Census Bureau

March 1998
PRODPR98-1

News on the latest data products from the U.S. Bureau of the Census

Introducing LandView® III

An easy-to-learn mapping system that creates maps showing 1990 Census population and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on super fund and hazardous waste sites for local communities.

What is LandView® III?

LandView® III is an electronic geographic reference tool like an atlas. It displays a detailed network of roads, rivers and railroads (based on TIGER/Line® 95), jurisdictional and statistical boundaries, EPA-regulated sites, and key geographic features of the United States provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and other Federal agencies.

LandView® III is a significantly updated release of the LandView® II CD-ROM series, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau in cooperation with the EPA and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide you with information on hazardous waste sites in communities and 1990 census demographic data on the populations affected by these sites.

LandView® III is distributed on a set of 11 compact discs. There are 10 local discs, each containing a grouping of states. An 11th CD-ROM (the U.S. summary) covers the entire U.S. and includes all data except the detailed feature network derived from TIGER/Line® 1995 files (roads, rivers, railroads, and place boundaries).

The U.S. summary (Disc 11) is designed for those users whose primary interests are creating thematic maps or performing radius calculations that extend over a number of states. The local discs (Discs 1 - 10) contain the same information as the U.S. summary disc for the grouping of states plus detailed networks of roads, rivers, and railroads based on the TIGER/Line 1995® files. The local discs are designed for users who need to create maps containing a detailed network of roads, rivers, and railroads; match streets and addresses accurately to census tract or block groups; or see detailed place boundaries. Each local disc provides the same functions available on the national disc but only for the states contained on the local disc. For example, a population radius calculation performed from the District of Columbia on local disc 1 would not contain information for Virginia since Virginia is on local disc 2. (For more details, see order form).

What Can you Do With LandView® III

Figure 1.
Census Data Screen for Block Group 1 in Census Tract 9016.01


Figure 2.
Customized Map for Census Tract 9016.01 Block Group 1 in Prince William County, Virginia


You can show as many or as few layers of data as you need to create the right type of map for your application. This map shows census block group centroids, census block group boundaries (which nest within census tracts), EPA hazardous waste facilities, religious institutions, roads, schools, states, and EPA super-fund sites. Table 1 shows the geographic layers that can be displayed on the map.

The MARPLOT. mapping program component of LandView® allows users to add their own layers of information to the map.

Layer Grouping Layer
Census Demographic Layers - These layers are present on ALL LandView III CD-ROMS. Unless otherwise noted, these layers show either statistical or political boundaries as defmed for the 1990 Census of Population and Housing. (These boundaries have been generalized. See note below table.) Alaska Native lands, American Indian reservations, census block group centroids, census block groups - generalized, census tracts, congressional districts (105th Congress), counties, minor civil divisions (20 states)/census county divisions (balance of states), metropolitan areas (June 30, (1996), place centroids, states, ZIP code centroids (TIGER-January, 1997)
Census 1995 TIGER/Line Layers - These layers are present on the local discs; the U.S. Summary discs contains these data for District of Columbia and Delaware only. Census block groups, miscellaneous, places, railroads, major roads, minor roads, shoreline and water.
Environmental Protection Agency Layers - Except as noted, these layers are present on ALL LandView. IR CD-ROMS. Air facilities, air quality monitoring sites, brownfields pilots, (U.S. Summary disc only) hazardous waste facility information, hydrologic area boundaries, superfund sites, toxic release inventory sites, and waste water discharger sites.
International Layers - These layers are present on the U.S. Summary disc only. Canadian places, Canadian provinces, Canadian railroads, Canadian roads, Mexican places, Mexican railroads, Mexican roads, and Mexican states
Other Agency Layers - Except as noted, these layers are present on ALL LandView. M CD-ROMS. These contain information from the U.S. Geological Survey and other federal agencies. Airports, cemeteries, dams, hospitals, nuclear sites, religious institutions, runways, schools, U.S. highways and U.S. water (U.S. Summary disc only).

Note on Generalized Boundaries. The boundary files for the mapping of states, counties, tracts, block groups, minor civil divisions/ census county divisions (MCDs/CCDs), metropolitan areas, American Indian lands, Alaska Native lands, and congressional districts are generalized, which means that the number of lines making up the perimeter of those polygons are reduced, and the polygon shapes are simplified. The purpose of generalizing the boundaries is to reduce the size of the map files and to speed their display on the computer screen. Generalized boundaries are suitable for thematic mapping but are not suitable for determining the govermental or census statistical area for a point on a map (i.e., coding an address to an census tract). Users who need to determine this, should use the "Describe Census Area" function under "LandView databases" in the MARPLOT. Sharing Menu. (See discussion on differences between U.S. summary and local discs.)

