimated

respondent burden is 11,134 hours.

6. List/Enumerate (L/E)

List/Enumerate is a method of taking Census 2000 in some very rural

parts of the country where we will not have a MAF with mailing

addresses prior to the Census. During the period from March 31 through

May 1, 2000, enumerators will canvass each assigned block to list each

living quarters and spot its location on a Block Map. The enumerator

will ask a short series of questions using Form D-104A to determine the

household name, mailing address and/or physical location/description of

the housing unit. The enumerator will then pick up the completed Census

2000 Questionnaire or enumerate the household using the Questionnaire.

(The Questionnaire is covered by a different OMB clearance and is not

included in this notice.)

The estimated number of respondents for the listing portion of L/E

is 420,000. The estimated time per response is 1.5 minutes. The

estimated total respondent burden for the listing portion is 10,500

hours.

7. Master Address File Quality Improvement Program (MAF QIP)

The MAF is a national address list that is being created and

continually updated with information from the U.S. Postal Service

Delivery Sequence File. The Census Bureau plans to use this file for

mailing questionnaires to households for Census 2000 and as a sampling

frame for our demographic current surveys. The goal of the MAF QIP is

to assess the completeness and accuracy of the housing units on the MAF

by providing coverage and geocoding error estimates. The operation

consists of creating an independent listing of housing units which will

be computer matched to the

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MAF with a field reconciliation follow up of nonmatched units.

Field Representatives will contact each housing unit in the MAF QIP

sample areas to obtain and list address information on Form S-676,

Master Address File Quality Improvement Program 1998 Independent

Listing Book. Listers will also inquire at each special place and

commercial structure to identify housing units. Addresses and geocoding

information obtained during the independent listing will be computer

matched to the MAF. During the reconciliation phase, field staff will

resolve nonmatched housing units by verifying address information using

Form S-XXX, Housing Unit Followup Form. The independent listing phase

will be conducted in March through July of 1998. The reconciliation

phase will be conducted in May through September of 1998.

The total estimated number of respondents for the listing phase is

250,000. The total estimated number of respondents for the

reconciliation phase is 20,700. The estimated time per response is 3

minutes for the listing phase and 1 minute for the reconciliation

phase. The total estimated respondent burden is 10,000 hours for the

listing phase and 345 hours for the reconciliation phase.

A 1999 MAF QIP will also be conducted. The procedures will be

similar to the 1998 MAF QIP, however, form numbers, exact workloads,

and exact timing have not yet been determined. We estimate the maximum

possible number of respondents for the listing phase at 500,000 with

approximately 250,000 interviews done in late FY99 and 250,000

interviews done in early FY2000. The reconciliation phase will be

conducted in FY2000 with approximately 41,400 respondents. The

estimated time per response is 3 minutes for the listing phase and 1

minute for the reconciliation phase. The total estimated respondent

burden is 10,000 hours in FY99 and 10,000 hours in FY2000 for the

listing phase and 690 hours in FY2000 for the reconciliation phase.

(The total number of respondents for the 1999 MAF QIP could be as small

as 200,000 which would decrease respondent burden proportionately.)

In addition to the above, an FY97 pilot study to test MAF QIP

methodology was conducted in six counties. The procedures for this

study were the same as outlined above for the 1998 MAF QIP. The

reconciliation phase was still in progress at the end of FY97 and was

halted due to the continuing resolution on budget. Field

Representatives will resolve the remaining 3,770 nonmatched housing

units in November and December of 1997 using Form S-663, Housing Unit

Followup Form. The estimated number of respondents is 3,770. The

estimated time per response is 1 minute. The estimated total respondent

burden is 313 hours.

8. Master Address File Update for Otero County, New Mexico

We will update the current MAF for Otero County, NM by identifying

new housing units in the area outside Alamogordo City and field list

these housing units to obtain a complete mailing and physical location

address. This listing will occur sometime between February and June of

1998. The new units are defined as those coming into existence after

September, 1996. The new units will be identified using local

administrative records (probably building permits); we do not plan to

conduct any large scale block recanvass operation. The new units will

be address listed using the forms and procedures described above for

American Community Survey counties in operation 1, Address Listing. The

estimated number of respondents is 200. The estimated time per response

is 2 minutes. The estimated total respondent burden is 7 hours.

II. Method of Collection

The primary method of data collection for all operations will be

personal interview by Census Listers or Enumerators using the

operation's listing form. In some cases, the interview could be by

telephone callback if no one was home on the initial visit. See part I

for details for each operation.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0607-0809.

Form Number: The form numbers for some activities have not yet been

assigned. See the descriptions of the activities in part I for form

numbers where applicable.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Number of Respondents: Varies by operation, see chart

below.

Estimated Time Per Response: Varies by operation, see chart below.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: FY98 140,226; FY99 1,494,167;

FY2000 219,824.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is that

of their time to respond.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and

193.

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FY 1998 FY 1999 FY 2000 Average Responses FY 1998 FY 1999 FY 2000

Activity respondent respondent respondent hours per per burden burden burden

($) ($) ($) response respondent hours hours hours

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AL.............................................. 4,700,000 17,700,000 0 .025 1 117,500 442,500 0

AL-ACS.......................................... 320,000 0 0 .033 1 10,666 0 0

BC.............................................. 0 27,500,000 0 .033 1 0 916,667 0

LUCA FV......................................... 22,423 5,000,000 0 .025 1 561 125,000 0

U/L............................................. 0 0 7,500,000 .025 1 0 0 187,500

U/L-DR.......................................... 25,000 0 0 .033 1 834 0 0

UU/L............................................ 0 0 334,000 .033 1 0 0 11,134

L/E............................................. 0 0 420,000 .025 1 0 0 10,500

MAFQIP.......................................... 250,000 250,000 250,000 .050 1 10,000 10,000 10,000

MAFQIP-R........................................ 24,470 0 41,400 .016 1 658 0 690

MAF/U........................................... 200 0 0 .033 1 7 0 0

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Totals.................................... 5,342,093 50,450,000 8,545,400 ........... ........... 140,226 1,494,167 219,824

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IV. Request For Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the agency, including whether the information shall have practical

utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden

(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

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clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize

the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized

and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information

collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Dated: January 13, 1998.

Linda Engelmeier,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and

Organization.

[FR Doc. 98-1210 Filed 1-16-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-07-P