1 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Laura Waggoner Legal Areas Team Lead Boundary and Annexation Survey Project Manager Michael Clements Geographer Boundary and Annexation Survey Geographic Areas Branch, Geography Division U.S. Census Bureau

Presentation Overview Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) - What is the BAS? - Why do we conduct the BAS? - What are the current and future BAS submission methods? - What are important dates for the current BAS year? - Who should you contact if you have questions?

What is the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)?

4 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Voluntary survey conducted annually to collect boundaries for legal areas Primary source of information regarding –legal boundaries –names of governments –legal status –types of governmental units –new governments –boundary changes –geographic relationships e.g. a place annexes into a new county or minor civil division (MCD)

5 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Governmental units (entities) included in the survey –counties and their equivalents –MCDs –incorporated places –American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands (federally recognized)

Why do we conduct the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)?

7 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Ensures that population and housing counts are assigned to the correct geography Used to present statistics for various censuses and surveys –American Community Survey (ACS) –Population Estimates Program –2010 Decennial Census Programs

8 Legal Boundary Changes versus Boundary Corrections The two types of modifications that can be made to a boundary are: legal boundary changes and boundary corrections. A boundary change is an alteration to a boundary as a result of a legal action (i.e., ordinance). Reporting legal boundary changes is the primary goal of the BAS. A boundary correction is the adjustment of a boundary to correct an error in how the Census Bureau depicts an existing boundary and does not require legal documentation.

Preparing for the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)

10 Determining the BAS Contact Each year BAS materials are mailed to our BAS contacts How do we determine who the BAS contact is? –We are instructed by a local official as to who should receive the BAS package –A local government employee responds to the BAS multiple consecutive years, the Legal Areas team will make them the BAS contact. –If we have not received a BAS response for several years, the Legal Areas team will attempt to establish a contact in either a planning or GIS department. –The Advance Response phase (non-decennial phase) of BAS provides contact updates –State Data Center staff provide contact updates to the Census Bureau during the telephone follow-up phase of BAS. –If there is no BAS contact and the Census Bureau is unable to establish a contact, the package will be mailed to the Highest Elected Official (HEO)

11 Advance Response (non-decennial years) Sent in September-October Participants receive a letter, one-page form, and one-page informational insert about the BAS via –Mail – –Fax Requests participants to –Verify contact information –Indicate if they have boundary updates to report –Indicate the method they would like to submit their boundary updates

12 Submission Methods Paper Submission Web-BAS MAF/TIGER Partnership Software Digital BAS

13 Paper Submission Census Bureau –mails paper maps and a BAS form to the BAS contact Participants –annotate and return large scale paper maps and forms –provide documentation for each legal boundary change (date, number, & acreage) If the participant does not have any changes to report, they can return a “No Change” postcard

14 WEB-BAS Participants –Currently (E-BAS) are able to –login to a secure website –submit a No Change postcard or form updates. are not able to –submit map updates –In 2009 (Web-BAS) are able to –submit spatial data The E-BAS website is linked off of the BAS homepage ( and the username and password are provided in the Special Instructions section on the paper form.

15 MAF/TIGER Partnership Software Available for 2008 BAS Participants will receive –a CD containing the software to install on to their computer –one or more CD(s) containing the data for their entity and the surrounding area –a user name and password to access the data in the software Participants will be able to submit map and form updates.

16 Digital BAS First offered during the 2005 BAS for a limited number of entities Designed to accept submissions from experienced users of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) who modify Census Bureau spatial data Spatial data provided in GIS shapefile format Goal is to permit governmental units to –update digital files in place of paper maps –submit boundary change information through digital file metadata Participants are required to –follow the detailed requirements posted on the BAS website: Limited to entities and counties –that have gone through the Census Bureau’s MAF-TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project (MTAIP) process

17 Digital BAS

18 Digital BAS: Symbolized Incorporated Place Layer in ArcGIS RoadS RailroadR Non-Visible Feature (boundary) P HydrologyH SymbolLinear Feature Type MTFCC 1 st Character… add an annexation here

19 What are important dates for the current BAS year?

20 Typical BAS Year Activities Important Dates –Advance Letter September –Package Mailout January –Change in Material January 15 th in 2009 and 2010, February 15 th in non-decennial years –Paper maps to Digital Submission –Digital Submission to Paper –MAF/TIGER Partnership Software to Paper Changing to Web submission doesn’t have a deadline

21 Future Goals Boundary Validation Program (BVP) –After the 2010 BAS, the Census Bureau will send a Boundary Validation Map to the Highest Elected Official of every legal entity in the United States for final review before tabulation.

22 Who should you contact if you have questions?

23 Contact Information Laura Waggoner Legal Areas Team Lead Boundary and Annexation Survey Project Manager Geographic Areas Branch Geography Division U.S. Census Bureau 4700 Silver Hill Road, 4H134F Washington, DC Phone: