Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) 

Respondent Guide: GUPS

Instructions for Using the Geographic Update Partnership Software GUPS) 

Revised as of February 27, 2018

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economic and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov
Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS

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Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS

Table of Contents

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement....................................................................................viii

Introduction..............................................................................................................................ix

A. The Boundary and Annexation Survey........................................................................................ ix

B. What’s New for the 2018 BAS? ................................................................................................... ix

C. Key Dates for BAS Respondents................................................................................................. ix

D. BAS State Agreements................................................................................................................. x

E. Legal Disputes .............................................................................................................................. x

F. Respondent Guide Organization .................................................................................................. x

Part 1: BAS OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................... 1

Section 1: Process and Workflow...................................................................................... 1

1.1 Receiving the GUPS Application and Shapefiles .........................................................................1

1.2 Getting Help ..................................................................................................................................2

1.3 BAS Help ......................................................................................................................................2

Section 2: Reviewing BAS Data......................................................................................... 3

2.1 Boundary Corrections ...................................................................................................................3

2.2 Legal Boundary Changes .............................................................................................................3

2.3 Reviewing Legal Boundaries ........................................................................................................3

2.4 Requirements for Legal Boundary Changes ................................................................................4

2.5 Reviewing Linear Features ...........................................................................................................5

2.6 Reviewing Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas..................................................................5

2.7 Reviewing Point Landmarks .........................................................................................................7

Section 3: Quality Control and File Submission............................................................... 9

3.1 Validating Updates........................................................................................................................9

3.2 Submitting Files Through SWIM...................................................................................................9

3.3 Submitting Files on DVD.............................................................................................................10

Part 2: How To Use GUPS ..................................................................................................11

Section 4: Requirements and installation........................................................................11

4.1 Getting Started............................................................................................................................12

4.1 How to Install GUPS ...................................................................................................................13

Section 5: Using GUPS (Basics and Map Management) .................................................17

5.1 How to Access BAS Shapefiles ..................................................................................................17

5.2 How to Start a New Project Using GUPS to Import Data from the Census Bureau’s BAS 

Website (Recommended Method)..........................................................................................................18

5.3 Download Shapefiles from the BAS Web site to Your Hard Drive .............................................30

5.4 Download Shapefiles from the Census Bureau ftp2 Site............................................................32

5.5 Use GUPS Interface ...................................................................................................................35

5.6 Menu & Toolbars.........................................................................................................................39

5.7 How to Import User-Provided Data into GUPS...........................................................................60

Section 6: Making BAS Updates in GUPS........................................................................65

6.1 How to Update Legal Boundaries ...............................................................................................65

6.2 How to Update Linear Features................................................................................................104

6.3 How to Update Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas.......................................................110

6.4 How to Update Point Landmarks ..............................................................................................122

6.5 How to Use GUPS Review and Validation Tools .....................................................................125

6.6 Export a Printable Map .............................................................................................................138

6.7 How to Export ZIP Files to Share/Submit .................................................................................141

Section 7: Submitting Your Files to the Census Bureau Through SWIM.....................146

Appendices ...........................................................................................................................152

Appendix A. BAS Contact Information and Resources................................................................... A-1

Appendix B. Terms.......................................................................................................................... B-1

Appendix C. MTFCC Descriptions .................................................................................................. C-1

Appendix D. Standard Street Type Abbreviations........................................................................... D-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page iv

Appendix E. GUPS Tools................................................................................................................ E-1

E.1 Set Layer Symbology................................................................................................................ E-1

E.2 Change Label Display............................................................................................................... E-3

E.3 Restoring Default Label Display Settings ................................................................................. E-5

E.4 Using the Table of Contents Toolbar to Manage Layers .......................................................... E-6

E.5 Preset Views in the Manage Layer Visibility Table of Contents ............................................... E-7

Appendix F. MAF/TIGER Feature Classification .............................................................................F-1

Appendix G. Shapefile Names ........................................................................................................G-1

Appendix H. Shapefile Layouts ....................................................................................................... H-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Available Change Types by Entity Type .........................................................................................3

Table 2: Acceptable MTFCCs for New Area Landmarks / Hydrographic Areas...........................................6

Table 3: Restricted Point Landmark MTFCCs ..............................................................................................7

Table 4: GUPS Hardware and Software Requirements .............................................................................12

Table 5: Install the GUPS Application.........................................................................................................13

Table 6: Start a New Project Using Shapefiles from the BAS Web site .....................................................18

Table 7: Download Shapefiles from the BAS Web site to a Hard Drive .....................................................30

Table 8: Download Shapefiles from ftp2 Site to a Hard Drive (State Users) ..............................................32

Table 9: GUPS Main Page Elements..........................................................................................................35

Table 10: Menu Tabs and Their Functions .................................................................................................40

Table 11: Adjust Snapping Tolerances .......................................................................................................44

Table 12: Standard Toolbar Buttons ...........................................................................................................46

Table 13: Identify a Feature on the Map .....................................................................................................47

Table 14: Select/Deselect Features on the Map.........................................................................................49

Table 15: Select Features by Querying the Attribute Table........................................................................52

Table 16: View Layer Attributes Using the Attributes Table .......................................................................54

Table 17: Measure Distances, Area, and Angles on a Map .......................................................................55

Table 18: Bookmark Locations on a Map ...................................................................................................57

Table 19: BAS Toolbar Buttons ..................................................................................................................58

Table 20: Status Bar Elements ...................................................................................................................60

Table 21: Add Data Toolbar Buttons...........................................................................................................60

Table 22: Load Shapefiles/Geodatabase Layers........................................................................................61

Table 23: Load Data from a Web Mapping Service....................................................................................62

Table 24: Add Imagery Files .......................................................................................................................63

Table 25: Import a ZIP File Shared by Another User..................................................................................63

Table 26: Record an Annexation ................................................................................................................65

Table 27: Recording a Deannexation .........................................................................................................71

Table 28: Adding a New Legal Entity..........................................................................................................76

Table 29: Record a Disincorporation ..........................................................................................................83

Table 30: Record an Annexation in an Adjacent County ............................................................................86

Table 31: Making a Boundary Correction ...................................................................................................94

Table 32: Adding a Geographic Corridor ....................................................................................................97

Table 33: Adding a Linear Feature ...........................................................................................................104

Table 34: Deleting a Linear Feature .........................................................................................................106

Table 35: Restoring a Deleted Linear Feature..........................................................................................107

Table 36: Changing the Attributes of a Linear Feature.............................................................................108

Table 37: Creating a New Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area ................................................................111

Table 38: Deleting an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area.......................................................................114

Table 39: Adding Area to an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area ............................................................117

Table 40: Removing Area from an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area ...................................................119

Table 41: Adding a Point Landmark..........................................................................................................122

Table 42: Deleting a Point Landmark........................................................................................................123

Table 43: Changing the Attributes of a Point Landmark ...........................................................................124

Table 44: Using the Geography Review Tool ...........................................................................................125

Table 45: Reviewing Change Polygons ....................................................................................................130

Table 46: Export a Printable Map .............................................................................................................138

Table 47: Exporting Files to Share with Another User..............................................................................141

Table 48: Exporting Files for Submission to the Census Bureau .............................................................143

Table 49: Transmitting Files to the Census Bureau Using SWIM.............................................................146

Table 50: Reset Layer Symbology............................................................................................................ E-1

Table 51: Change Default Labeling .......................................................................................................... E-3

Table 52: Restoring Default Labeling........................................................................................................ E-5

Table 53: Table of Contents Layers Toolbar Buttons ............................................................................... E-6

Table 54: MAF/TIGER Feature Classification............................................................................................F-1
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page vi

Table 55: State Shapefiles Names ...........................................................................................................G-1

Table 56: County Shapefiles Names ........................................................................................................G-2

Table 57: Edges Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_edges) ..................................................................................... H-1

Table 58: Address Ranges Attribute File (PVS_17_v2_addr) .................................................................. H-2

Table 59: Census Block Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_tabblock2010) .............................................................. H-3

Table 60: Census Tract Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_curtracts) ...................................................................... H-4

Table 61: American Indian Areas Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_aial) ............................................................... H-5

Table 62: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_county) ................................................ H-6

Table 63: County Subdivisions Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_mcd) .................................................................. H-7

Table 64: Incorporated Place Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_place) ................................................................... H-8
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. BAS Workflow................................................................................................................................1

Figure 2. GUPS Main Page Layout.............................................................................................................35

Figure 3. Close Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................37

Figure 4. Restore the Table of Contents.....................................................................................................38

Figure 5. Managing Layer Visibility .............................................................................................................38

Figure 6. Menu and Toolbars......................................................................................................................39

Figure 7. Manage Layer Toolbar.................................................................................................................39

Figure 8. Standard Toolbar .........................................................................................................................45

Figure 9. Sub-tool Markers..........................................................................................................................45

Figure 10. BAS Toolbar...............................................................................................................................58

Figure 11. Status Bar ..................................................................................................................................59

Figure 12. Add Data Toolbar.......................................................................................................................60

Figure 13. Annexed Area Corridor and Unincorporated Area................................................................... B-2

Figure 14. Incorporated Area and Unincorporated Area........................................................................... B-2

Figure 15. Participant Responses............................................................................................................. B-2

Figure 16. A Cadastral (Parcel-Based) Boundary Map ............................................................................ B-3

Figure 17. How a Boundary Should be Represented When Sent to the Census Bureau ........................ B-3

Figure 18. Place Boundary – Front Lot Line ............................................................................................. B-4

Figure 19. Place Boundary – Rear Lot Line.............................................................................................. B-4

Figure 20. Table of Contents Layers Toolbar ........................................................................................... E-6

Figure 21. Add Preset Layer ..................................................................................................................... E-7

Figure 22. Visibility Presets Dialog Box ........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page viii

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act (PRA) unless that collection of information displays a current valid Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. This collection is voluntary. The authority for 

conducting this collection comes from Title 13 Unites States Code (U.S.C.), Section 6

Paperwork Reduction Act.

The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0607-0151. Public reporting for this 

collection of information is estimated to be approximately 2 hours per response, including the 

time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden 

should be directed to:

Paperwork Reduction 0607-0151

United States Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Road, Room 4H177

Washington, DC 20233

The Census Bureau issued a Federal Register Notice to revise its confidentiality pledge 

language to address the new cybersecurity screening requirements:

Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from 

cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page ix

INTRODUCTION

A. The Boundary and Annexation Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) conducts an annual survey called the Boundary and 

Annexation Survey (BAS) to collect information about selected legally defined geographic areas, 

such as counties (and equivalent areas), incorporated places, minor civil divisions (MCDs), 

federally recognized American Indian Areas (AIAs), including reservations, off-reservation trust 

lands and tribal subdivisions, Hawaiian Homelands, and Alaska Native Regional Corporations 

(ANRC). The BAS also provides an opportunity for participants to review the names and 

geographic relationships for these areas. Title 13, U.S.C., Section 6, authorizes this survey.

The Census Bureau uses the boundary information collected during the BAS to tabulate data for 

the decennial and economic censuses, and to support the Population Estimates Program (PEP) 

and the American Community Survey (ACS). Maintaining correct boundaries and boundary-tofeature relationships through the BAS helps ensure that the Census Bureau assigns the 

appropriate population to each governmental unit (GU).

In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16, the BAS supports the 

Census Bureau’s spatial data steward responsibilities for the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC) and the Geospatial One-Stop by updating the inventory and boundaries of 

GUs.

In addition, the BAS is the source of up-to-date information on changes to the boundaries, 

codes and names of incorporated places, MCDs, counties (and equivalent areas), Hawaiian 

Homelands, ANRC, and federally recognized AIAs, which include reservations and offreservation trust lands used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS), the National Map, and the 

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

Please visit the BAS program Web site at <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas.html>.

For more information on the BAS, please view the “Introduction to BAS” video series on the 

Census Bureau’s BAS Web site at <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/library/videos/bas-intro.html>

B. What’s New for the 2018 BAS?

1. The Geographic Partnership Support Desk (GPSD) is now fully functional and 

available to assist with any questions respondents may have regarding BAS.

2. Redistricting data contacts participating in the Voting District Project (VTDP) may 

submit boundary updates for reconciliation with BAS contacts.

C. Key Dates for BAS Respondents

January 1, 2018—All boundary changes must be legally in effect on or before this date to be 

reported in the 2018 BAS.

March 1, 2018—BAS submission date deadline for boundary updates to be reflected in the ACS 

and PEP published data. Boundary submissions received by this date are also reflected in next 

year’s BAS materials.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page x

May 31, 2018—BAS boundary updates submitted by this date will be reflected in next year’s 

BAS materials. 

D. BAS State Agreements

The Census Bureau has established a number of agreements with states for reporting boundary 

changes. Please visit the BAS State Agreements webpage within the BAS program Web site at

<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/information/state-agreements.html> or call 

(800) 972-5651 for information regarding state agreements.

Note: The Census Bureau can only establish BAS state agreements for states that require local 

governments to report boundary changes to a state agency.

E. Legal Disputes

If the Census Bureau discovers that an area of land is in dispute between two or more 

jurisdictions, the Census Bureau will not make any boundary corrections until the parties come 

to a written agreement, or there is a documented final court decision regarding the dispute. 

If you have questions concerning this, please contact the Census Bureau Legal Office at 

301-763-9844.

For disputes involving tribal areas, the Census Bureau must defer to the Office of the Solicitor at 

the Department of the Interior for a legal opinion. Often complicated land issues require an 

extended period of time for resolution, and in those cases, the Census Bureau will retain the 

current boundary in the database until a legal opinion is issued by the Solicitor’s office.

F. Respondent Guide Organization

This guide has been created for those who choose to participate in the survey using GUPS. 

Those using their own GIS should consult the Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent 

Guide: Digital available on the BAS Web site: <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/information/response-methods.Digital_BAS.html>. Those using paper maps should 

consult the Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: Paper. This guide is equipped 

with shortcuts to subjects that respondents may want to jump to directly. To move directly to one 

of these sections, click on the linked text.

This guide contains two parts:

Part 1: Provides an overview of BAS. It specifies the:

 BAS Process and Workflow;

 Receiving the GUPS Application and Shapefiles;

 GUPS Help;

 BAS Help;

 Reviewing BAS Data (Information specific to the review and update of each type of 

geographic entity);

 Boundary Corrections (Including Legal Boundary Changes and Reviewing Legal Boundaries);

 Reviewing Linear Features (Including Reviewing Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas);

 Reviewing Point Landmarks;

 Validating Updates; and
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page xi

 Submitting Files Through SWIM and Submitting Files on DVD.

Part 2: Describes GUPS and gives step-by-step instructions (Action/Result in table 

format) for how to:

 How To Use GUPS application;

 Requirements and installation;

 How to Access BAS Shapefiles; Download Shapefiles from the BAS Web site to Your Hard Drive; 

and Download Shapefiles from the Census Bureau ftp2 Site;

 How to Import User-Provided Data into GUPS;

 How to Import a Shared ZIP Shapefile;

 How to Update Legal Boundaries;

 How to Update Linear Features;

 How to Use GUPS Review and Validation Tools;

 Export a Printable Map; and

 How to Export ZIP Files to Share/Submit. 

Note: In all the Action/Result tables, the action is ususally a command or action you need to perform and 

the Result(s) of the action will be shown in italics. For example: if you click GUPS icon on your 

desktop, the software should begin to run automatically.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 1

PART 1: BAS OVERVIEW

SECTION 1: PROCESS AND WORKFLOW

Figure 1 below illustrates the three phases of the work to be completed for the BAS. The first 

section in the diagram includes initial steps. The second section indicates the types of 

geographic data that should be reviewed and updated. The final section lists the final steps to 

validate and submit changes.

Figure 1. BAS Workflow

Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this guide are organized around the topical areas in the diagram and 

provide needed program information and procedures, as well as relevant deadlines. 

See Appendix A: BAS Contact Information and Resources for a list of contacts and helpful 

program links.

1.1 Receiving the GUPS Application and Shapefiles

GUPS is available for installation two ways. GUPS software is available for download directly 

from the BAS Web site <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technicaldocumentation/gups-instructions.html>. You can also request to receive GUPS software on 

DVD, which will be shipped to you in a package containing the GUPS DVD, respondent guide, 

and a read me text file.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 2

Once you have installed GUPS on your computer, the BAS shapefiles can be imported from the 

BAS Web site directly to the GUPS application. Instructions on how to load data into GUPS 

appears in Section 5.2. If you do not have Internet access, you may request shapefiles on 

DVD. To request a data DVD, call 1-800-796-3748 or e-mail geo.bas@census.gov.

1.2 Getting Help

1.2.1 GUPS Help

Part 2: How To Use GUPS of this guide contains directions for how to use the tools available 

within the GUPS application, as well as step-by-step instructions for how to carry out specific 

shapefile updates (e.g., annexations and deannexations, adding and deleting features and 

landmarks, etc.).

Embedded within the GUPS application (under the Help tab menu) are other resources, 

including a short training video on how to submit a ZIP file through SWIM. Additional videos will 

be provided on the BAS Web site as they become available. In addition, a Section 508-

compliant version of this guide is available there. The Help menu provides a link to both.

For supplemental information on functions within the GUPS that are specific to QGIS, a QGIS 

user’s manual can be found at <http://docs.qgis.org/2.8/en/docs/user_manual/index.html>. The 

QGIS manual offers particularly helpful information on several activities that are touched on in 

this guide, but not described in detail, including working with user-provided data layers, creating 

search expressions for attribute tables, and creating customized coordinate systems. For 

questions concerning technical problems with the GUPS application, user support is available 

via telephone (1-800-972-5651) and e-mail geo.bas@census.gov.

1.3 BAS Help

BAS participants may find the Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: Digital 

helpful. Although designed for experienced GIS users, it provides important information on 

geocoding, topological relationships, and spatial accuracy relevant to Census shapefiles. This 

guide can be downloaded at: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas.html>.

The Census Bureau has also created a number of other BAS-related videos, including a helpful 

one on the subject of topology and why topology is important to the BAS. To view these videos, 

go to: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/library/videos.html>.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 3

SECTION 2: REVIEWING BAS DATA

The Census Bureau requests that you review and update all legal entities and boundaries within 

your jurisdiction, including the new incorporation or disincorporation of legal entities, legal 

boundary changes, and boundary corrections. You may also update linear features and 

landmarks, including area landmarks, hydrographic areas, and point landmarks, although review 

of these is optional.

To help conduct your review, the GUPS application will allow you to import and overlay your 

own geospatial data layers with the Census Bureau shapefiles. You can import image files from 

web mapping services, geodatabases, and also other file types. Steps to import the most 

common types of user-provided data are provided in Section 5.7 How to Import UserProvided Data into GUPS.

