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Census cartography 2007: reflections, status, and predictions.

Article Excerpt
Cartography and the U.S. Census Bureau

Since the Eighteenth Century, the U.S. Census Bureau has produced a variety of maps to support its operations and to display and accompany the rich statistical data from its many different censuses and surveys. Use of cartographic methods kept pace with current techniques at the time, from pen and ink, to negative engraving, to digital cartography. Sources were freely acquired from other federal agencies, states, and private concerns in the pre-digital era.

The U.S. Census Bureau has extensive experience in mapping for large operations. Development of map production methodologies to support brief field operation schedules resulted in hundreds of staff drafting maps during conventional mapping operations. Early efforts at computer mapping included the Agricultural Atlas of the U.S. In preparation for the 1990 decennial census, computers shifted the focus in cartography to development of fully automated (non-interactive) mapping systems. Other U.S. Census Bureau contributions over time included cartographic techniques that enhanced the use of statistical data through new thematic map constructs and designs.

The 1990 decennial census was the motivation for creating the first national digital database. The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Geological Survey worked collaboratively to create TIGER (1) during the 1980s. From its inception, TIGER was intended as a 20-year program, to meet the needs of the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses. Encoding map data was the most expensive and time-consuming task in the formative years of GIS and automated mapping. The development of the TIGER System by the U.S. Census Bureau provided a rich data source for a diverse set of users....