3. Search for Map Objects. You can use the search capability of MARPLOT® to locate a particular site or feature in any of the map layers shown in Table I above. For example, if you were trying to locate "Lomond Court", you would enter the street name into the MARPLOT® search function dialog box as shown in Figure 3. It would then return a list of streets matching the name. You would then select the address range or street intersection that you want MARPLOT® to "Show on Map & Zoom."


Figure 3.
Search Criteria Dialog


Figure 4.
Describe Census Area and Segment Setting Dialog Boxes


Then you can use the "Describe Census Area" function under "LandView databases" in the MARPLOT® Sharing Menu which identifies the state, county, census tract and block group at the focus point on the map. (You can use this function in those situations where a street may not have yet been added to the Census TIGER® database; all you need to do is set the focus point at the location you need, identified, and click. It's that simple!) In addition, the MARPLOT® Segment Settings dialog is available to provide more detailed information about the street from the TIGER/Line 1995 database. Figure 4 shows "Lomond Court" as mapped by MARPLOT® along with the "Describe Census Area" and "Segment Settings" dialog boxes.

4. Estimate Selected Demographic Characteristics Within a Radius From a Given Point. The "Estimate Population" function under "LandView databases" in the MARPLOT. Sharing Menu function provides selected 1990 census demographics for a radius around a given point on the map. Figure 5 below provides selected statistics (from more than 50 data elements) for a radius of 1.25 miles as shown by the circle in Figure 2.

5.Identifying Map Objects. You can identify objects within a circle or rectangle you define or at a specific point through the MARPLOT. "Select on Layers"function. In addition, MARPLOT. provides a search function that allows a user to form a query that will select map objects based on a variety of search selection criteria. For example, a user can search for all roads within maps in viewed name "Partridge Lane".

6. Extracting data for Selected Map Objects. Once you have selected map objects, you can use the "Get Info" function under "LandView databases" in the MARPLOT. Sharing Menu to retrieve the appropriate database records, provided that the selected objects are linked to a LandView. database. You can even export the selected records to a separate file in several popular file formats.

7. Create Thematic Maps. You can display data on a map. Figure 6 shows the distribution of Census tracts by the 1990 Census Median Household Income.


Figure 5.
1990 Census Demographic Data for 1.25 Mile Radius


How Do I get LandView® III?

The following section provides ordering information for this product. If you would like to try before you buy, you can download the product for a single county by visiting our TIGER Internet site at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/. From this site also download a detailed 83 page tutorial LV III Guided Tour in Adobe® Acrobat file format that provides a fuller explanation of this powerful but easy-to-use program.

Figure 6.
1990 Census Median Household Income by Census Tracts in Prince William County, Virginia


Order Form

YES! I want geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic data in a quick access easy-to-use, map-based system. Send me the CD-ROM(s) I've ordered below. I have enclosed $_____ (check or money order only) for my selection or provided credit card information below.


Company___________________________________ | Personal name____________________________

Street address: (No P.O. Boxes____________________________________________________________

City, State, and Zip Code________________________________________________________________

Area code & Phone: (____)_______________________ FAX:(____)_____________________________



Product Code CD-TGR Number of copies Total
LV3-01
Disc 1: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont $99 x =
LV3-02
Disc 2: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia $99 x =
LV3-03
Disc 3: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi $99 x =
LV3-04
Disc 4: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio $99 x =
LV3-05
Disc 5: Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin $99 x =
LV3-06
Disc 6: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma $99 x =
LV3-07
Disc 7: Louisiana and Texas $99 x =
LV3-08
Disc 8: Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah $99 x =
LV3-09
Disc 9: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming $99 x =
LV3-10
Disc 10: Alaska, California, Nevada, American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands $99 x =
LV3-11
Disc 11: This U.S. summary disc contains only place centroids and generalized block group boundaries. Except for Delaware and the District of Columbia, all detailed place and block groups boundaries, networks, of roads, rivers, and railroads are shown only on the local discs $99 x =
LV3-KIT
The Complete 11-disc set $549 x =


TOTAL ORDER $

[___] Method of Payment (Please mark (X)): [___] Priority Service [___] Overseas Priority Service - add 33% + $25.00

[___]Check payable to Commerce-Census [___]Census deposit account [ 9 ] _ ]_ ]_ ] ______________________________
[___]VISA or MasterCard account:[__][__][__][__] [__][__][__][__] [__][__][__][__] [__][__][__][__]
Printed name on credit card

Expiration date: month [__][__] year [__][__] ______________________________


Signature

To place your order by phone (have your credit card ready) or for further information about LandView III, please call our knowledgeable Customer Services representatives at 301-763-INFO(4636), or FAX your order toll-free to 888-249-7295, or access our website at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger. For mail orders only, complete this order form and send it with your payment to: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (MS 1921), P.O. Box 277943, Atlanta, GA 30384-7943


Skip this main site navigation menu