2.1 Boundary Corrections

A boundary correction is the adjustment of a boundary to correct an error in how the Census 

Bureau depicts an existing boundary. Boundary corrections should follow the general shape of 

the existing boundary. Legal documentation is not required when submitting a boundary 

correction to the Census Bureau.

2.2 Legal Boundary Changes

Legal boundary changes are the result of legal actions (e.g., annexations), and documenting 

such changes is the primary goal of the BAS. AIA Legal documentation (e.g., statute, federal 

court decision, trust deed) must accompany all AIA legal boundary changes, while legal 

boundary change submissions from incorporated places, MCDs, and counties must provide an 

authorization number, such as a resolution or ordinance number.

2.3 Reviewing Legal Boundaries

When reviewing legal boundaries, please examine the Census Bureau shapefiles for all legal 

entities in your jurisdiction. These includes:

 Incorporated places;

 Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) such as towns, boroughs, and townships;

 Counties (and county equivalents); and

 Consolidated cities.

The Table 1 shows the specific changes allowed for each legal entity type.

Table 1: Available Change Types by Entity Type

Entity Type Available Change Types

Incorporated Place  New Entity (New incorporation)

 Deleted Entity (Disincorporation)

 Addition or Annexation

 Deletion or Deannexation

 Boundary Correction (add)

 Boundary Correction (remove)

 Geographic Corridor

 Geographic Offset
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 4

Entity Type Available Change Types

Minor Civil Division (MCD)  New Entity

 Deleted Entity

 Addition or Annexation

 Deletion or Deannexation

 Boundary Correction (add)

 Boundary Correction (remove)

 Geographic Corridor

 Geographic Offset

County  New Entity (New incorporation of place and MCD)

 Deleted Entity (Disincorporation of place and MCD)

 Addition or Annexation

 Deletion or Deannexation 

 Boundary Correction (add)

 Boundary Correction (remove)

 Geographic Corridor

 Geographic Offset

Consolidated City  New Entity (New incorporation of place and MCD)

 Deleted Entity (Disincorporation of place and MCD)

 Addition or Annexation

 Deletion or Deannexation 

 Boundary Correction (add)

 Boundary Correction (remove)

 Geographic Corridor

 Geographic Offset

2.4 Requirements for Legal Boundary Changes

2.4.1 Boundary Changes to Legal Entities

For a boundary change to an existing legal entity (or the new incorporation or disincorporation of 

a legal entity) to be processed as a legal change, you must provide the legal documentation 

number (e.g., law or ordinance number), effective date, and authorization type. You are not 

required to submit paperwork documenting the change. 

Note: Although additional documentation is not required, we do strongly encourage you to attach 

supporting paperwork to your submission (you may do this directly in GUPS). The paperwork will 

expedite our ability to reconcile and process any legal updates.

2.4.2 Boundary Changes to Legal Entities in Georgia and Indiana

Georgia: Any legal boundary change made to an incorporated place in the state of Georgia 

must include: (1) the effective date, and (2) the acreage of the new entity. In addition, before 

entering the change, you must ensure that all annexation/deannexation information has been 

reported to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The DCA provides the Census Bureau 

a list of the entities that reported boundary changes each year. Any legal boundary changes to 

incorporated places not on this list will not be placed in the MAF/TIGER System. For additional 

information, see: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bas/technicaldocumentation/methodology/state-agreements.html>.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 5

Indiana: Per Indiana state law, counties must provide the legal boundary updates for townships. 

For more information, refer to Indiana Code 36-6 Government of Townships at

<http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2017/ic/titles/001>. If you have questions about required 

documentation for your particular jurisdiction, contact the Geography Division by phone at 

1-800-972-5651 or by e-mail at geo.bas@census.gov.

2.5 Reviewing Linear Features

It is important that Census Bureau data reflects the most recent linear features to ensure that 

new or previously missed housing units located along these features are identified and located. 

When reviewing linear features (edges layer) on the Census Bureau shapefiles, first determine 

whether any features are missing or need to be deleted. Pay particular attention to areas that 

have experienced recent population growth or construction activities, as these are the most

likely to possess new or altered linear features (e.g., new subdivisions, traffic circles converted 

to straight ways, or privately maintained roads that serve as public streets, but exclude private 

driveways). 

You may also add attribute updates (e.g., name, class code, and address ranges) for selected 

features. For a complete list of MAF/TIGER Feature Class Codes (MTFCCs), review

Appendix C MTFCC Descriptions.

To aid in the review of linear features, GUPS allows you to import local street centerline files, 

hydrography layers, imagery, and other user-provided geospatial data for reference and 

comparison against the Census Bureau data.

In your review, please note:

 S1100 and S1200—If you add road features with an MTFCC of S1100 (Primary Road) or S1200 

(Secondary Road), you must supply a feature name. As is the case for all road features, the 

feature name should be a proper name or route number.

 Spatial Inaccuracies—The Census Bureau will not process the wholesale spatial realignment of 

features to enhance spatial accuracy. If a feature is in the incorrect location, delete the feature 

and add it in the correct location. Take this action only if the feature is exceedingly spatially 

inaccurate and/or the current location (with respect to other features and boundaries) affects the 

tabulation of housing units to the correct geography, such as legal entities, census tracts, and 

census blocks.

 Address Range Changes—The Census Bureau accepts address range data as part of the linear 

feature update layer. As with other linear feature updates, you must supply the required attributes 

and corresponding change type for the update. In addition, because existing address ranges are 

not shown in our outgoing shapefiles, we recommend that participants only add address ranges 

to new features.

2.6 Reviewing Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas

The Census Bureau accepts updates to area landmarks and hydrographic areas in a similar 

manner to legal boundary changes. However, area landmarks and hydro areas are not legal 

entities, so no documentation or effective dates are required.

Allowable updates for area landmarks and hydrographic areas are:

 Add new area landmark or hydrographic area;

 Remove area landmark or hydrographic area;

 Change or add landmark name; and
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 6

 Boundary corrections (add and remove area).

If you add a new area landmark or hydrographic area, please add only: 

 Water bodies;

 Glaciers;

 Airports;

 Cemeteries;

 Golf courses; and

 Parks.

The Census Bureau cannot add other types of area landmark / hydrographic areas to the 

MAF/TIGER System at this time (even though others may already exist in the database).

Table 2 shows the acceptable MTFCCs for new area landmarks or hydrographic areas.

Table 2: Acceptable MTFCCs for New Area Landmarks / Hydrographic Areas

MTFCC Description 

H2030 Lake/Pond

H2040 Reservoir

H2041 Treatment Pond

H2051 Bay/Estuary/Gulf/Sound

H2081 Glacier

C3023 Island

K1231 Hospital/Hospice/Urgent Care Facility

K1235 Juvenile Institution

K1236 Local Jail or Detention Center 

K1237 Federal Penitentiary, State Prison, or Prison Farm

K2110 Military Installation

K2180 Park

K2181 National Park Service Land

K2182 National Forest or Other Federal Land

K2183 Tribal Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2184 State Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2185 Regional Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2186 County Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2187 County Subdivision Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2188 Incorporated Place Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2189 Private Park, Forest, or Recreation Area

K2190 Other Park, Forest, or Recreation Area (quasi-public, independent park, 

commission, etc.)

K2424 Marina

K2540 University or College

K2457 Airport – Area Representation

K2561 Golf Course

K2582 Cemetery
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 7

Note: If adding an MTFCC K2457 (Airport – Area Representation) area landmark, please limit the 

updates to major airports (major regional and international airports). The feature should show the 

full extent of the airport facility, that is, do not limit the addition to simply the landing strips.

2.7 Reviewing Point Landmarks

Because many of the point landmarks contained in the Census Bureau’s MAF/TIGER System 

originate from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), 

which is the official gazetteer of point landmark names for the Federal Government, point 

landmark updates are limited in the BAS. The Census Bureau cannot modify any point landmark 

imported from the GNIS database. Thus, be aware that name changes or deletions submitted 

for the following types of landmarks may be left unchanged:

 K2451 (Airport or Airfield);

 K2582 (Cemetery);

 C3022 (Summit or Pillar); and

 C3081 (Locale or Populated Place).

Also, due to Title 13 privacy concerns, any landmark with an MTFCC shown in Table 3 below 

cannot be added to the MAF/TIGER System as a point landmark. The MAF/TIGER System no 

longer maintains any point landmarks with these MTFCCs. Landmarks with these codes could 

identify a residence or private business. Thus, it is also important not to add any of the point 

landmark types shown in the table using alternative MTFCCs.

Table 3: Restricted Point Landmark MTFCCs

MTFCC Description 

K1100 Housing Unit Location

K1121 Apartment Building or Complex

K1122 Rooming or Boarding House

K1223 Trailer Court or Mobile Home Park

K1226 Housing Facility/Dormitory for Workers

K1227 Hotel, Motel, Resort, Spa, Hostel, YMCA, or YWCA

K1228 Campground

K1229 Shelter or Mission

K1232 Halfway House/Group Home

K1233 Nursing Home, Retirement Home, or Home for the Aged

K1234 County Home or Poor Farm

K1235 Juvenile Institution
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 8

MTFCC Description 

K1241 Sorority, Fraternity, or College Dormitory

K1251 Military Group Quarters

K1299 Other Group Quarters Location

K2100 Governmental

K2197 Mixed Use/Other Non-residential

K2300 Commercial Workplace

K2361 Shopping Center or Major Retail Center

K2362 Industrial Building or Industrial Park

K2363 Office Building or Office Park

K2364 Farm/Vineyard/Winery/Orchard

K2366 Other Employment Center

K2424 Marina

K2500 Other Workplace

K2564 Amusement Center
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 9

SECTION 3: QUALITY CONTROL AND FILE SUBMISSION

3.1 Validating Updates

Once you have completed your BAS updates, you must complete a review of your change 

polygons to ensure that:

1. The polygons have no unintended holes (e.g., you annexed several faces but missed a traffic 

circle or small pond).

2. All boundary corrections meet a minimum size threshold (very small corrections cannot be 

processed).

3.2 Submitting Files Through SWIM

Prompt submission of updates is appreciated. It benefits the Census Bureau—allowing us to 

review the files early, provide feedback, and avoid backups in file processing—and you—

guaranteeing your updates are recorded accurately and are reflected in the latest releases of 

Census Bureau data products.

For those with Internet access, all BAS submissions must be made via the Secure Web 

Incoming Module (SWIM). Due to security reasons, we cannot accept files sent via e-mail or 

through our alternate ftp sites. 

If you indicated on your “Annual Response Form” that you wished to receive the GUPS 

application, you will automatically receive the SWIM URL and a registration token via e-mail. 

The e-mail should arrive 5 days after the Annual Response is completed online (or 5 business 

days after the Census Bureau receives the paper form).

The registration token allows you to establish a personal SWIM account. If you do not receive a 

SWIM token after the amount of time specified, e-mail geo.bas@census.gov or call 

1-800-972-5651.

Once registered, you will no longer need the token to log into the system.

For step-by-step instructions to submit files through the SWIM, refer to Table 49. For those 

without Internet access, see Section 3.3 below.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 10

3.3 Submitting Files on DVD

If you do not have Internet access, you may copy your ZIP file(s) to DVD for submission. The 

DVD should be mailed to: 

U.S. Census Bureau

National Processing Center

ATTN: BAS Returns, Bldg 63E

1201 East 10th Street

Jeffersonville, IN 47132
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 11

PART 2: HOW TO USE GUPS

SECTION 4: REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

This section includes information needed to use GUPS. It offers a description of the GUPS 

application and gives specific instructions (in the form of Step / Action tables) for how to use 

GUPS to make BAS updates. Reminder: this guide is equipped with shortcuts to subjects that 

respondents may want to jump to directly. To move directly to one of these sections, click on the 

linked text.

Part 1: Requirements and installation

 Getting Started - Lists the hardware and software requirements for GUPS and SWIM; and

 How to Install GUPS - Provides instructions for installing the application.

Part 2: Using GUPS (Basics and Map Management)

 How to Access BAS Shapefiles - Provides instructions to open GUPS, start a project, and load 

shapefiles;

How to Start a New Project Using GUPS to Import Data from the Census Bureau’s BAS Website (Recommended Method);

 Download Shapefiles from the Census Bureau ftp2 Site;

 Use GUPS Interface - Including the Menu, Toolbars, Table of Contents or Map Legend, and the 

Map View area; 

 Menu & Toolbars - Offers instructions for using the tools available through the menu and toolbars;



 How to Import User-Provided Data into GUPS;

 How to Upload User-Provided Data Layers; and

 How to Import a Shared ZIP Shapefile.

Part 2: Making BAS Updates in GUPS

 How to Update Legal Boundaries - Gives instructions to make required and optional updates in 

the application;

 Adding a New Legal Entity (New Incorporation) and Deleting an Entity (Disincorporation)

 Making a Boundary Update on a County Line

 Making a Legal Boundary Change for a Consolidated City

 Making a Boundary Correction (Add Area/Remove Area)

 Adding a Geographic Corridor and How to Add a Geographic Offset

How to Update Linear Features;

How to Update Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas;

How to Update Point Landmarks;

 How to Use GUPS Review and Validation Tools;

 Export a Printable Map; 

 How to Export ZIP Files to Share/Submit; and

 Submitting Files Through SWIM.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 12

4.1 Getting Started

Download GUPS from the BAS Web site at: <https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/bas/technical-documentation/gups-instructions.html>. If you requested and received the 

GUPS package, it should include a DVD containing the GUPS software, respondent guides, and 

a readme text file. 

Before beginning the installation, check your computer to verify that it has the capabilities need 

to run GUPS (using Table 4 below).

GUPS is based on QGIS (formerly known as Quantum GIS), a free and open-source desktop 

geographic information system application. You can learn more about QGIS at 

<http://www.qgis.org/en/site/>. The GUPS application was developed for use in a desktop PC or 

a network environment.

Table 4 lists the hardware and software requirements to install and run GUPS. Also included 

are the software requirements to: (1) play training videos available within the application and (2) 

submit files through the SWIM Web site.

Table 4: GUPS Hardware and Software Requirements

Hardware Operating System Browser

Disk Space Needed to 

Run GUPS: 

2.0 GB

Disk Space Needed to 

Store Shapefiles: 

Shapefile sizes vary. To 

view the size of your 

shapefiles, select a file/

folder, right-click, and 

choose Properties in the 

drop-down menu. The 

Files Properties box 

opens and displays the 

file/folder sizes. Select 

multiple files/ folders in 

the list to view their 

properties via the same 

method.

RAM: 

 4 GB recommended 

minimum

Windows: 

To run GUPS, users need one of the following 

Windows operating systems:

 Windows XP

 Windows Vista

 Windows 7

 Windows 8 

 Windows 10

Apple Mac OS X: 

Mac OS X users must secure a license for 

Microsoft Windows and use a Windows 

bridge. The suggested bridge software is Boot 

Camp, which comes pre-installed on all Mac 

computers. See instructions for using Boot 

Camp at:

<https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/ge

tstarted/>.

Important Note: Since Boot Camp requires

you to restart your computer to set up the 

bridge, be sure to print the instructions 

provided at the URL above before you begin. 

Minimum Browser 

Versions to Play Training 

Videos:

 Internet Explorer 9

 Google Chrome 3 

 Mozilla Firefox 3.5

 Apple Safari 4 

Minimum Browser 

Versions to Use SWIM:

 Internet Explorer 8 

 Google Chrome 3

 Mozilla Firefox 3.5 

 Apple Safari 4.1.3 

Depending on the Windows OS version, the GUPS dialog boxes may have a different 

appearance than the screenshots contained in the user guide, although the content is the same.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 13

4.1 How to Install GUPS

To install the GUPS application you must have Administrator privileges for your computer. If you 

already have GUPS downloaded, please make sure you are using the most current version. 

Compare the version on your computer with the one provided on the Census Bureau’s 

installation DVD to acquire the latest version. To complete the installation, follow the steps in 

Table 5: Install the GUPS Application.

Note: If you already have a version of GUPS installed, please check to make sure you are running the 

latest version. Go to the GUPS tab and click the About GUPS option in the drop-down menu to 

find the GUPS version number. If you are not running the latest version, download and follow the 

setup instructions which will automatically uninstall the old version before it installs the latest 

GUPS version.

Table 5: Install the GUPS Application

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click the direct download link <https://www2.census.gov/geo/pvs/gups/> or place the 

installation DVD into your computer’s DVD drive. For some users, a Windows protected 

your PC pop-up box may appear. 

To continue, click ‘More info’, then select ‘Run anyway?’. 

Step 2 Other users may receive a user account control pop-up that asks, “Do you want to run this 

file?”, “Do you want to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make 

changes to this computer?”, or a similar query. See an example below. 

If you receive such a pop-up, click ‘Run’, ‘Yes’, ‘Allow’, or an option that allows you to 

proceed. The software should begin to run automatically. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 14

Step Action and Result

Step 3 If the software does not run automatically, open Windows Explorer, navigate to your DVD 

drive, and double-click on the file named Setup-7.0.0-x.bat.

Note: The name of this file may vary slightly, but it will be the only setup .bat file available.

If the software still does not run properly, contact your System Administrator for assistance. 

Step 4 When the installer opens, the Welcome to the QGIS Setup Wizard screen appears. 

Before proceeding, close all other programs or applications you have open. Once other 

programs and applications are closed, click the Next button.

Step 5 The License Agreement screen appears. 

Read the License Agreement and click the I Agree button to continue.

Step 6 The Choose Install Location screen opens. We recommend you install the application at 

the default location (i.e., C:\Program files\QGISGUPS).
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 15

Step Action and Result

To begin the installation, click Next to continue.

Step 7 The Choose Components screen opens. 

‘QGIS’ in the Select components to install field is grayed out since it is the default. You 

do not need to select it, simply click Install to continue. 

If you want to review a previous screen or reread the license agreement, click the Back 

button (each screen contains this button). This returns you to the previous screen. 

Step 8 The software should take between 5 and 10 minutes to install. When it is finished, the 

Completing the QGIS GUPS Setup Wizard screen opens.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 16

Step Action and Result

Click the Finish button.

Step 9 After you click finish, the GUPS Install Setup: Completed screen opens showing the status 

of the installation of GUPS on your computer. When completed, you click the close button 

on the following screen.

Step 10 To complete the installation, click the Close button at the bottom of the GUPS Install 

Setup: Completed Setup Wizard screen. Once the application installs, a QGIS icon 

appears on your desktop.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 17

SECTION 5: USING GUPS (BASICS AND MAP 

MANAGEMENT)

After successfully installing GUPS, you are ready to start your BAS updates. There are three 

ways to retrieve shapefiles when starting a new project:

 From the Census Web site (loads directly into GUPS);

 From DVD (if one was requested); and

 From My Computer (if you downloaded them to your hardrive).

