Tuesday, February 26, 2008

What is TIGER?

The U.S. Census Bureau produces Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) data for compiling maps with demographic information. This vector data is a primary source for creating digital road maps of the United States.
TIGER data is free (check out the Census Bureau Web site at www.census.gov/ geo/www/tiger/index.html) but in some areas isn’t very accurate; roads don’t appear on the map and addresses aren’t in the right locations. The government is improving the accuracy of the dataset, and plans to provide better data in the future. You’re better off using some of the free and commercial street map programs and Web sites.

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