Table 6 shows the steps to open GUPS and start a new project using the Census Web site. 

shows the same steps to open GUPS, but starts a new project using the Census provided DVD 

or My Computer (downloaded Census shapefiles saved to your hard drive).

5.1 How to Access BAS Shapefiles

BAS shapefiles from the BAS Web site can be pulled directly into the application when working 

in GUPS. Users can load the shapefiles as needed or load multiple county files at once. This is 

the preferred method for loading the Census Bureau’s BAS Shapefiles into GUPS as it ensures 

that required files are placed in the correct location for the application to access.

Another option for loading files is to download the shapefiles to your hard drive from the BAS 

Web site (or from the Census Bureau ftp2 site), then import them into GUPS. BAS shapefiles 

are also available for download from the BAS Web site here: 

<https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/2018/geo/bas/2018-bas-shapefiles.html>.

Instructions for how to download Census Bureau shapefiles to your hard drive appear in Table 6

and Table 7. Downloading files to your hard drive is not the preferred method when working in 

GUPS, and should be used only when necessary (e.g., you need additional data layers that 

GUPS does not automatically load and want to pull them in as user-provided data).

If you have requested to receive the shapefiles on DVD, you can also load the files directly into

GUPS from the DVD. Instructions for how to load shapefiles are contained in Table 6: Start a 

New Project Using Shapefiles from the BAS Web site.

Whether the files are pulled from the BAS Web site or from the DVD, the GUPS application 

unzips them and places them into a pre-established folder created on your computer’s home 

directory during the installation process (C:\GUPSGIS\gupsdata\BAS2018\shape). It then 

displays them in the application. GUPS then manages the files for you. You do not need to take 

any further action.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 18

5.2 How to Start a New Project Using GUPS to Import Data from 

the Census Bureau’s BAS Website (Recommended Method)

To open the GUPS application and begin your BAS updates, follow the steps in Table 6 below. 

Before beginning, note that:

1. If you wish to practice using GUPS without committing the changes you make, simply exit the

system without saving. Before the system closes, it will give you the option to discard the

changes.

2. If you feel comfortable with the system, but you do not want to make all your changes in one

session, simply save your changes, then close the system. When you open GUPS later, it will

allow you to reopen the project and continue working.

Note: In all the Action/Result tables, the action is ususally a command or action you need to perform and 

the Result(s) of the action will be shown in italics. For example: if you click the QGIS icon on your 

desktop, the software should begin to run automatically.

Table 6: Start a New Project Using Shapefiles from the BAS Web site

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Double-click the QGIS icon on your desktop. 

The QGIS splash screen appears. (Note: QGIS is the open-source platform on which GUPS 

is built.)

Step 2 Wait until the application loads (If you have an older computer, this may require a few 

minutes). When the GUPS application has loaded, the GUPS main page opens and the 

QGIS Tips! box appears. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 19

Step Action and Result

Note: Since GUPS was built on the QGIS open-source platform, you may see references to 

QGIS in several locations within the GUPS application.

Step 3 If you wish to view QGIS system tips, click the Next button to read the first tip. Thereafter use 

the Previous and Next buttons to navigate within tips. If you do not wish to see tips again, 

click the checkbox in the bottom left-hand corner that reads ‘I’ve had enough tips, don’t show 

this on start up any more!’

Step 4 To begin a GUPS project, close the QGIS Tips! box by clicking the OK button. The box 

closes and the Map Management dialog box opens, as shown below.

Step 5 In the Map Management dialog box, use the drop-down menu next to the Program field to 

select your program, ‘Boundary and Annexation Survey’. ‘Boundary and Annexation’

populates the field. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 20

Step Action and Result

Step 6 In the Sub Program field, select ‘Boundary and Annexation Survey’.

In the State field, use the drop-down menu to select your state. The scroll bar to the right 

allows you to move up and down the list of states.

This example uses Indiana.

Step 7 In the Working County field, use the drop-down menu to select the county for which you 

wish to make updates. 

This example uses Jefferson County, Indiana.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 21

Step Action and Result

Independent City Users

Note that the Working County drop-down menu is sorted by FIPS code. Thus you must 

search for your city’s code rather than assuming it will appear alphabetically. A portion of the 

Working County drop-down list (we used the State of Virginia for this example) appears 

below, showing independent cities near the end of the list because their FIPS codes are 

higher.

Step 8 After you select the working county or counties, GUPS asks you to specify the location from 

which you want to pull the county’s (or county equivalent’s) shapefile. The Select Data 

Folder, Directory or Location box opens.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 22

Step Action and Result

GUPS will only ask you to specify a location the first time you open a county’s shapefile. 

When you come back to work on the same county again, the shapefile will automatically load, 

even if you made no changes in your first session.

Step 9 In the Select Data Folder, Directory or Location box drop-down menu, select the location 

from which you wish to pull the file. This example assumes the user is pulling the data from 

the BAS Web site, so click on ‘Census Web’ in the drop-down menu.

Step 10 Once you click on ‘Census Web’, the shapefile for the county begins to load and progress is 

displayed by a blue striped bar (color may vary), with the percentage of the upload completed 

displayed to the right.

Step 11 As GUPS loads the data, it unzips and copies the files to a folder that was created on your 

computer’s home directory during the installation process. It then pulls the file into the GUPS 

application. 

Step 12 Once finished loading, the Map Management screen allows you to now enter the the entity 

type.

In the Entity Type field drop-down menu, select the entity type you represent. The options 

are ‘Consolidated City’, County’, ‘Minor Civil Division (MCD)’, ‘Place’, and ‘State’. 

Note: The options you see may vary, depending on the entity types your state contains. 

Independent city users should select ‘Place’.

This example assumes a ‘County’ user.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 23

Step Action and Result

Step 13 After the entity type is selected, an Entity Name field appears. Since you selected the entity 

type ‘County’, and you already named Jefferson County as your working county, GUPS 

automatically fills the Entity Name field with ‘Jefferson County.’

If you select ‘Consolidated City’ as your Entity Type, the name of the consolidated citycounty government automatically fills the Entity Name field. 

If you select ‘Place’ as your Entity Type, the Entity Name field is blank. A drop-down menu, 

which lists all incorporated places within the working county, allows you to select your entity.

If you select ‘State’ as your entity type, the state you selected in the State field automatically 

fills the Entity Name field. 

Step 14 In all cases, a list of the counties in the state appears at the bottom of the Map Management

dialog box. 

Adjacent counties (counties whose borders touch the working county) are highlighted in 

yellow and checked. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 24

Step Action and Result

Step 15 All checked counties will display in the Map View. Uncheck the box for any county you do not 

wish to see.

To select additional counties to display (you may choose up to a total of 10 at once), check 

the checkboxes next to them. Scroll down using the scroll bar to the right to see the full list of 

counties.

Step 16 For this example, we select neighboring Clark and Jennings Counties. Check the checkboxes 

next to these counties, then click the Open button at the bottom of the Map 

Management dialog box.

Step 18 As GUPS loads the data, it unzips and copies the files to a folder that was created on your 

computer’s home directory during the installation process. It then pulls the file into the GUPS 

application.

The data layers for Jefferson County appear in the Table of Contents and the maps for the 

selected adjacent (or other selected counties) appear next to that for the working county in 

Map View. In our example, as shown below, Map View displays the maps for Jennings and 

Clark Counties next to that for Jefferson County.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 25

Step Action and Result

Step 20 If for any reason shapefiles are missing from the location you chose in the Select Data 

Folder, Directory or Location drop-down menu, or the files are corrupted and cannot be 

loaded, you will receive an error message such as the one shown below.

Step 21 Click OK to return to the Map Management dialog box.

Step 22 You may try loading the file(s) from another location. Simply click the Open button at the 

bottom of the Map Management box. 

The Select Data Folder, Directory or Location dialog box reopens, allowing you to select 

another option for securing the files.

If you have trouble loading shapefiles using the ‘Census Web’ and ‘CD/DVD’ options, follow 

the instructions in Table 6 or Table 8 to download the files to your computer from the BAS 

Web site or Census Bureau’s ftp2 site. Then pull them into GUPS using the ‘My Computer’

option in the Select Data Folder, Directory or Location drop-down menu. When you select 

‘My Computer’ the Select directory screen opens. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 26

Step Action and Result

On this screen, click on the My Computer icon in the left-hand corner. 

Navigate to the location of the files you want to load, then select the files and click on the 

Select button at the bottom of the Select directory screen. GUPS unzips and loads the files, 

then moves them to the pre-established folder on your home directory.

Step 23 After working on a project, be sure to save before exiting. Otherwise your edits will be lost. To 

save, click the Save icon on the Standard toolbar.

The Current edits pop-up box asks if you want to save the changes for all layers.

Click OK. The changes are saved.

Step 24 If you do not wish to save your changes, simply close the application (click the red X in the 

upper right-hand corner of the main GUPS page). A Save? pop-up warning asks if you want 

to save the project.

Click Discard not to save your project. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 27

Step Action and Result

Step 25 To reopen a saved project, in the Map Management dialog box, click the down arrow next to 

the Open Recent button. The drop-down menu opens with your project listed. 

If you share a computer with other GUPS users, multiple project files may appear in the dropdown menu, as shown below. Here three separate users in Mississippi have created projects 

on the same computer. 

To identify which of the entries in the list represents your project, look at its number string. 

This string comprises your BAS ID. Each BAS ID is 11 digits. The first digit indicates the 

Entity Type (i.e., the user type) (0 = consolidated city; 1 = incorporated place; 2 = county; 3 = 

MCD; and 7 = state). The next two digits are the state FIPS code. The following three digits 

are the FIPS code for the working county (these digits are ‘000’ for incorporated places). The 

final five digits are the FIPS code for the specific incorporated place, consolidated city, or 

MCD that created the project (for counties, these digits are ‘00000’ since the county is 

already identified in the string). 

The number string, reflects a project created by a Place user (for the 

City of Lena) in Mississippi, where 1 = incorporated place; 28 = Mississippi FIPS code; 000 = 

placeholder number for non-county entities (if the user were a county user this number would 

be the FIPS code for Chickasaw County, or 155); and 40360 = the place FIPS code for Lena. 

If you do not know the BAS ID information for your particular geography, it is available within 

the Map Management dialog box. Below is an example for Hanover Township, an MCD in 

Jefferson County, Indiana.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 28

Step Action and Result

Step 26 Once you have identified the correct file to reopen, select it from the list. The map for the 

project automatically loads and the layers show in the Table of Contents.

Census Bureau-defined default layers and view settings are loaded each time you start a 

new project in GUPS.

If you change these settings for a project, when you save the project your new settings are 

also saved. Thus, when you reopen the project, the Table of Contents and Map View

display the layers and the map according to the settings you were last using rather than 

returning to the Census Bureau default settings. 

To restore the default settings for a layer: 

 Click on the layer in the Table of Contents. A drop-down menu opens. 

 In the drop-down menu, select ‘GUPS Layer’. A submenu opens. 

 In the submenu, select ‘Load default style’ (see illustration below).

To reset the default settings for all layers, select ‘Load all default style.’
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 29

Step Action and Result

Step 27 When you reopen a project, also note that any previously selected adjacent (or other 

selected) counties appear in cyan blue and remain checked. Other adjacent counties that 

have not previously been selected appear in yellow and are also checked, as shown below.

You may load files for additional counties at this point if you wish.

Loading Multiple Files at Once

The limit to how many county datasets can be loaded at once is 11 (the working county plus 

10 other counties). To load shapefiles for additional counties, after the first 10 are loaded:

 Leave the same working county selected in the Working County field. 

 Uncheck the already loaded counties in the Map Management dialog box list.

 Check the checkboxes for the additional counties (up to 10) that you wish to add. 

Click the Open button and after the Select Data Folder, Directory or Location box 

opens, use the drop-down menu to select the source of the files. Repeat this process 

as many times as needed.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 30

5.3 Download Shapefiles from the BAS Web site to Your Hard 

Drive

Follow the steps in below to download the files from the BAS Web site to your hard drive. 

Table 7: Download Shapefiles from the BAS Web site to a Hard Drive

Step Action and Result 

Step 1 Enter the URL <https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/2018/geo/bas/2018-

bas-shapefiles> into your Internet browser. The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) 

Partnership Shapefiles page opens. 

Step 2 Under ‘2018 Partnership Shapefiles’, in the ‘Select a Geography’ drop-down box, select 

the name of state your entity is located in from the drop-down list ‘. The [State Name] 

Partnership Shapefile Batch Download page opens. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 31

Step Action and Result 

Step 3 To select the county(ies) you need, click the box next to it. You may select up to five (5) 

counties at a time. Once you have selected the counties needed, hit the “Submit” button at 

the bottom left hand side of the page.

A prompt to save the file(s) appears. 

Step 4 Click the down arrow next to Save and select ‘Save As’ in the drop-down list. The Save As

dialog box appears, with the file appearing in the File Name field. If you selected more than 

one county, a single ZIP file containing the selected counties is saved.

Step 5 In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your home directory to save the files. 

Step 6 Click the Save button. The file(s) are saved in the location you selected.

Step 7 To obtain shapefiles for additional counties, repeat the download process as needed.

Step 8 When you select your geography in GUPS, the application asks you to specify the location 

(‘CD/DVD’, ‘My Computer’, or ‘Census Web’) of your files. When you select ‘My Computer’, 

GUPS asks you to select a directory. Navigate to the location where you saved the files 

and select those you wish to upload. GUPS unzips and loads the files, then moves them to 

the pre-established folder on your home directory.

Step 9 When the Select Data Folder, Directory or Location box opens, use the drop-down menu 

to select the location from which to pull the shapefiles. In this instance, we will load them 

from a Census Bureau-provided DVD. To do so, insert the DVD into your DVD drive, then 

select ‘CD/DVD’, as shown below.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 32

Step Action and Result 

The files for Clark and Jennings Counties begin to download and progress is displayed by 

the blue striped bar (color may vary), with the progress percentage noted to the right. 

Step 10 If for any reason shapefiles are missing from the location you chose in the Select Data 

Folder, Directory or Location drop-down menu, or the files are corrupted and cannot be 

loaded, you will receive an error message such as the one shown below.

5.4 Download Shapefiles from the Census Bureau ftp2 Site

If you are a state level user, or if you would like to download shapefiles for several counties at 

one time to your hard drive, follow the steps in Table 8.

Table 8: Download Shapefiles from ftp2 Site to a Hard Drive (State Users)

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Using Internet Explorer (IE) or a web browser of your choice navigate to 

<ftp://ftp2.census.gov/>. The ftp root at ftp2.census.gov main page opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 Press ‘Alt’ and click the ‘View’ tab on the browser menu and select “Open FTP site in File 

Explorer” to open the Census Bureau FTP site in Windows Explorer (sometimes called file 

explorer). If using Windows Explorer, you do not need a username or password to access 

the ftp2 site.

Step 3 After the Census Bureau FTP site has been opened in file explorer, click the ‘geo’ folder.
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Within the ‘geo’ folder, click the ‘pvs’ folder. 

Step 5 Select the state folder that contains the county(ies) for which you are downloading data. 

The state folders are represented using two-digital state FIPS codes.

Step 6 There are several sets of shapefiles within each state directory. You will want to download 

the most recent partnership shapefiles. These shapefiles are contained within a zip file 

with the prefix partnership_shapefiles_18v2. Each zip file ends with a five-digit statecounty FIPS code (e.g., 08051) which represents the county for which you are 

downloading data. Make sure to choose the filename with “18v2”, because the “18v1”

files are sometimes also available in the folders.

Step 7 Select the county or counties that you intend to download and copy to your local or 

network drive. You may copy the files to any location you wish. When you select your 

geography in GUPS, the application asks you to specify the location (‘CD/DVD’, ‘My 

Computer’, or ‘Census Web’) of your files. When you select ‘My Computer’, GUPS asks 

you to select a directory. Navigate to the location where you saved the files and select 

those you wish to upload. GUPS unzips and loads the files, then moves them to the preestablished folder on your home directory.

If you have an ftp client software such as winscp or filezilla (or other) you may connect to 

<ftp://ftp2.census.gov/> without a password. Enter ‘anonymous’ as your user name and 

enter your e-mail address in place of a password.
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5.5 Use GUPS Interface

5.5.1 GUPS Main Page

Figure 2 shows the layout of the main GUPS page. This page contains all the tools needed for 

making BAS updates. All work is completed from this page. Shown in the figure are the main 

page elements. These include the:

1. Menu;

2. Table of Contents;

3. Map View (where the data displays);

4. Toolbars (Standard toolbar, BAS toolbar, and Add Layers toolbar); and

5. Status Bar (at bottom of page).

Figure 2. GUPS Main Page Layout

The purpose for each element on the main GUPS page is explained in Section 5.5.1 through 

Section 5.7.1 describes in detail the individual components and specific functions of each

element.

Table 9: GUPS Main Page Elements

Page Element General Function

Menu The menu offers basic features such as settings and help; tools to manage the map 

view and import user-provided data; important calculation, measurement, and 

geoprocessing tools; and tools needed to make shapefile updates. Note that almost 

all of the functions available from the menu are also available in the application’s 

more conveniently located toolbars.
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Page Element General Function

Table of 

Contents 

The Table of Contents shows the layers on the map for the county you selected. 

The Table of Contents toolbar allows you to add or remove layers (or groups), 

manage layer visibility, and filter the legend by map content

Map View The Map View displays the data for the county you selected in the Map 

Management dialog box.

Standard 

Toolbar

Provides the navigation and other tools needed to interact with the map and layers’

attribute tables.

BAS Toolbar Gives the specific tools needed to make bas updates, view linear feature attributes, 

review and validate changes, import and export zipped files, and print.

Manage Layers 

Toolbar

Offers tools to import your own data. You may superimpose map layers in GUPS to 

compare the features on your own maps with those on the Census shapefiles. Note:

although shown horizontally here, this toolbar appears aligned vertically to the left of 

the Table of Contents in the GUPS application.
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Page Element General Function

Status Bar Displays information on the map scale, projection, and coordinates and allows you to 

adjust the display. 

5.5.2 Table of Contents and Map View

When you choose your program and geography in the Map Management dialog box, GUPS 

automatically loads a set of default data layers (and default layer groups) defined by the Census 

Bureau for the program you selected. As the map opens in Map View, the list of the preset 

layers (already grouped) appears in the Table of Contents.

You will use the Table of Contents and the small toolbar appearing at its top to manage your 

map view. Note that the Table of Contents and the Map View windows are interdependent. 

Selections you make in the Table of Contents are immediately reflected on the map display.

Figure 3. Close Table of Contents

You can close the Table of Contents at any time to see more of the map (just click on the small 

‘x’ in the upper right-hand corner).To restore the Table of Contents, click the View tab on the 

Menu, select ‘Panels’ in the drop-down menu, click the arrow next to ‘Panel’ to open the 

submenu, then click on ‘Layers’.
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Figure 4. Restore the Table of Contents

The Table of Contents will then reopen and display in its default position on the page.

5.5.3 Managing the Map View from Within the Table of Contents 

Within the Table of Contents, you can manage layer visibility (i.e., determine what layers 

display on the map), reorder data layers, and set new layer symbology. 

5.5.3.1 Manage Layer Visibility

To add or remove layers from the map view: 

 Click the checkbox next to a layer to add it to the map view.

 Uncheck the checkbox next to a layer to remove it from the view.

OR, Right-click the name of the layer and select ‘Remove’ in the drop-down menu.

Figure 5. Managing Layer Visibility
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5.5.3.2 Reorder Data Layers

In the Table of Contents, the order in which the layers are listed determines how the layers 

display on the map. The layers at the top display on top of those below them. To change the 

display order:

1. Left-click on the layer name.

2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the layer to the desired position in the list. 

3. Release the mouse button to place the layer in its new position. The map display will then reflect 

the new layer order in the Table of Contents.

5.5.3.3 Expand/Contract Table of Contents Menus

To expand or contract the menu for a layer or layer group:

 Click on the ‘+’ sign to expand the group. When you click the ‘+’ sign next to the layer name

, the layer’s submenu opens:

 When you click the ‘-’ sign next to the layer name, the submenu retracts: 

5.6 Menu & Toolbars

The main Menu, the Standard toolbar, and the BAS toolbar are located at the top of the 

GUPS page. These toolbars offer general GIS and system tools and allow you to make your 

BAS updates. 

Figure 6. Menu and Toolbars

The Manage Layer toolbar, the vertical toolbar located to the left of the Table of Contents

(shown here in a horizontal position) allows you to import user-provided data. 

Figure 7. Manage Layer Toolbar

Note: Although the Menu is always located at the top of the page and cannot be moved, you may move 

the toolbars to the location most convenient for you. For example, if you prefer that the Add Data 

toolbar appear at the top of the page, you can drag it there. This allows you to expand the area 

available for the Table of Contents and Map View.

 As you work with the toolbars, hover your mouse over any toolbar button to see the name of the 

tool it represents. You can also resize and reposition the toolbars by dragging them. 
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 The Menu, the Standard toolbar, and the BAS toolbar are described in the section below. The 

Add Data toolbar is discussed in Section 5.7, How to Import User-Provided Data into GUPS.

5.6.1 Menu Tabs

Table 10 below defines each of the tabs on the main Menu, provides an image of the 

drop-down options for each, and describes each tab’s function.

Table 10: Menu Tabs and Their Functions

Tab Drop-down Menu Function / Description

Project From the Project tab, you may save a project, 

click on ‘Save as Image’ to create an image

file of the map in Map View, or exit the 

application. 

If you click ‘Save as Image’, GUPS allows you 

to select a file type for the image (.png, .jpg, 

.tif, etc.), name the file, and save it to any 

location on your computer.

Edit From the Edit tab, you may ‘Undo’ your last 

action or ‘Redo’ the action (if you selected 

‘Undo’ and then changed your mind).

Note: For ‘Undo’ to work, the correct layer 

must be selected in the Table of Contents. 

For example, if you added a linear feature in 

the Edges layer, then closed the layer and 

opened the Area Landmarks layer, ‘Undo’

will not delete the linear feature. You must 

reselect the Edges layer to undo the linear 

feature’s addition. 

Note: You may undo multiple actions within a 

layer (e.g., the addition of several linear 

features) provided you have not yet saved. 

Once you save an action, ‘Undo’ is disabled. 
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Tab Drop-down Menu Function / Description

View The View tab allows you to complete several 

actions also available on the Standard 

toolbar. Included are options for navigating 

the map, identifying feature attributes,

measuring distance, and creating spatial 

bookmarks to return to the same map view at 

a later time.

From this location you can also: 

 Set what toolbars display.

 Restore the Table of Contents if you 

earlier closed it (click ‘Panels’ in the 

drop-down menu, click the right 

arrow, click ‘Layers’ in the Layers 

down-menu). 

 Refresh the map to restore it to the 

original map extent.

Layer The Layer tab allows you to add and remove 

layers from the map, open the layer attribute 

table, set the map projection, or Coordinate 

Reference System (CRS), and display or hide 

layers.

Note: Many of these same functions are 

more conveniently located on the Add Layers 

toolbar and the small toolbar that sits at the 

top of the Table of Contents. 

Settings The Settings tab allows you to customize the 

CRS and map display options and set 

snapping tolerances (see instructions below 

this table).

Vector The Vector tab provides access to several 

Geoprocessing Tools, which allow you to 

create buffers around features, overlay areas 

so that you can create an intersection, union, 

or symmetrical difference, merge features, 

and perform other common geoprocessing 

actions.
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Tab Drop-down Menu Function / Description

Raster The Raster tab provides access to a 

Calculator, which allows you to perform 

calculations on the basis of existing raster 

pixel values. 

Web The MetaSearch option takes you to a search 

tool that uses another search engine’s data to 

produce results from the Internet. You can 

use the default services already loaded, or 

add your own sites. The Help option takes 

you to 

<https://issues.qgis.org/projects/MetaSerach>

Processing Although available to GUPS users, the 

options under the Processing tab are not 

needed for Census Bureau geographic 

program participation. The items under this 

tab pertain to algorithms, creating models, 

viewing the results of algorithms executed, 

and history.

Help The Help tab provides tools for understanding 

QGIS (the open-source platform on which 

GUPS was developed) and the GUPS 

application itself. It also contains BAS contact 

information, access to the online version of 

this guide, training videos, and other 

information. Clicking the About option will 

bring up the latest version you have loaded on 

your pc.

GUPS

Click the ‘About GUPS’ option in the 

drop-down menu to find the GUPS 

version number. If you call for technical 

support, you will need to supply this 

The GUPS tab provides quick access to the 

key tools also available on the Standard and 

BAS toolbars, including those needed to 

manage maps;
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Tab Drop-down Menu Function / Description

number Here the version number is 

5.11.0-1. The number you see will be 

more recent. 

make linear changes;

area feature changes;

review and validate your work;

import county ZIP files from other users, and 

export maps;

and

add imagery. .
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Table 11: Adjust Snapping Tolerances

Step Action and Result

Step 1 In the Settings tab drop-down menu, click on ‘Snapping Options’. 

The Snapping options dialog box opens.

Step 2 From the Snapping mode drop-down menu, select whether you want the tolerance 

adjustment to apply only to the current layer or to all layers.

Step 3 From the Snap to drop-down menu, choose the snapping method.

Step 4 From the Tolerance drop-down menu, use the up and down arrows to select the value you 

want and then select your units (map units or pixels) in the drop-down to the right. 

Step 5 If you want to enable topological editing and/or snapping on an intersection, use the 

checkboxes next to each.
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Step Action and Result

Step 6 Click OK. The new snapping tolerances are set.

5.6.2 Standard Toolbar Buttons

The Standard toolbar provides the navigation tools to interact with the map and layers’

attribute tables.

Figure 8. Standard Toolbar

The Standard toolbar actually includes several smaller toolbars. Each sub-toolbar is identified 

by a series of small parallel lines that precede it.

Figure 9. Sub-tool Markers

The first sub-toolbar contains the Save button, Map Management button (opens the Map 

Management dialog box), and the Search button. The second sub-toolbar provides tools for 

viewing and navigating the map in Map View, and the third sub-toolbar allows you to identify, 

select, and deselect features on the map, make measurements, create spatial bookmarks, and 

work with the layers’ attribute tables.

You can move the location of the sub-toolbars. Simply left-click the parallel lines preceding the 

sub-toolbar and while holding down the mouse, drag the sub-toolbar to the location you want.

Each button on the Standard toolbar and its purpose is defined in the table below.
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Table 12: Standard Toolbar Buttons

Button Name Function / Description

Save Saves the current GUPS project, including any user 

changes to layer properties, projection, last viewed extent, 

and layers added.

Map Management Choose your geographic participant program in GUPS and 

access the automatically loaded default map display 

layers based on the program chosen.

GUPS Data 

Settings

Warning! This tool deletes files and folders 

permanelty! Change GUPSGIS data working directory 

and clean GUPS project data.

Search Search the map by place, landmark, or street name and 

zoom automatically to the feature.

Touch Zoom and 

Pan

Designed for touchscreen computers. Allows you to zoom 

and pan the map displayed in Map View using finger 

gestures to increase or decrease the map scale.

Pan Map Shifts the map in Map View without changing the map 

scale. Click the button, then click a location on the map to 

re-center the map to the clicked location.

Pan Map to 

Selection

Shifts the map in Map View to the rows selected in the 

attribute table for a selected feature. After selecting a 

feature(s), click the button to re-center the map based on 

the selected feature(s).

Zoom In Displays the map in Map View at a larger scale. Click the 

button, then click on the map at the location to which you 

want to zoom.

Zoom Out Displays the map in Map View at a smaller scale.

Zoom Full Displays the map in Map View at a smaller scale and 

zooms the map view to the full extent of the county.

Zoom to Selection Zooms the Map View to the rows selected by query in the 

attribute table for a feature(s). After selecting a feature(s) 

on the map, click the button to view the feature(s) at a 

greater map scale.

Zoom to Layer Zooms the Map View to the layer selected in the Table of 

Contents. After selecting the layer, click the button to 

zoom to the layer’s extent.

Zoom Last Zooms the Map View to the previous map extent.

Zoom Next Zooms the Map View forward to the next map extent (if 

you viewed the previous extent).
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Button Name Function / Description

Refresh Displays Map View to initial full display.

Identify Features Identifies geographic features. Click the button, then click 

on a feature on the map to identify the feature at the 

location. 

Select Features

by Area or Single 

Click

Allows the user to select layer features in the map window 

with a single click, by dragging the cursor, or by drawing 

graphics on the screen.

Deselect Features

from All Layers

Deselects selected features from all layers.

Select Features 

Using an 

Expression

Initiates an attribute table record request by querying the 

table based on table fields and/or values in the fields.

Measure Provides options to measure linear distance, area, and 

angles on the map. 

New Bookmark Creates and names a spatial bookmark of the current map 

view.

Show Bookmarks Display all bookmarks created by the user.

Most of the sub-toolbar buttons defined above are straight-forward. Those related to features, 

however, require further explanation. You will need these buttons to identify and select/deselect

features on the map and to view feature attributes. You will also need them to make 

measurements and create spatial bookmarks.

Identify a Feature Using the Identify Features Button 

To identify a feature on the map, follow the steps in Table 13 below.

Table 13: Identify a Feature on the Map

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click the Identify button on the Standard toolbar. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 Then right-click on the feature. The results will display in drop-down menus on the map.

To see all attributes for the feature, select ‘Show attribute table’ in the faces drop-down 

menu.

Step 3 Alternately, click the Identify button, then left-click on the feature. The feature turns red (color 

may vary) and the Identify Results screen opens under the Table of Contents, showing the 

feature attributes. (Note that here we have dragged the screen from beneath the Table of 

Contents so that it sits over the map.)

Select/Deselect Features Using the Select Features and Deselect Features 

Buttons

The Select Features button gives you several ways to select features on the map. The 

Deselect Features from All Layers button allows you to deselect features you previously 

selected. Table 14 describes each of the feature selection methods, discusses when one might 

be preferable over another, and explains how to deselect features.
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Table 14: Select/Deselect Features on the Map

Step Action and Result

Step 1 To begin, click on the layer name in the Table of Contents for the layer in which you want to 

select a feature. For example, if you want to select linear features, click on the ‘edges’ layer; 

if you want to select faces, click on the ‘faces’ layer.

Step 2 Click once on the Select Features button on the Standard Toolbar. 

Step 3 To select an edge or face on the map, click on it. In this example, we have selected ‘faces’ in 

the Table of Contents and clicked on a face. The face selected turns cyan blue (color may 

vary).

Step 4 To select more than one face, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the additional faces

you wish to select. This method is suited to instances where you want to select faces that are 

not contiguous, as shown below. 

You can also select multiple features by simply clicking the Select Feature button, then 

dragging your cursor over the features. This method is convenient when you want to select a 

large number of contiguous faces or a large number of nearby linear features without having 

to click each, one by one.

A Note on GUPS Tools

GUPS tools remain active until a different tool is selected. For example, if you use the Select 

Features tool to choose faces for a new area landmark, then decide you would rather add a 

new linear feature instead, you must click the Add Linear Feature tool before you click on 

the map again. If you do not, the Select Features tool, still active, selects a face. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 To open other Select Features options, click on the down arrow to the right of the Select 

Features button. The Select Features drop-down menu opens. 

Step 6 The first option in the menu, ‘Select Feature(s)’, duplicates the functions available when you 

click on the main button on the toolbar. 

Step 7 The second option, ‘Select Features by Polygon’, allows you to draw a polygon on the map 

to select features. To use this feature select it in the drop-down menu, then follow the steps 

below.

Step 8 Left-click on the map where you want to begin the polygon. Drag your cursor to extend the

line to the point you want, left-click, then extend the line in a new direction. Continue until you 

have a closed polygon, as shown below. 

Step 9 When you are done, right-click. (This tells the system you have finished drawing). All faces

with an edge appearing within the polygon are highlighted in cyan blue.
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Step Action and Result

Step 10 The third option, ‘Select Features by Freehand’, allows you to use your cursor to draw a 

variety of shapes to select a face or faces.

To use this option, click on the map and use your cursor to draw any shape (polygon, 

triangle, circle, etc.). If the shape does not cross any edges, the single face in which the 

shape is drawn is selected and turns cyan blue. If the shape crosses several faces, all faces 

whose edges are crossed are selected and turn cyan blue.

Note: This method is particularly useful when attempting to select a very small face. You 

may draw a tiny triangle, for example, within a face to select it.

Step 11 The final option, ‘Select Features by Radius’, allows you to use your cursor to draw a circle 

to define the features you want to select. 

To use this tool, left-click on the map where you want to begin, then hold down the mouse 

and drag the cursor outward to expand the circle. Release the mouse when you are done. 

The feature(s) selected is(are) highlighted in cyan blue.

Step 12 You can either deselect polygons selected by holding and using the same selection option to 

deselect by holding CTRL and retracing over the polygons, or deselect a feature or features 

automatically by clicking the Deselect Features from All Layers button (next to the Select 

Features button) once. 

The selected features in all layers are deselected.
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Select Features by Querying the Attribute Table

Another method to select features is by querying the attribute table. To do so, follow the steps in 

Table 15. In this example, we are querying the attribute table for the edges layer to locate and 

select all linear features flagged as edges for block boundaries.

Table 15: Select Features by Querying the Attribute Table

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click the Select Features Using an Expression button on the Standard toolbar. 

The Select by Expression window opens. The window has two tabs: Expression and 

Function Editor.

Step 2 Under the Expressions tab, click the plus (‘+’) signs next to the items in the Functions field 

to display their submenus. 

Step 3 To build a query, click the ‘Fields and Values’ ‘+’ sign to open the list of choices. Then doubleclick on your choice. In this example, we will select ‘BBSP Flag’ to search for all features 
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Step Action and Result

flagged as edges for block boundaries. Once selected, “BBSP Flag” appears in the expression 

pane, and a Load values field is added to the Fields pane at the bottom far-right corner.

Step 4 Select an operator from a full list by clicking the ‘+’ sign next to “Operators’ in the Functions

pane. OR If you need a commonly used operator such as equals, plus, or minus, click its 

corresponding button in the row of buttons at the top of the Expression pane. 

Step 5 In this example, we need the operator for equals. Double-click the ‘=‘ operator button. The 

expression in the Expression pane now reads “BBSP Flag” =. 

Step 6 To select a specific value for the field “BBSP Flag”, click either the all unique or 10 samples 

button in the Load values field. The Values field above the buttons populates with all allowed 

values. 

Step 7 Select a value. We will select ‘4’ by double-clicking on it in the Values field list. The 

expression changes to “BBSP Flag” = ‘4’. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 8

Double-click the Select by Expression button just below the Load values field. 

Then click Close. All edges marked with a BBSP Flag with a value of ‘4’ turn cyan blue (color 

may vary) on the map. 

View an Attribute Table for a Layer on the Map

To view an attribute table for a map layer, follow the steps in the table below.

Table 16: View Layer Attributes Using the Attributes Table

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Right-click the layer in the Table of Contents. The drop-down menu opens.

Step 2 Click the ‘Open Attribute Table’ option in the drop-down menu. The Attribute table opens 

showing all features in the layer and their attributes (e.g., name, MTFCCs, etc.). Each 

column represents a separate attribute and each row an individual feature.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 To select a feature to view, click on the number on the far left of the row. To select multiple 

features, click on the number of the row for the first feature you want to select, then press 

the CTRL key. While holding the CTRL key down, click on the numbers for the other 

individual rows you want to select. To select a range of features, click on the number for the 

row showing the first feature you want to select, then press the SHIFT key. While holding 

down the SHIFT key, click on the number for the last row you want to select.

Determine Distance, Area, and Angles on the Map

To measure the distance between two or more points, area, or an angle on a map, follow the 

steps in Table 17.

Table 17: Measure Distances, Area, and Angles on a Map

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click the Measure button on the Standard toolbar. 

The Measure button drop-down menu opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 To measure the distance between two points on the map, select ‘Measure Line’ in the dropdown menu. The Measure box opens.

Step 3 Zoom to the map location where you want to make the measurement. Then click on the 

beginning point on the map and continue clicking on points until you reach the final point. 

Right-click when you are done. The length of each segment of the line you drew, as well as the 

total length of the line between the beginning point and the ending point, appear in the 

Measure box. 

Step 4 To measure area on the map, select ‘Measure Area’ in the drop-down menu. The Measure

box opens. When the box opens, left-click on the map to begin drawing a polygon around the

area you want to measure. Left-click when you reach each vertex of the polygon. When you 

are finished, right-click. The area polygon encompasses appears in the Total field. Use the 

drop-down to the right to see the area in other units of measure.
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Step Action and Result

To begin a new measurement, click the New button.

Step 5 To measure an angle on the map, first select the ‘Measure Angle’ option in the drop-down 

menu. Then left-click on the map to begin drawing the angle. Drag the mouse (but do not hold 

down the mouse button) to create the first side of the angle. Then left-click. Drag the mouse 

again (again without holding down the mouse button) to draw the second leg. The Angle box 

opens showing the angle measurement.

Save Locations on a Map Using the Bookmark Button

To save geographic locations on your map and view them later, follow the steps in Table 18

below.

Table 18: Bookmark Locations on a Map

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Zoom to the location on the map in Map View that you wish to bookmark and click on the 

New Bookmark button on the Standard toolbar.

The Geospatial Bookmarks box opens. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 Click on the row named ‘New bookmark’. Then backspace over ‘New bookmark’ and type 

in a descriptive name for the bookmark (255-character limit). Click the Close button. The 

bookmark is added.

Step 3 To view and manage spatial bookmarks, click on the Show Bookmarks button on the 

Standard toolbar. The Geospatial Bookmarks dialog box again opens.

To zoom to a bookmark, click on a bookmark name in the dialog box and then click the 

Zoom to button. 

To delete a bookmark, click on the bookmark name, then press the Delete button.

Bookmark names and coordinates cannot be edited from the Geospatial Bookmarks

dialog box.

5.6.3 BAS Toolbar Buttons

The BAS toolbar provides the BAS-specific functions needed to complete your review and 

update activities, as well as to import and export zipped shapefiles. 

Figure 10. BAS Toolbar

Each toolbar button is described in Table 19 below.

Table 19: BAS Toolbar Buttons

Button Name Function/Description

Add Linear 

Feature

Add a new linear feature.

Delete Linear 

feature

Delete an existing linear feature.

Split Linear 

Feature

Split a linear feature. You may need to split a linear feature to accurately 

reflect an entity’s location. This feature “splits” the original into two.
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Button Name Function/Description

Display All 

Names

Displays all names for a street with multiple names assigned in the 

MAF/TIGER System.

User Address 

List

Import an address list (.csv, .txt, etc.) into GUPS.

Modify Linear 

Feature 

Attributes

Edit attributes of a selected linear feature.

Modify Area 

Feature

Make updates to legal area (annexations, deannexations, boundary 

corrections, etc.).

Show/Hide 

Legend

Shows or hides the layer.

Geography 

Review Tool

Review the attribute table for a layer.

Review Change 

Polygons

Review change polygons in a layer and make corrections (reviews 

change polygons for holes and minimum size).

Import County

ZIP

Import zipped Census Bureau shapefiles shared by another GUPS user.

Export to ZIP Create the ZIP file containing all required data and shapefiles to be 

submitted to the Census Bureau.

Print Map to File Export a printable map in .pdf, .png, .tif, or jpeg format.

Add Point 

Landmark

Add a new point landmark.

Edit Point 

Landmark

Edit point landmark attributes.

Delete Point 

Landmark

Delete an existing point landmark.

5.6.4 Status Bar

The Status bar at the bottom of the GUPS main page displays information about the map. It 

allows you to adjust the map scale and see the mouse cursor’s coordinates on the map.

Figure 11. Status Bar
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Table 20 describes each element of the Status bar.

Table 20: Status Bar Elements

Item Description

Allows you to toggle between the mouse’s coordinate position or the map view extents 

as you pan and zoom in and out on the map.

Coordinate Shows your current position in map coordinates (default is decimal degrees for GUPS) 

as your map cursor is moved across the map.

Scale Shows the current zoom level in the Map View. Can be changed by selecting one of the 

predefined levels from the drop down, by typing in a new ratio, or using the scroll wheel 

on your mouse.

Rotation Shows the map rotation.

Render Allows you to temporarily prevent layers from drawing by clicking the checkbox 

immediately to the left of “Render.”

Clicking on the icon opens the projection properties for the current map.

5.7 How to Import User-Provided Data into GUPS

5.7.1 The Add Data Toolbar

To import your own imagery, geodatabase, shapefiles, web mapping service, or other data 

layers into GUPS you will use the Add Data toolbar.

Figure 12. Add Data Toolbar

Although shown in a horizontal position here, the Add Data toolbar appears arranged vertically 

to the left of the Table of Contents in GUPS. Its buttons are described in Table 21.

Table 21: Add Data Toolbar Buttons

Button Name Function / Description

Add Vector 

Layer

Allows you to add shapefile and geodatabase files to your GUPS project.

Add Raster 

Layer

Allows you to add raster datasets such as imagery.

Add PostGIS 

Layer

Add PostGIS layer.
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Button Name Function / Description

Add SpatialLite 

Layer

Add data from a SpatialLite database.

Add MS SQL 

Layer

Add MS SQL 2008 Spatial data.

Add Oracle 

Spatial Layer

Add a spatial layer from an Oracle database.

Add 

WMS/WM(T)S 

Layer

Add Web Mapping Services and Web Mapping Tile Services. Publicly 

accessible and secured WMS services are supported.

Add WCS 

Layer

Add Web Coverage Services, which provide access to raster data useful 

for client-side map rendering.

Add WFS Layer Add Web Feature Services.

New Shapefile 

Layer

Add a new shapefile layer or new temporary scratch layer.

5.7.2 How to Upload User-Provided Data Layers

GUPS supports vector data in a number of formats, including those supported by the OGR 

library data provider plugin, such as ESRI shapefiles, MapInfo MIF (interchange format), and 

MapInfo TAB (native format). It also supports PostGIS layers in a PostgreSQL database and 

SpatiaLite layers. Support for additional data types (e.g., delimited text) is provided by additional 

data provider plugins. 

Below are the steps to import the most commonly used data formats. To upload shapefile or 

geodatabase data layers, follow the steps in the table below.

Note: You May Only Upload One User-Provided Data Layer at a Time. If you have multiple data 

layers that you wish to upload, note that GUPS will only allow you to upload one layer at a time.

Table 22: Load Shapefiles/Geodatabase Layers

Step Action and Result

Step 1

Begin the upload. Click the Add Vector Layer button on the Add Data toolbar. The 

Add Vector Layer dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 In the Encoding drop-down menu, the default value is ‘System’. If you receive an error 

message when opening your file, use the drop-down to select UTF-8. UTF-8 populates the 

Encoding field.

Step 3 Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder where the shapefile or geodatabase is 

saved on your computer.

Step 4 Left-click the file you want to upload, then click the Open button. The shapefile / geodatabase 

is added to the Table of Contents and to the Map View window.

To load data from a web mapping service, follow the steps in Table 23 below.

Table 23: Load Data from a Web Mapping Service

Step Action and Result

Step 1

Begin the upload. Click the Add WMS/WM(T)S Layer button on the Add Data toolbar. 

The Add Layers from a WM(T)S Server dialog box opens.

Step 2 Select the web mapping service. Click the Layers tab, then click the New button under the 

tab. The Create a new WMS Connection dialog box opens. 

Step 3 In the Name field, type a name for the web mapping imagery service. In the URL field, type 

the URL for the service. If the service requires a user name and password, type them in the 

fields provided. Click OK. The service will be added to the drop-down menu for web mapping 

services appearing just below the Labels tab. 

Note: If you are working inside a firewall, you may be prompted to enter a user name and 

password to obtain resources from outside the firewall.

Step 4 Select the imagery service you added in the drop-down menu. The available layers appear in 

the ID/Name/Title/Abstract box. 

Step 5 Click on the layer you want to display, then click the Add button. The WMS is added to the 

map showing in Map View and to the Table of Contents.
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Step Action and Result

When the WMS is added, it displays over the top of other layers you have selected for Map 

View. To make it display below these layers, click on the WMS layer and, while holding down 

the mouse button, drag it to the bottom of the Table of Contents.

If you do not have access to a web mapping service, have a poor Internet connection, or work 

under a restrictive firewall, you can still add other types of imagery files to GUPS (e.g., a county 

or state imagery dataset), one option for adding imagery may be the National Agricultural 

Imagery Service (NAIP), supplied in web mapping service format by the U.S. Geological Survey.

To add imagery files, follow the steps in the Table 24 below.

Table 24: Add Imagery Files

Step Action and Result

Step 1

Click the Add Raster Layer button on the Add Data toolbar. The Open a GDAL 

Supported Raster Data Source dialog box opens.

Step 2 Navigate to the folder on your computer where the imagery file is stored.

Step 3 Select the file, then click Open. The file loads into GUPS.

5.7.3 How to Import a Shared ZIP Shapefile

If you want to import Census Bureau shapefiles already updated by another user, you may use 

the Import Project ZIP File button (available both on the BAS toolbar and in the Map 

Management dialog box), then follow the steps in Table 25 below.

Table 25: Import a ZIP File Shared by Another User

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click the Import Project ZIP File button in the upper left-hand corner of the Map 

Management dialog box:

OR on the BAS toolbar:
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 The Open window opens. 

Step 3 From this window, click on the ‘Computer’ icon (called ‘My Computer’ in some versions of 

Windows) located in the far-left-hand pane. 

When the list of directories opens, navigate to the location where the shared ZIP file is 

located.

Step 4 Once you locate the file, click once on the file, then click the Open button. 

The file loads into Map View.
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SECTION 6: MAKING BAS UPDATES IN GUPS

The tables in this section provide step-by-step instructions for making BAS updates. The 

examples assume you have read and understood the directions for opening GUPS and using

Map Management. If you do not yet feel comfortable with Map Management, please review the 

contents of Section 5: Using GUPS (Basics and Map Management) before you begin making 

updates. It is highly recommended to use a souce of imagery data when making any BAS 

updates.

All examples shown here, although using real data, are purely fictitious. They are employed for 

purposes of illustration only and do not indicate any actual geographic changes.

6.1 How to Update Legal Boundaries

6.1.1 Recording an Annexation

Follow the steps in Table 26 to record an annexation. The fictitious example in this table looks 

at an incorporated place named Kissimmee, Florida. Kissimmee has annexed several parcels 

previously outside its city limits.

Table 26: Record an Annexation

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the place (or other legal entity) that is annexing 

area. Be sure that you have all layers you wish to see on the map checked in the Table of 

Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 Click the drop-down area next to the Geography field, and select the entity type (here 

‘Place’), from the drop-down menu. A list of all incorporated places in the county appears in 

the Info list in the bottom portion of the dialog box.

Step 4 Double-click on the row in the list for the place that is making the annexation (here 

‘Kissimmee city’). (Note: The list of places is short, but in some cases it can be long. Use the 

scroll bar to the right of the list to move up and down the list, if needed.) Once you doubleclick on the row, the map zooms to the place selected.

Step 5 If the map does not zoom to a scale sufficient to make your changes, click on the Zoom in

button on the Standard toolbar. 

Step 6 To select the faces you want to add to the place, click on the small down arrow next to the 

Select Features button on the dialog box toolbar. The Select Features button drop-down 

menu opens. In this example we will use the “radius” method to select the faces we want to 

add to Kissimmee. Click on ‘Select Features by Radius’ in the menu.
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Step Action and Result

Step 7 Next, go to the map and place your cursor where you want to add the faces. 

To select a single face, simply drag the cursor outward in the center of the face. To select 

multiple faces, drag the cursor across the edges that separate the faces. In this example, we 

select seven faces. The faces selected turn cyan blue (color may vary). 

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s

location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the 

appropriate MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the face 

you need to add to the new entity.

If you accidentally select a face you do not wish to include, you can use the Deselect 

Features from All Layers option in the Select Feature(s) drop-down menu to clear the 

selected faces from your screen and start over.
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Step Action and Result

Step 8 Click the Add Area button on the dialog box toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature Choose Change Type pop-up box appears, and asks you to 

choose your change type. 

Step 9 Since this is an annexation, click the ‘Legal Change’ radio button, then click OK. The Create 

Change Polygons dialog box opens, with the state and county FIPS codes, the place name, 

and the Legal/Statistical Area Description (LSAD) already populated. 

Step 10 Click the calendar icon next to the EFF_DATE field to open the calendar, then click on the 

effective date for the annexation. 
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Step Action and Result

The selected date will populate the EFF_DATE field. 

Step 11 Select an authority type for the annexation in the AUTHTYPE field drop-down menu. 

Step 12 In the DOCU field, type in the ordinance or other legal documentation number authorizing the 

annexation or upload documentation for the change. To upload documentation, click the 

folder icon next to the DOCU field. 

The DOCU window opens. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 13 Click on the icon for ‘My Computer’ (or simply ‘Computer’ in some Windows versions) to open 

the directory where you have saved your documentation.

Your directories display, as shown below.

Step 14 Select the appropriate directory in the list and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click 

the file, then to upload it, click the Open button at the bottom of the DOCU window. 

The name of the document populates the DOCU field on the dialog box.

Step 15 Finally, select ‘Annexation’ in the drop-down menu for the CHNG_TYPE field.
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Step Action and Result

Step 16 When you are finished, click OK. The added faces (once you save) turn tan in color on the 

map (color may vary).

6.1.2 Recording a Deannexation

Follow the steps in Table 27 to record a deannexation. The fictitious example in this table uses 

Sayre City, an incorporated place in Oklahoma.

Table 27: Recording a Deannexation

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the place (or other legal entity) that is 

deannexing area. Be sure that you have all layers you wish to see on the map checked in the 

Table of Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 Click the arrow next to the Geography field, and select in the drop-down menu the entity 

type from which you want to deannex area. In this example we are deannexing land from an 

incorporated place, so we select ‘Place’. 

Place appears in the Geography field and a list of all incorporated places in the county 

appears in the Info list in the bottom portion of the dialog box.
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Click on the place name (Sayre city) in the list. The map zooms to Sayre. 

Step 5 Zoom on the map to the location where the deannexation occurred. Then choose a method 

for selecting the faces to be deannexed. In this example, in the drop-down menu for the 

Select Features tool, click on the ‘Select Feature(s)’ option.

Step 6 Click on the face you want to select. If you want to select more than one face, depress the 

CTRL key, and while holding the CTRL key down, click each face to be deannexed. The 

selected face(s) turn cyan blue (colors may vary).

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s 

location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the 
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Step Action and Result

appropriate MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the face 

you need to add to the new entity.

Step 7 Click the Remove Area button on the dialog box toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature Choose change type pop-up box appears, and asks you to 

choose your change type. 

Step 8 Since this is a legal deannexation, click the ‘Legal Change’ radio button, then click OK. The 

Create Change Polygons dialog box opens.

Step 9 In the Create Change Polygons dialog box, click the calendar icon next to the EFF_DATE

field and, when the calendar opens, click on the date which the deannexation became 

effective.

The date selected populates the EFF_DATE field.

Step 10 Select an authority type for the deannexation in the AUTHTYPE field drop-down menu. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 11 In the DOCU field, type in the ordinance or other legal documentation number authorizing the 

deannexation, or upload legal documentation for the change. To upload documentation, click 

the folder icon next to the DOCU field. 

When the DOCU window opens, click on the icon for ‘My Computer’ (or simply ‘Computer’ in 

some Windows versions) to open the directory where you have saved your documentation. 

Your directories display, as shown below.

Step 12 Select the appropriate directory and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click the file. 

Then, to upload it, click the Open button at the bottom of the DOCU window. 

GUPS uploads the file and the file name appears in the DOCU field on the Create Change 

Polygons dialog box. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 13 In the CHNG_TYPE field drop-down menu, select ‘De-annexation’.

Step 14 When finished, click OK. The selected faces turn green on the map (color may vary).

6.1.3 Adding a New Legal Entity (New Incorporation)

Follow the steps Table 28 to add a new legal entity. In this example, we will add a fictitious 

newly incorporated place in Michigan.

Table 28: Adding a New Legal Entity

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county where you want to add a new entity. Be sure that you have all 

layers you wish to see checked in the Table of Contents. 

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 
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Step Action and Result

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

Step 3 Click the drop-down arrow next to the Geography field, and select the entity type you want 

to add from the drop-down menu. In this example we are adding a newly incorporated city, 

so we select ‘Place’. 

Place appears in the Geography field and a list of all incorporated places in the county 

appears in the Info list.
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Zoom to the location where the new entity is located. To select the faces for the entity, leftclick once on the Select Features button on the dialog box toolbar. 

Step 5 Then click on the map to select the face or faces. 

If the entity includes only a single face, you may simply click once on the face to select it. If 

the entity includes several contiguous faces, after clicking on the first face, depress the 

CTRL key and while holding it down, left-click on each additional face to be added. The 

selected faces turn cyan blue (colors may vary).

Note: You may also select faces (after clicking the Select Features button) by simply 

dragging your cursor over the edges that mark their boundaries. Additional means of 

selecting faces (by polygon, by freehand, and by radius) are discussed Table 14: 

Select/Deselect Features on the Map.

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. 

To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s location (click on Table 33

for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the appropriate MTFCC. This splits the 

original face into two faces. You can now select the face you need to add to the new entity. 

Step 6 To record the new entity, click the Add Entity button on the dialog box toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature new entity dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Note: If you click the Add Entity button before selecting the faces, you will see a pop-up 

box warning. Simply click OK and add the faces.

Since we have already selected faces, we do not see the pop-up warning. 

Step 7 In the new entity dialog box, type the new legal entity name in the Name field.

Step 8 Next add the effective date for the legal change. Click on the calendar icon next to the 

EFF_DATE field and, when the calendar opens, click on the effective date.

The date selected populates the EFF_DATE field. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 9 Next, add the authority type using the AUTHTYPE drop-down menu.

Step 10 Finally, either type in the ordinance or other legal documentation number authorizing the 

new entity in the DOCU field, or upload documentation for the change. To upload 

documentation, click the folder icon next to the DOCU field. 

The DOCU window opens. 

Step 11 Click on the icon for ‘My Computer’ (or simply ‘Computer’ in some Windows versions) to 

open the directory where you have saved your documentation.
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Step Action and Result

Your directories display, as shown below.

Step 12 Select the appropriate directory in the list and navigate to the file you want to upload as 

documentation, then click the file. The file name appears in the File name: field. 

To upload the file, click the Open button.
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Step Action and Result

Step 13 Once you have clicked the Open button, the name of the document appears in the DOCU 

field.

Step 14 Click the OK button.

Note: Red asterisks indicate required fields. You must complete required fields to move 

forward. If you click OK and have not completed one or more required fields, GUPS will 

prompt you to do so. Any required field not completed will highlight in red, as shown below. 

If you have completed all required fields, when you click OK, the faces for the new entity 

turn purple on the map (colors may vary) and the name of the new entity appears in the list 

of incorporated places in the Modify Area Feature dialog box. 
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Step Action and Result

Once the Census Bureau verifies the new entity, it will assign it a FIPS code. 

The code preceding the new entity name in the list is not a FIPS code, and should not be 

used for any official purpose. It is only a placeholder until the official FIPS code can be 

assigned.

Step 15 To make additional changes to the map, simply make a new selection in the Modify Area 

Feature dialog box Geography field and continue work. You may save your changes as 

you go or wait until you have finished all work on the map. Saving as changes are 

completed, however, is recommended to avoid losing work in the event of a power outage or 

system interruption. 

New Entity that Crosses a County Boundary

If the new entity crosses a county boundary, you must add the new entity in both counties 

separately. After making the change in your working county, return to Map Management, 

select the other county as the working county, and proceed to add the new entity in this 

county as well. If the added entity crosses more than one county boundary, complete the 

addition in each county affected.

6.1.4 Deleting an Entity (Disincorporation)

Follow the steps in Table 29 to record a disincorporation. In this example, we will show a 

fictitious disincorporation for Minersville, Utah.

Table 29: Record a Disincorporation

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the entity you wish to delete. Be sure that you 

have all layers you wish to see checked in the Table of Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 Click the drop-down arrow next to the Geography field, and select ‘Place’ in the drop-down 

menu. 

Place appears in the Geography field and a list of all incorporated places in the county 

appears in the Info list.

Step 4 Click the entity in the list for which you want to show the disincorporation (here Minersville). 

The map zooms to Minersville.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Click the Delete button on the toolbar inside the Modify Area Feature dialog box.

A pop-up asks you ‘Are you sure you want to permanently delete this Area feature?’

Step 6 Click OK. The disincorporated entity turns green on the map (color may vary), and it is 

removed from the list of incorporated places in the county. 

Step 7 To make additional changes to the map, simply make a new selection in the Modify Area 

Feature dialog box Geography field and continue work. 
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Step Action and Result

Deleted Entity that Crosses a County Boundary

If the deleted entity crosses a county boundary, you must delete the entity in both counties 

separately. After making the change in your working county, return to Map Management, 

select the other county as the working county, and proceed to delete the entity in this county 

as well. If the deleted entity crosses more than one county boundary, complete the deletion in 

each county affected.

6.1.5 Making a Boundary Update on a County Line

Users reporting on behalf of an incorporated place may make changes across county 

boundaries for their place. The steps in Table 30 below provide an example for an annexation 

by a place across a county boundary. The fictitious example uses Brooklyn Village, in Dane 

County, Wisconsin. It has annexed land in adjacent Rock County.

Table 30: Record an Annexation in an Adjacent County

Step Action and Result

Independent City Users: Users reporting for independent cities (cities independent of any 

county and treated by the Census Bureau as county equivalents) should follow the steps 

described below to show annexations/deannexations between the city and surrounding 

counties. County Users: When updating a county boundary, you must switch the working 

county to add/remove area located in the other county. To update a boundary, use the 

instructions below, but in Step 6, select County instead of Place in the Geography drop-down 

menu, and in Step 7, click in the Info list on the name of the county to which you want add or 

remove the area. 

Step 1 To show a boundary change that crosses a county boundary, you must change your working 

county to the county in which the added faces are located. This example assumes that Dane 

County is your working county and is already displayed in Map View. To switch the working 

county:

Click the Map Management button on the Standard toolbar. 

The Map Management dialog box opens showing the program, state, working county, entity 

type, and entity name you earlier selected. A list of adjacent counties, highlighted in yellow, 

displays near the bottom of the dialog box.
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 To change the working county, click the down arrow for the Working County field to open 

the drop-down menu and select Rock County from the list. Select County from the Entity 

Type field.

The list of adjacent counties repopulates to show the counties adjacent to Rock County.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 Unclick the checkbox for all counties except Dane. Then click the Open button at 

the bottom of the Map Management dialog box. A Save current project pop-up box asks if 

you would like to save your current project.

Step 4 Click the Save button in order not to lose any changes you previously made to the Dane 

County shapefile. The Map View displays both Dane and Rock Counties and the Table of 

Contents displays the layers for the new working county (Rock County).

Step 5 To select the entity within Dane County to which you want to add the area that is within Rock 

County, click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 6 In the Geography field drop-down menu, select the entity type to which the annexed land 

should be assigned. Because Brooklyn Village is an incorporated place, select ‘Place’. 

A list of all incorporated places in both Rock and Dane Counties appears in the Info list at the 

bottom of the dialog box. The list includes Brooklyn Village.

Step 7 Scroll down the list and click the row for ‘Brooklyn village’. The map zooms to the portion of 

the county boundary where Brooklyn Village is located.
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Step Action and Result

Step 8 Zoom in to the faces to be annexed, then click the Select Features button on the dialog box 

toolbar once. 

Step 9 Click the face on the map to be added, if there is only one. If you want to add additional 

faces, hold down the CRTL key and continue to click on faces until you are done. The 

selected faces turn a more vibrant yellow (color may vary).

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s 

location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the 

appropriate MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the face 

you need to add to the new entity.

Step 10 To add the faces selected within Rock County to the incorporated place Brooklyn Village, 

click the Add Area button on the dialog box toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature Choose change type dialog box opens. 
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Step Action and Result

Click the radio button next to ‘Legal Change’ to indicate that this is a legal boundary change. 

Then click OK.

Step 11 The selected faces turn green (colors may vary) and the Create Change Polygons dialog 

box opens. GUPS automatically fills the FIPS codes, name, and LSAD fields for Brooklyn

Village.

Step 12 Click the calendar icon next to the EFF_DATE field to select an effective date for the 

annexation.

Step 13 Select an authority type for the annexation in the AUTHTYPE field drop-down menu. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 14 Type in the ordinance or other legal documentation number authorizing the change, or 

upload legal documentation. To upload a document, click on the folder icon to the right of the 

DOCU field.

When the DOCU window opens, click on the icon for ‘My Computer’ (or simply ‘Computer’ in 

some Windows versions) to open the directory where you have saved your documentation.

Your directories display, as shown below.

Step 15 Select the appropriate directory and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click the file. 

Then, to upload it, click the Open button at the bottom of the DOCU window. 

The file name appears in the DOCU field in the Create Change Polygons box. 

Step 16 Finally, use the CHNG_TYPE drop-down menu to select the type of legal change being 

made, here an annexation.

Then click OK. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 17 Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. The Current edits pop-up box asks if you 

would like to save the changes to all layers.

Click OK. The changes are saved and the selected faces turn brown, as shown below. 

(Note: If you now reopen the Dane County map, the faces will appear as part of Brooklyn 

Village.)

6.1.6 Making a Legal Boundary Change for a Consolidated City

Users who represent consolidated cities (i.e., cities that share a consolidated government with a 

county or minor civil division) should follow the steps described in Table 30 in Section 6.1.5:

Making a Boundary Update on a County Line to show boundary changes between the city 

and any county adjacent to it. To show boundary changes between the consolidated city itself 

and the entity or entities with which it shares a government, proceed as any incorporated place 

user would. That is, if you wish to annex land from another entity within the consolidated 

government area, treat it as you would any annexation within a county.

6.1.7 Making a Boundary Correction (Add Area/Remove Area)

To make a boundary correction that adds or removes area from an entity, follow the steps in the 

table below. In this fictitious example, a boundary correction is made to the city limits of 

Linwood, Kansas.
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Table 31: Making a Boundary Correction

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the legal entity for which you want to add or

remove area. Be sure you have all layers you wish to see on the map checked in the Table 

of Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

Step 3 Click the arrow next to the Geography field, and select in the drop-down menu the entity 

type for which you want to add or remove area. In this example, we select ‘Place’. The Info

list populates with all incorporated places in the county for the geography chosen.

Step 4 Click on the row in the list for the place that is adding/removing area (here Linwood). The 

map zooms to the place selected.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Click the down arrow next to the Select Features button to select the face(s) to add or 

remove for the boundary correction. The Select Features drop-down menu opens. 

In this example, we are adding three small faces that are difficult to select, so we opt for 

‘Select Features by Freehand’. This method allows us to place our cursor inside the first 

face and draw a tiny line. The selected face turns cyan blue (colors may vary).

To select the other faces, press the CTRL key, and while holding it down, repeat the action 

for the two remaining faces. All three faces turn color.
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Step Action and Result

Note: To add area, the area must be outside the selected place. To remove area, the area 

must be within the selected place.

Step 6 On the Modify Area Feature toolbar, click on the Add button (to add area to the entity) or 

on the Remove button (to remove area from the entity). 

The Modify Area Feature Choose change type pop-up box opens, and asks you to 

choose your change type. 

Step 7 Since we are not making a legal boundary change, but rather a boundary correction, click 

the radio button next to ‘Boundary Correction’. Then click OK. The added faces turn green 

on the map (color may vary) and are added to the legal entity boundary.

Removing area from a boundary is conducted following the same steps, the only difference 

being that you click the Remove button on the Modify Area Feature toolbar. Once you 

select the faces and click the Remove button, you see the same Modify Area Feature 

Choose change type pop-up box, select ‘Boundary Correction’, and see the faces turn 

green.

6.1.8 Adding a Geographic Corridor

The steps to add a geographic corridor are shown in the table below. The fictitious example 

provided uses Dupont, Indiana. The steps in this table show how the city would mark the 

annexation of a geographic corridor along State Road 7, which in the example leads to a newly 

built golf course that is part of the town.
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Table 32: Adding a Geographic Corridor

Step Action and Result

Creating a geographic corridor requires two actions: first you must split the faces on either 

side of the road (if edges do not already exist), then you must add the area.

Step 1 Load the data for the county (in this example, Jefferson County, Indiana).

Step 2 Pan to the location of the geographic corridor (here State Road 7). 

Step 3 Click the Add Linear Feature button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 4 Left-click on the map at the beginning point of the first line and drag the cursor to create the 

line marking the first half of the corridor. Left-click at the end of the line, then right-click to tell 

GUPS you have finished drawing. The line appears on the map, and the Add Linear Feature

dialog box opens. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 A name is not required, but if you wish, type a name in the Name field, then select the 

appropriate MTFCC code in the MTFCC drop-down list. In this example, we select ‘P0001 –

Nonvisible Legal/Statistical Boundary’.

The MTFCC field populates with your selection.

Step 6 Click the OK button.

The line turns from purple to dark green (colors may vary) and the name, if you provided one, 

is added to the map.
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Step Action and Result

Step 7 Add a line on the opposite side of the road using the same instructions provided in Steps 4 

through 6. (Note: You do not need to click the Add Linear Feature button again; it is still 

active.) When you are finished, the map should display the two corridor faces you created, as 

shown below.

Step 8 To add the area: click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 9 In the Geography field drop-down menu, select the entity type (in this case, ‘Place’). A list of 

all incorporated places in Jefferson County (including Dupont) populates the Info list at the 

bottom of the dialog box. 

 

Step 10 Click on the row for Dupont in the list. The map zooms to the Town of Dupont.

Step 11 Pan to the location of the new corridor you drew on the map. Then click the Select 

Feature(s) button on the small toolbar near the top of the Modify Area Feature dialog box.
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Step Action and Result

Step 12 Left-click inside one of the corridor faces, then drag your cursor across the road. When you 

release the cursor the faces on either side of the road have been selected and turn cyan 

blue. 

Step 13 To record the corridor, click the Add button on the Modify Area Feature dialog box toolbar.

The Modify Area Feature Choose change type dialog box opens. 

Step 14 Click the radio button next to Corridor. A box opens giving an explanation of what a 

geographic corridor is and asking if you want to proceed. 

Click Yes. You are returned to the Modify Area Feature Choose change type box.

Step 15 Click the OK button at the bottom of the box. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 16 The Review Change Polygons pop-up box opens and asks whether this is a legal change. 

Step 17 If the geographic corridor is not part of a legal change, click No. The change is automatically 

added as a boundary correction. 

If the geographic corridor is a legal change, click Yes. The Create Change Polygons dialog 

box opens.

Step 18 Click on the calendar icon next to the EFF_DATE field to select an effective date for the 

change.
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Step Action and Result

Step 19 Use the AUTHTYPE drop-down menu to select an authority type. 

Step 20 In the DOCU field, either type in the documentation number, or upload legal documentation 

of the change. To upload a document, click on the folder icon, navigate to the directory where 

the document is stored, and double-click the file. The file uploads to GUPS and the name of 

the file appears in the DOCU field.

Step 21 In the CHNG_TYPE field, select ‘Corridor’ in the drop-down list. Corridor fills the 

CHNG_TYPE field as shown in the screenshot above. 

Step 22 Click OK. The faces marking the corridor turn green on the map (color may vary). The 

corridor has been added. 
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Step Action and Result

6.1.9 Add a Geographic Offset 

To create a geographic offset, follow the same steps as for a corridor (Table 32). The only 

difference is that geographic offsets are only on one side of the road.

6.2 How to Update Linear Features

6.2.1 Adding a Linear Feature

Follow the steps in below to add a linear feature.

Table 33: Adding a Linear Feature

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the entity where you want to add a linear 

feature. Be sure the edges layer is checked in the Table of Contents. Then zoom to the 

location on the map where you want to add the feature.

Step 2 Click on the Add Linear Feature button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 3 Left-click the mouse at the starting point of the line (A) and continue to left-click the mouse 

at each vertex (shape) point of the line. When you have completed the new line, right-click 

the mouse (B). The right-click tells GUPS you are finished drawing.
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Step Action and Result

The Add Linear Feature dialog box opens.

Step 4 Type the name of the new linear feature in the Name field if the feature is named; otherwise, 

leave blank. Be sure when entering the feature name either to spell out the feature type 

(e.g., street, road, avenue), or to select an approved abbreviation from the list provided in 

Appendix D.

Step 5 In the MTFCC field drop-down menu, choose the appropriate code for the feature. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 6

Click the OK button at the bottom of the Add Linear Feature dialog box. The 

added linear feature and the name you assigned appear on the map.

Adding a linear feature coincident with a boundary – The GUPS will not allow one linear 

feature to be placed over another. For example, if you attempt to add a road overlaying a 

legal boundary line, a pop-up box will warn you ‘Added Line Overlays an Existing line’. If you 

are adding a linear feature coincident with a boundary, follow the instructions for updating 

linear feature attributes instead (for instructions click on Table 36). Once you select the 

boundary edge that you want to add a street on top of, update the MTFCC in the Update 

Attributes pop-up to one of the "S" class feature codes (e.g., S1400) and add a name in the 

FULLNAME field.

6.2.2 Deleting a Linear Feature

To delete a linear feature, follow the steps below.

Table 34: Deleting a Linear Feature

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the entity where you want to delete a linear 

feature. Be sure the edges layer is checked in the Table of Contents. Then zoom to the 

location on the map where you want to delete the feature.

Step 2 Click on the Delete Linear Feature button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 3 Left-click the linear feature that you want to delete. In the example below, we clicked on an 

unnamed road. The clicked linear feature turns cyan blue (color may vary) and the Delete 

Linear Feature pop-up box appears, asking if you are sure you want to delete the feature. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Click OK. The line is deleted in the attribute table. The cyan blue color is removed from the 

line and the line now looks as it did originally.

When you delete a linear feature, it is not actually removed from the Census shapefile. 

GUPS assigns a Delete Line flag to the feature in the attribute table, and the feature is later 

processed for deletion when the Census Bureau receives the BAS file. 

Note: If you have multiple linear features to delete, you may click the Delete Linear 

Feature button on the toolbar once, then press CTRL and click each of the features you 

want to delete. GUPS will delete all of the linear features selected. You may also drag your 

cursor over multiple linear features to select them.

6.2.3 Restoring a Deleted Linear Feature

To restore a deleted linear feature, follow the steps below.

Table 35: Restoring a Deleted Linear Feature

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the deleted linear feature. Be sure the edges layer 

is checked in the Table of Contents. Then zoom to the location on the map where the deleted 

feature is located.

Step 2 Left-click on the deleted feature. The deleted feature turns cyan blue (color may vary) and the

Delete Linear Feature dialog box opens. The box asks you to confirm that you want to restore 

the line.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 To restore the linear feature, click the OK button.

The Delete Line flag is removed from the attribute table and the line is restored.

6.2.4 Changing the Attributes of a Linear Feature

Follow the steps below to change the attributes (e.g., the name, MTFCC, or address range) of a 

linear feature.

Table 36: Changing the Attributes of a Linear Feature

Step Action and Result

Step 1 If you plan to change the name of a linear feature, check first to see if it has an alternate

name. To do this, click the Display All Names button on the BAS toolbar. 

Then click on the linear feature on the map. The selected feature turns cyan blue (color may 

vary) and the Display All Names dialog box opens, showing the primary name in the Prim. 

Name field and the alternate name, if one is present, in the Alt. Name field.
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Step Action and Result

To see any additional alternate names, click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Alt. 

Name field. If no alternate name exists, ‘NULL’ appears in the Alt. name field.

Step 2 If you plan to provide an address range for a linear feature, check the checkbox next to >

direction in the Edges field in the Table of Contents. This activates the arrows that 

indicate the FROM and TO nodes for line segments.

Step 3 Click on the Modify Linear Feature Attributes button on the BAS toolbar. 

Step 4 Click the linear feature on the map with attributes you want to edit. The Modify Linear 

Feature Attributes dialog box opens with the TIGER Line Feature ID (TLID) of the feature 

selected. The FULLNAME field populates if the feature is named. If the feature is not 

named, the field is blank. The MTFCC, LTOADD, RTOADD, LFROMADD, and

RFROMADD fields show the assigned values for each.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Update the FULLNAME field. If the field is blank, type in the new name. If the field is 

already populated, highlight the existing name and hit the Delete key on your keyboard. 

You may also backspace over the name to clear the field. Then type in the new name.

Step 6 If you need to correct the MTFCC code, click on the down arrow to the right of the field to 

open the drop-down menu and select the correct MTFCC from the menu.

Step 7 Change the address range for the linear feature, if necessary. Type in potential address 

ranges in the LTOADD (left to address); RTOADD (right to address); LFROMADD (left from 

address); RFROMADD (right from address) fields based on the directional arrows. The 

directional arrows show the origin node (FROM) and the end node (TO).

Step 8 Click Save button at the bottom of the Modify Linear Feature Attributes dialog box.

The address ranges for all features are blank in the geographic partnership shapefiles 

because the ranges are stored in tables separate from the shapefiles. You can provide 

address ranges in these fields, but be aware that we may already have address ranges. 

It is important to note which node is the FROM node and which is the TO node (based on 

the red directional arrows) so that the address ranges are associated with the correct side 

of the street and the correct census block. 

Note: Provide potential address ranges for blocksides, such as 0-98, 100-198, etc., for 

even parity and 1-99, 101-199, etc., for odd parity address ranges. Do not provide actual 

address ranges.

6.3 How to Update Area Landmarks and Hydrographic Areas

6.3.1 Adding a New Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area 

To create a new landmark or hydrographic area, follow the steps below. In this fictitious

example, we will add a golf course in Jefferson County, Indiana, located northwest of Dupont

Town.
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Table 37: Creating a New Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county in which you want to add the new area landmark or 

hydrographic area. Be sure the ‘Area_Landmarks’ layer is checked in the Table of Contents. 

Then zoom to the location on the map where you want to add the landmark or hydrographic 

area.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

Step 3 In the Geography field drop-down menu, select ‘Area Landmark/Area Hydrology’. ‘Area 

Landmark/Area Hydrology’ populates the Geography field and a list of area landmarks and 

hydrological features in the county appears in the Info list. 

Step 4 Click on the yellow Select Feature(s) button on the Modify Area Feature toolbar. 

Step 5 Then click on the first face on the map you wish to select. To select more than one face,

depress the CTRL key, and while holding it down, click on the additional faces. In this 
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Step Action and Result

example, we are selecting two faces, one on either side of Bear Creek. The selected faces 

turn cyan blue (color may vary). 

Step 6 Click on the Add Entity button on the Modify Area Feature toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature box opens. 

Step 7 In the Modify Area Feature box, type in the name of the new area landmark in the Full name

field. 

Then select the appropriate code in the MTFCC field drop-down list, as shown below.
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Step Action and Result

Step 8 Click OK. The faces selected for the new entity now display in purple (color may vary). The 

name of the added landmark also appears within the change polygon on the map (see green 

circle), and the name of the new entity appears in the Info list. 
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Step Action and Result

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s 

location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the appropriate 

MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the face you need to 

add to the new entity. 

6.3.2 Deleting an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

To delete an area landmark or hydrographic area, follow the steps below.

Table 38: Deleting an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county in which you want to delete an area landmark or hydrographic 

area. Be sure the ‘Area_Landmarks’ layer is checked in the Table of Contents. 

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 3 In the Geography field drop-down menu, select ‘Area Landmark/Area Hydrography’. ‘Area 

Landmark/Area Hydrography’ populates the Geography field and a list of area landmarks and 

hydrological features in the county appears in the Info list.

Hint To view all the area landmarks and hydrographic areas in the Info list, you may use the scroll 

bar located to the far right-hand side of the Modify Area Feature dialog box. 

To move up and down within the list, use the blue navigation arrows located on the small 

toolbar near the top of the dialog box.

Step 4 In the Info list, click on the area landmark/hydrographic area you want to delete. The selected 

entry is highlighted in the Info list and the map zooms directly to the selected feature.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Click the Delete Area Feature button on the Modify Area Feature dialog toolbar. 

A pop-up box opens and asks you to confirm that you want to delete the feature.

Step 6 To delete the area landmark/hydro area, click OK. The linear feature turns gray (color may 

vary) on the map, and its name disappears from the Info list. 

Step 7 Not ready to delete? If you change your mind about deleting the area landmark/hydro area, 

click Cancel. You will be returned to the Modify Area Feature dialog. 

Step 8 If you now decide to delete the area landmark/hydro feature, click on the feature name in the 

Info list. The buttons will reactivate and you may click the Delete Area Feature button again.
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6.3.3 Adding Area to an Area Landmark or Hydrographic Area

Follow the steps below to add area to an area landmark or hydrographic area.

Table 39: Adding Area to an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the area landmark or hydrographic area to which 

you wish to add area. Be sure the ‘Area_Landmarks’ layer is checked in the Table of 

Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

Step 3 Click the down arrow next to the Geography field and select ‘Area Landmark/Area 

Hydrography’ in the drop-down menu. The selection populates the Geography field and a list 

of area landmarks/hydro features in the county appears in the Info list.

Step 4 Click the row in the list for the area landmark/hydro area to which you want to add area. The 

selected entity is highlighted in the Info list and the map zooms to its location.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 To select the face(s) you want to add to the area landmark, click the Select Feature button on 

the Modify Area Feature toolbar.

Then click the face you want to add to the area feature. The added face turns cyan blue (color 

may vary). (Note: To select more than one face, depress the CTRL key, and while holding it 

down, click the other faces.)
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Step Action and Result

Step 6 To add the face(s) selected, click the Add Area button on the Modify Area Feature dialog 

box toolbar. 

The selected face is added to the area landmark and turns the same color as the other face(s) 

that make up the area landmark. The map also now shows the full extent of the area 

landmark.

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the boundary’s 

location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it the appropriate 

MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the face you need to 

add to the new entity.

6.3.4 Removing Area from an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

Follow the steps below to remove area from an area landmark or hydrographic area.

Table 40: Removing Area from an Area Landmark/Hydrographic Area

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the area landmark or hydrographic area from 

which you wish to remove area. Be sure the ‘Area_Landmarks’ layer is checked in the 

Table of Contents.

Step 2 Click the Modify Area Feature button on the BAS toolbar.
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Step Action and Result

The Modify Area Feature dialog box opens.

Step 3 In the Geography field drop-down menu, select ‘Area Landmark/Area Hydrography’. 

‘Area Landmark/Area Hydrography’ populates the Geography field and a list of area 

landmarks and hydrological features in the county appears in the Info list.

Step 4 Select the area landmark/hydro area from which you want to remove area. The selected 

entity is highlighted in the Info list and the map zooms to its location. In this example, we 

have chosen Indian Lake County Park. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 To select the face(s) you want to remove from the area landmark, click the Select Feature

button on the Modify Area Feature dialog box toolbar. 

Then click on the first face you want to remove. To select additional faces, depress the 

CTRL key, and while holding it down, click the additional faces. 

Step 6 To remove the face(s) selected, click the Remove Area button on the Modify Area Feature 

dialog box’s internal toolbar. 

The selected face turns light green (color may vary) on the map and is removed from the 

area landmark.
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Step Action and Result

Because all geographic areas consist of faces, you may need to “split” a face to accurately 

reflect an entity’s boundary. To split a face, digitize a new line that represents the 

boundary’s location (click on Table 33 for instructions to add a linear feature) and assign it 

the appropriate MTFCC. This splits the original face into two faces. You can now select the 

face you need to add to the new entity.

6.4 How to Update Point Landmarks

6.4.1 Adding a Point Landmark

To add a point landmark, follow the steps below.

Table 41: Adding a Point Landmark

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Open in Map View the county that contains the entity where you want to add the point 

landmark. Be sure the point landmarks layer (pointlm_18077 in this example) is checked in 

the Table of Contents. Then zoom to the location where you want to add the landmark.

Step 2 Click the Add Point Landmark button on the BAS toolbar. 

Step 3 Click on the map where you want to add the point landmark. The Add Point Landmark

dialog box opens and a red X marks the location you selected.
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Type in the name for the new point landmark in the FULLNAME: field. Then click the down 

arrow next to the MTFCC: field to open the drop-down menu. 

Step 5 Select the MTFCC, then click the OK button at the bottom of the box.

The map updates to show the added point landmark. In this case we added a traffic circle 

and named it Buchanan Circle. 

6.4.2 Deleting a Point Landmark

To delete a point landmark, follow the steps in Table 42.

Table 42: Deleting a Point Landmark

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Zoom to the area on the map where you want to delete a point landmark. In this example, we 

will delete the traffic circle named Buchanan Circle.

Step 2 Click the Delete Point Landmark button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 3 On the map, click on the point landmark you want to delete (Buchanan Circle). The Delete 

Point Landmark dialog box opens, and asks if you are sure you want to delete the point 

landmark.
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Step Action and Result

Step 4 Click OK. The point landmark disappears from the map and from the attribute table.

6.4.3 Changing the Attributes of a Point Landmark

To change the attributes of a point landmark (e.g., its name, MTFCC), follow the steps below.

Table 43: Changing the Attributes of a Point Landmark

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Zoom to the area on the map where the point landmark is located and click on the landmark. 

In this example, we will change the name of Buchanan Traffic Circle.

Step 2 Click on the Edit Point Landmark button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 3 On the map, click on Buchanan Circle. The Edit Point Landmark dialog box opens.

Step 4 To change the name, backspace over the name appearing in the FULLNAME: field, then type 

in the new name. In this example, we will change the name to Marley Circle.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Click OK. The new name of the point landmark appears on the map. 

6.5 How to Use GUPS Review and Validation Tools

GUPS provides two tools—the Geography Review tool and the Review Change Polygons

tool to help you review and validate the updates you have made in the system. 

6.5.1 Geography Review Tool

The Geography Review tool filters the map layers based on various fields in the attribute table. 

You can use this tool to check the changes you made to linear features, area landmarks, point 

landmarks, and legal boundaries anywhere within a county (you may also view the attributes of

entities, features, landmarks, and boundaries you did not change). Note: Although this tool 

allows you to review your changes, you cannot use it to edit them. 

Instructions for how to use the Geography Review tool information appear below.

Table 44: Using the Geography Review Tool

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click on the Geography Review button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Geography Review Tool dialog box opens.
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Step Action and Result

Step 2 In the Layer Name: field drop-down menu, select the data layer you want to view: 

In this example, we selected the file “bas18_25510500000_55105_changes_alndk.” This 

is the transaction data output file for the area landmark layer (note the word “changes” in 

the file name to indicate the layer has been updated).

Step 3 Once you make your selection, the attribute table for the layer opens, with the attributes 

for each area landmark you changed displayed in a separate row. 

If you cannot see all the columns in the attribute data table, drag the edge of the dialog 

box outward to widen the view. You may also move the dialog box to another location by 

clicking inside the box and dragging it. 

Step 4 To see an area landmark on the map, click its row in the attribute table, then click the 

Zoom button (the row is highlighted and the map automatically zooms to the landmark 

selected, which is highlighted and shows changes made in cyan blue – colors may vary). 
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 To view other area landmarks listed in the table rows, use the Previous Zoom and Next 

Zoom buttons. The previous or next row highlights and the system zooms to the map for 

that row. 

Step 6 You may use the Search feature at the bottom of the dialog box to filter the table layers by 

specific attributes (e.g., full name, MTFCC, change type, etc.). 

Step 7 First, select the layer you want to view (in this example, we will select the county 

subdivision layer). 

For each feature changed for a county subdivision, the attributes of the changed feature 

display in the table rows. Each column gives the name of the attribute. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 8 In the Column Name drop-down menu, select the attribute by which you want to filter.

In this example, we will select change type (CHNG_TYPE). 

Step 9 Finally, in the Select drop-down, select the attribute value by which you want to filter, then 

click the Search button. In this example, we will select ‘Boundary Correction’.

After you click Search, the attribute table is filtered to show the rows for all boundary 

corrections made in the county subdivision layer.
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Step Action and Result

Step 10 To view an individual boundary correction, click on its row and click the Zoom button.

Step 11 To return to the attribute table to see the full (unfiltered) county subdivision layer, click the 

Refresh button in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box. 

Note that when filtering the table by some attributes (e.g., state and county FIPS code or 

MTFCC), no drop-down list appears from which to make a selection. This is because 

some attribute codes are too numerous to make scrolling through a list practicable. 

Instead you will receive a blank box in which you may type the search value. For example, 

if you are filtering the area landmarks layer by MTFCC and want to see hospitals in the 

layer, type in the MTFCC for hospitals (K1231), as shown below, then click Search.

6.5.2 Reviewing Change Polygons Tool

The Review Change Polygons tool allows you to view the transactions created from the edits 

you made to legal entities, as well as to area landmarks and hydrographic areas. You can 

review the transaction polygons that represent boundary changes, as well as new 

incorporations and disincorporations. The tool also allows you to make corrections to change 

polygons.
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To use the Review Change Polygons tool, follow the steps below.

Table 45: Reviewing Change Polygons

Step Action and Result

Step 1 In the Map Management dialog box, make sure the county for which you want to run the 

check appears in the Working County field. 

Once you click the Open button at the bottom of the dialog box and the map opens in 

Map View, you are ready to run the Review Change Polygons check.

If you made changes in more than one county, you must run the check for each county 

in which you worked. This means that after completing the check for one county you 

must return to Map Management and select the additional county in which you worked 

as the working county. Then run the check on it. Repeat this process until you have run 

the check for all counties in which you made changes. 

If you did not make any changes in another county, you need only run the check for your 

county.

Step 2 Once you have loaded the working county, you are ready to begin the change polygons 

review. 

Click on the Review Change Polygons button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Review Change Polygons dialog box opens just below the Table of Contents.
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Step Action and Result

Note: This box can be dragged anywhere on your screen and docked.

Step 3 Use the Geography drop-down menu shown below to select the geography you want to 

review. In this example, we have selected ‘MCD’.

Step 4 After you select an entity type, the Small Area Check and Find Holes buttons become 

active and all change polygons for the entity type you selected appear in the Info list at 

the bottom of the box.

Step 5 To check for small area change polygons, click the Small Area Check button. If all your 

change polygons are of sufficient size, a pop-up box informs you of this.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 132

Step Action and Result

Step 6 If you have small area polygons within an MCD in the working county, they appear in the 

Info list with their acreage noted in the Area in Acres column. The Display All 

Changes button also becomes active (this button allows you to toggle back to see all 

change polygons in the list).

Step 7 To view a polygon on the map, click the row for the polygon in the Info list. The polygon 

is highlighted and the map zooms to the location of the polygon. 

Note in the illustration above, we moved the Review Change Polygons box to sit over 

the map. As stated earlier, you may move the box anywhere on the page and dock it.

Step 8 To delete polygons that are too small (less than 500 square feet), click on the row for the 

change polygon in the Info list. The Delete Change Polygon button appears.

Step 9 To delete the polygon, click the Delete Change Polygon button. A pop-up box asks if 

you are sure you want to delete.
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Step Action and Result

Step 10 Click the Yes button. The polygon is removed from the list, from the map, and from the 

attribute table.

Step 11 Before the Small Area check is complete, you must repeat the steps above for each 

geography type for which you created change polygons.

Step 12 Next, review your polygons for holes (that is, two or fewer small faces missed when 

creating a change polygon). While still in the Review Change Polygons dialog box, 

select a geography type from the Geography drop-down menu. For this example, we 

again selected ‘MCD’. A list of change polygons for MCDs in the county populates the 

Info list and the Display All Changes button replaces the Small Area button (since 

you’ve already run this check). The Find Holes buttons remains in its original location. 

Step 13 Click on the row for the polygon in the Info list to see it on the map, then click the Find 

Holes button. If no holes are present, a pop-up box informs you of this.

Step 14 If holes are found, a list of polygons with holes appears in the Holes Review box and the 

Fix button activates at the bottom of the box. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 15 To correct a change polygon, click on its row to highlight it. The map zooms to its 

location and displays all holes in cyan blue (color may vary). 

Step 16 Click the Fix button to repair the hole. The change polygon is corrected and the 

correction displays on the map (i.e., the hole is changed to the same color as the 

remainder of the polygon). 

Step 17 Before the Find Holes check is complete, you must repeat the steps above for each 

geography type for which you created change polygons.
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Step Action and Result

Step 18 After you review for small areas and holes, you may also use the Review Change 

Polygons tool to check the general accuracy of your change polygons. To do so, select 

your entity type in the Geography drop-down menu. A full list of change polygons for the 

geography type selected displays in the Info list.

Step 19 Click on the row for each polygon to see it on the map and review your changes. 

If you notice a mistake on the map (e.g., you created a new incorporated place that was 

supposed to have six faces, but you selected only five), click on the Modify Area 

Feature button on the BAS toolbar and make the correction.

Step 20 To review boundary changes, select the entity type you want to review in the 

Geography drop-down menu at the top of the Review Change Polygons dialog box. In 

this example, we select ‘Place’. All boundary change polygons for the entity type 

selected populate the Info list. 

To review a boundary change, click on the change polygon in the list, then click the

Legal Entity Change button at the bottom of the Review Change Polygons dialog box, 

shown below. 

The map zooms to where the change was made and a box opens displaying the 

information that you entered when you coded the change. Here, because the change 

was a boundary correction, the effective date, authority type, and documentation fields 

are not filled.
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Step Action and Result

If this change was mistakenly coded as a boundary correction, and should have been a 

legal change instead, you may correct the error here. In this example we correct a 

change polygon mistakenly coded as a boundary correction rather than an annexation.

Step 21 Click the calendar icon next to the EFF_DATE field to select an effective date for the 

annexation.

Step 22 Use the drop-down menu for the AUTHTYPE field to select the authority type for the 

change.

Step 23 In the DOCU field, type in the ordinance or other legal documentation number 

authorizing the annexation, or upload legal documentation for the change. To upload 

documentation, click the folder icon next to the DOCU field. 

When the DOCU window opens, click on the icon for ‘My Computer’ (or simply 

‘Computer’ in some Windows versions) to open the directory where you have saved your 

documentation. 
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Step Action and Result

Your directories display, as shown below.

Select the appropriate directory and navigate to the file you want to upload. Click the file. 

Then, to upload it, click the Open button at the bottom of the DOCU window. 

GUPS uploads the file and the file name appears in the DOCU field.

Step 24 Finally, in the CHNG_TYPE field drop-down menu, change ‘Boundary Correction’ to the 

correct change type (‘Annexation’, ‘Corridor’, or ‘Offset’). Here we select ‘Annexation’.

Step 25 Click the OK button. The correction is made.

Step 26 When you have completed all your reviews (for small areas, holes, and boundary 

changes) for all entity types, and have made any corrections needed, click the Save

button on the BAS toolbar. All corrections are saved. Your Review Change Polygons 

check is complete.

Step 27 If you made changes in more than one working county, return to Map Management, 

select the additional county as your working county, and repeat the steps above. Repeat 

this process as many times as needed until you have run the Review Change Polygons

check on all the counties in which you made changes.
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6.6 Export a Printable Map

GUPS allows you to generate printable maps in four formats (.pdf, .png., .tiff, and .jpeg). The 

maps can be created in portrait or landscape view, on letter or ledger (legal) size paper, and at 

various scales. To export a printable map from GUPS, follow the steps below.

Table 46: Export a Printable Map

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click on the Export to ZIP button on the BAS toolbar. 

The Print Map to File dialog box opens.

Step 2 In the Desired Map Titles section, type in a map title and sub-title. 

Step 3 Under Page Orientation, click the radio button next to ‘Portrait’ or ‘Landscape’ to select the 

map’s orientation on the page when printed. 
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Step Action and Result

The map orientation in the preview pane to the right changes to reflect your selection.

Portrait View (left) and Landscape View (right)

Step 4 Under Map Scale, click the appropriate radio button to select the map scale (you may use 

your current map extent or set a fixed scale). To select a fixed scale, click the radio button 

next to ‘Fixed Scale’, then click the down arrow to open the drop-down menu. In the dropdown list, click on the scale that you want.

Step 5 Under Desired Paper Size, click the radio button next to ‘Letter’ for 81⁄2 by 11-inch paper or 

the ‘Ledger’ button for 11 by 17-inch paper. 
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Step Action and Result

Step 6 When you are ready to export the file, under Export File Format, click the radio button next 

to the desired format. You may export the file in .pdf, .png, .tiff, or .jpeg format. 

Step 7 Click the Save button. The Map Export – Save Map As... window opens. 

Note: GUPS automatically selected the “output” folder for BAS2018 as the save location. 

This folder was created on your computer by the GUPS installer. If you want to save the file 

to a different location, navigate to the location first before saving.

Step 8 After you have selected the location, type in the name you want to give the file, then click 

Save. 

Step 9 The file is saved and you receive a pop-up message confirming that the export is complete. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page 141

Step Action and Result

Step 10 To save the file, click OK. Your file is saved either in the default BAS2018 output location or 

in the alternate location you specified. Here we saved the file in the default location.

6.7 How to Export ZIP Files to Share/Submit

When creating ZIP files to export, you have two options—you may export the file to share with 

another user or you may export the file for submission to the Census Bureau. In either case, 

GUPS automatically names the output ZIP file for you. It packages all the files required by the 

Census Bureau (including any documentation you uploaded) into the ZIP file and saves it in a 

preset location created on your computer by during the installation process.

6.7.1 Exporting a File to Share

To export a file to share with another user, follow the steps below.

Table 47: Exporting Files to Share with Another User

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click on the Export to ZIP button on the BAS toolbar.

Step 2 After you click Export to Zip button, you may receive one of two results, depending on 

whether you have validated your changes using the Review Change Polygons tool. If 

you have not used the tool to check your work, the Export to ZIP pop-up box appears 

and lists the specific checks that need to be run before you can export the file.
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Step Action and Result

If you see this message, click the Cancel button and run the Review Change Polygons

check. Then repeat the initial export steps again.

Step 3 If you have already run the Review Change Polygon check, the Export to ZIP pop-up 

box displays the status of the checks and the date and time they were made, as shown 

below.

Step 4 Look carefully at the run times listed. If you have made any additional changes after these 

times, click Cancel and run the Review Change Polygons check again. Then repeat the 

export steps. 

Step 5 The Select Output Type dialog box opens. 
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Step Action and Result

To prepare ZIP file to be shared with another user, select the “Share with Another 

Participant” radio button. Click OK.

Step 6 The ZIP File Output dialog box opens. It informs you that the ZIP file was created and 

asks if you want to view the folder.

Step 7 If you click Yes, the directory opens and displays the folder location where GUPS placed 

the file. Note: GUPS automatically saves the file to an output folder that the GUPS 

installer placed on your computer during the installation process.)

Step 8 You may now share the file with another user.

6.7.2 Exporting a File to Submit to the Census Bureau

To export a file to submit to the Census Bureau, follow the steps below.

Table 48: Exporting Files for Submission to the Census Bureau

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Click on the Export to ZIP button on the BAS toolbar.
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Step Action and Result

The Select Output Type dialog box opens. 

Click the Export for Census radio button. Then click OK. 

Step 2 After you click OK, you may receive one of two results, depending on whether you have 

validated your changes using the Review Change Polygons tool. If you have not used the tool 

to check your work, the Export to ZIP pop-up box appears and lists the specific checks that 

need to be run before you can export the file.

Step 3 If you see this message, click the Cancel button and run the Review Change Polygons

check. Then repeat the initial export steps again.

Step 4 If you have already run the Review Change Polygon check, the Export to ZIP pop-up box 

displays the status of the checks and the date and time they were made, as shown below.
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Step Action and Result

Step 5 Look carefully at the run times listed. If you have made any additional changes after these 

times, click Cancel and run the Review Change Polygons check again. Then repeat the 

export steps.

Step 6 Otherwise, click OK. The GUPS User Contact Information dialog box opens up. Complete 

the required fields and click OK. 

The ZIP File Output dialog box opens. It informs you that the ZIP file was created and asks if 

you want to view the folder.

Step 7 If you click Yes, the directory opens and displays the folder location where GUPS placed the 

file. Note: GUPS automatically saves the file to an output folder that the GUPS installer placed 

on your computer during the installation process.

Step 8 You are now ready to upload your file to the Census Bureau through the SWIM. See Section 7 

on the next page. 
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SECTION 7: SUBMITTING YOUR FILES TO THE CENSUS 

BUREAU THROUGH SWIM

To upload and transmit your update files to the Census Bureau, you must access your account 

in the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM), as shown in the table below.

Note: If you already have a SWIM account, have your user name (e-mail address) and password 

ready. If you do not have a SWIM account, have the 12-digit registration token provided by the 

Census Bureau ready.

Table 49: Transmitting Files to the Census Bureau Using SWIM

Step Action and Result

Step 1 If you are a participant in another Census Bureau partnership program and already have a 

SWIM Account, access <https://respond.census.gov/swim/> and enter your E-mail address 

and Password. Then click the Login button. The Welcome screen opens. Go to Step 7.

Step 2 If you do not yet have a SWIM Account, have the 12-digit registration token provided to you by 

the Census Bureau ready for your registration. You can register at 

<https://respond.census.gov/swim/>. Once the login screen opens, click the Register 

Account button. The Account Registration screen opens. 
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Step Action and Result

All fields on the Account Registration screen are required. You will not be able to move to 

the next screen until you have completed all fields.

Step 3 On the Account Registration screen, first, enter the 12-digit token provided by the Census 

Bureau. Then enter your name, agency, and e-mail in the appropriate fields.

Step 4 Next, create a password. The passwords must meet the five criteria below: 

1. It must be 8 characters in length

2. It must have at least one upper case character

3. It must have at least one lower case character

4. It must have at least one number

5. It must have at least one special character (valid special characters are: #, !, $, *, &, ?, ~). 

Note: Commas in the special characters list are for spacing purposes only; the comma is 

not a valid character for the password.

Step 5 Set up a security question (click the arrow on the right of the Security Question box and 

select a question in the drop-down list, then enter an answer in the Answer box). When you 

have finished, click the Submit button. A screen opens to confirm that you have successfully 

registered.
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Step Action and Result

Step 6 On the Confirmation screen, click Login. You will return to the Login screen. 

Step 7 On the Login screen, enter your e-mail and password then click the green Login button. The 

Welcome screen opens. You will see the list of files you have previously uploaded, the 

creation date of the file, the name of the file, and its corresponding zip size. If you need to 

make modifications, click on the file you want to edit then select the Start Now Upload button.
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Step Action and Result

Step 8 To begin an upload, click the Start New Upload button. A screen opens asking which 

program for which you are reporting data. On this screen, click the Boundary Annexation 

Survey (BAS) radio button, then click Next at the bottom of the screen.

Step 9 A screen opens asking “What type of BAS you are reporting for?” Click the radio button 

next to the governmental unit for which you are reporting data, then click the Next button. In 

this example, we will select County. 

Step 10 A screen opens that allows you to select your state and the entity (in this case county) for 

which you are reporting data. For the example, select North Carolina in the State field dropdown menu and the county in the County field drop-down menu. Then click the Next button.

Step 11 The Select a .ZIP file to upload screen opens. Choose a zip file to upload. Note: All files 

must be a zip file. To upload a file, click the + Add File button on the screen.
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Step Action and Result

Step 12 The Choose File to Upload window opens and allows you to navigate on your computer to 

the ZIP file’s location. 

Locate the ZIP file you want to upload then double-click it. Note: You can only add one file at 

a time.

Step 13 Once the file upload is complete, the Status field shows ‘Success.’ The name of the file 

appears in the File(s) field. To add another file, click the + Add File and the upload process 

will repeat.

In this example, there are two files uploaded. One for an updated digital address list and one 

for an updated shapefile. 

Step 14 After you have uploaded the file(s), type any comments (including pertinent information about 

data projection or supporting documentation for shapefiles) in the Comments field. Click 

Next.
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Step Action and Result

Step 15 The Thank You screen appears and confirms the receipt of your submission.

Step 16 To submit files for a different entity, click on the ‘Upload Form’ link in the phrase “You may 

Log Out or return to the upload form, to submit more files.” This choice returns you to the

Welcome screen.

To log out, click on Log Out. The Census Bureau will acknowledge the receipt of the 

uploaded file.

SWIM sessions deactivate after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Note: While working in SWIM, you may obtain help by clicking on the Help button on any 

screen. When you click the button, a screen opens with links to help resources.
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APPENDICES
Boundary and Annexation Survey Respondent Guide: GUPS Page A-1

APPENDIX A. BAS CONTACT INFORMATION AND 

RESOURCES

Action/Question Resource Contact

Request shapefiles 

on DVD

Geography 

Division

Call: 1-800-972-5651

E-mail: geo.bas@census.gov 

BAS materials 

questions

Geography 

Division

Call: 1-800-972-5651

E-mail: geo.bas@census.gov 

Legal boundary 

questions

Geography 

Division 

Call: 1-301-763-1099

E-mail: geo.bas@census.gov

Fax: 1-800-972-5652

Ask guidance on 

areas under legal 

dispute

Census 

Bureau Legal 

Office 

Call: 1-301-763-9844

GUPS technical 

support

Geography 

Division 

Call: 1-800-972-5651

E-mail: geo.bas@census.gov 

Be sure to have the number for the version of GUPS you are 

running ready. To find this number, go to the Help tab on the 

main Menu in GUPS and click ‘About GUPS’ in the dropdown menu. A pop-up box will provide you the number.

SWIM token 

questions 

Geography 

Division

Call: 1-800-972-5651

E-mail: geo.bas@census.gov 

SWIM technical 

support

Geography 

Division

geo.swim@census.gov

Submit output files on 

DVD (if you do not 

have Internet access)

National 

Processing 

Center

Send to: 

US Census Bureau

National Processing Center

ATTN: BAS Returns, Bldg 63E

1201 East 10th Street

Jeffersonville, IN 47132
Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS Page B-1

APPENDIX B. TERMS

Areal Feature - is a prominent and identifying feature of a landscape significant enough to 

warrant name recognition, such as a lake, park, school, military base, or cemetery, etc. This 

type of feature class is only assigned to a face geometry. Any face can be assigned to multiple 

features. For example, a water body can also be part of a park.

Edge - is a one-dimensional object (legacy 1-cell), bounded by two nodes: a start node and an 

end node. Its geometry is distinguished by the coordinates of the start and end nodes, and 

additional coordinates that are ordered and serve as vertices (or shape points) between the two 

nodes. An edge is a primitive feature in the Oracle database.

Effects of having Edge features in the MAF/TIGER Database(MTDB):

 Represents an invisible boundary line for various geometry, geographic, and statistical data and 

can stand alone.

 A linear feature always occupies the same space as an edge and there are attributes on an edge 

that are lone relevant when a linear feature exists.

Face - is a two-dimensional object (legacy 2-cell) bounded by two or more edges. Its boundary 

includes not only the edges that separate it from other faces, but also any interior edges (twodimensional topological primitives) contained within the area of the face.

Geographic Area - is a demarcated area used for the collection and/or tabulation of Census 

Bureau data. 

Geographic Corridors - is an area that includes only a road (or other feature’s) right-of-way 

and does not contain any structures. Figure 13. Annexed Area Corridor and Unincorporated

shows a corridor that has been created where an incorporated place annexed the road right-ofway, but not the housing units assigned to either side of the road (these belong instead to an 

unincorporated area). If it is important to the incorporated place that its ownership and/or 

maintenance of the road and/or its right-of-way be displayed on Census Bureau’s maps, a 

geographic corridor should be created. However, the Census Bureau does not require places to 

report rights-of-way: maintaining geographic corridors in a nationwide database is difficult and 

impractical, and the right-of-way should only be included if it is crucial to the place, or if state or 

local laws require it. The Census Bureau would actually prefer that the area simply not be 

assigned to the place at all.

Figure 14. shows an example where the right-of-way belongs in an unincorporated area, while 

the housing units along it are included in an incorporated place (shown in color). While depicting 

this corridor may be important for local purposes, it is not relevant for Census Bureau 

tabulations and is not easy to depict in the Census nationwide database. This type of corridor 

should not be included in a BAS response.

Please note that the Census Bureau does not require places to display rights-of-way or road 

maintenance corridors that do not contain or potentially contain housing or population. If local or 

state law does not require depiction of these geographic features, the Census Bureau prefers 

that they be left off BAS submissions. However, if it is necessary for the place to depict them, 

then they must be submitted as a geographic corridor.
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Figure 13. Annexed Area Corridor and Unincorporated Area

Figure 13 - A corridor that has been created where an incorporated place annexed the road 

right-of-way, but not the housing units assigned to either side of the road.

Figure 14. Incorporated Area and Unincorporated Area

Figure 14 - The right-of-way belongs in an unincorporated area, while the housing units along it 

are included in an incorporated place.

To recap, when a participant has a case where a road right-of-way is legally included in the 

boundary, but the adjacent parcels/houses are not, there are two options. You should either not 

include the area in the place at all (Scenario A in Figure 15. Participant Responses), or 

include it in the place and flag it as a corridor (Scenario C in Figure 15. Participant 

Responses). What you should never do is include such areas within the place boundary without 

flagging them as corridors (Scenario B in Figure 15. Participant Responses).

Figure 15. Participant Responses

Figure 15 – (A): The respondent did not include place ownership of the road or the right-of-way, 

allowing houses along the road to be geocoded correctly. (B): The respondent chose to show 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page B-3

place ownership of the road, but did not flag it as a corridor, causing houses along the road to 

be incorrectly geocoded.(C): The respondent chose to show place ownership of the road, and 

flagged that ownership as a corridor, allowing the houses to be geocoded correctly. Both A and 

C are acceptable.

Geographic Offsets

A geographic offset is an area (either within or outside of a geographic entity) that is only on one 

side of a road (unlike corridors, which involve both sides of the road) and does not include 

structures addressed to that side of the road. Much of the same guidelines regarding corridors 

also holds true for offsets.

The Census Bureau is aware that many governments base their legal boundaries on cadastral 

(parcel-based) right-of-way mapping. Census Bureau maps are based on spatial data that is 

topologically integrated which makes maintenance of geographic offsets inefficient. Using the 

road centerline wherever possible will help to establish more accurate population counts. If a 

boundary follows a front lot line, the Census Bureau strongly prefers that the road centerline be 

used as the boundary. If a boundary is at the rear of a lot, then it should be depicted as such. If 

it is unclear whether a particular line is a front lot line or something else, please contact the BAS 

team for assistance. As a rule, if a house or building could not conceivably be built in the area 

between the potential line and the centerline of the road, then the line can be considered a front 

lot line. Figure 16. A Cadastral (Parcel-Based) Boundary Map depicts a cadastral (parcelbased) boundary map and Figure 17. How a Boundary Should be Represented When Sent 

to the Census Bureau shows how the boundary should be represented when it is sent to the 

Census Bureau.

Figure 16. A Cadastral (Parcel-Based) Boundary Map

Figure 17. How a Boundary Should be Represented When Sent to the Census Bureau
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page B-4

Figure 18. Place Boundary – Front Lot Line

Figure 18 - Shows a situation in which the place boundary is along the front lot line. In this example, the 

respondent must either use the road centerline as the boundary (preferred), or create an offset.

Figure 19. Place Boundary – Rear Lot Line

Figure 19 - The place boundary is on the rear lot line, so the respondent should of course not use the road 

centerline or create an offset, but should rather digitize in a new boundary following the rear lot line.

The Census Bureau has included an “offset” shapefile in the BAS materials 

(bas_2018_offset_<ssccc>.shp), so that your jurisdiction can be checked for any existing 

corridors or offsets. While the Census Bureau prefers that new offsets are not created (see 

above), this information can be helpful in determining if current boundaries are correct.

Linear Feature - is a single dimension feature (Road/Path, Hydro, Rail, or Miscellaneous) along 

one or more edges.

Point Feature - is an isolated node not connected to an edge. The XY coordinate point is where 

a structure resides. Point Feature structures include housing units and legacy point landmark of 

public facilities such as libraries, police stations, schools, churches, malls, and some 

monuments.
Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS Page C-1

APPENDIX C. MTFCC DESCRIPTIONS

The MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Code (MTFCC) is a 5-digit code assigned by the 

Census Bureau to classify and describe geographic objects or features in Census Bureau 

MAF/TIGER products.

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

C3022 Mountain Peak or 

Summit

A prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of the 

Earth’s surface.

C3023 Island An area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low 

wetland [including archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, 

isla, isle, key, moku and rock].

C3024 Levee An embankment flanking a stream or other flowing water feature 

to prevent overflow.

C3026 Quarry (not waterfilled), Open Pit Mine 

or Mine

An area from which commercial minerals are or were removed 

from the Earth; not including an oilfield or gas field.

C3027 Dam A barrier built across the course of a stream to impound water 

and/or control water flow.

C3061 Cul-de-sac An expanded paved area at the end of a street used by vehicles 

for turning around. For mapping purposes, the Census Bureau 

maps it only as a point feature.

C3062 Traffic Circle A circular intersection allowing for continuous movement of 

traffic at the meeting of roadways.

C3066 Gate A movable barrier across a road.

C3067 Toll Booth A structure or barrier where a fee is collected for using a road.

C3071 Lookout Tower A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for 

observation.

C3074 Lighthouse Beacon A manmade structure, higher than its diameter, used for 

transmission of light and possibly sound generally to aid in 

navigation.

C3075 Tank/Tank Farm One or more manmade structures, each higher than its 

diameter, used for liquid (other than water) or gas storage or for 

distribution activities.

C3076 Windmill Farm One or more manmade structures used to generate power from 

the wind.

C3077 Solar Farm One or more manmade structures used to generate power from 

the sun.

C3078 Monument or 

Memorial

A manmade structure to educate, commemorate, or memorialize 

an event, person, or feature.

C3079 Boundary Monument 

Point

A material object placed on or near a boundary line to preserve 

and identify the location of the boundary line on the ground.

C3080 Survey Control Point A point on the ground whose position (horizontal or vertical) is 

known and can be used as a base for additional survey work.

C3081 Locality Point A point that identifies the location and name of an unbounded 

locality (e.g., crossroad, community, populated place or locale).

C3085 Alaska Native Village 

Official Point

A point that serves as the core of an Alaska Native village and is 

used in defining Alaska Native village statistical areas.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-2

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G2100 American Indian Area A legally defined state- or federally recognized reservation 

and/or off-reservation trust land (excludes statistical American 

Indian areas).

G2120 Hawaiian Home Land A legal area held in trust for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

G2130 Alaska Native Village 

Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity that represents the residences, 

permanent and/or seasonal, for Alaska Natives who are 

members of or receiving governmental services from the 

defining legal Alaska Native Village corporation.

G2140 Oklahoma Tribal 

Statistical Area

A statistical entity identified and delineated by the Census 

Bureau in consultation with federally recognized American 

Indian tribes that have no current reservation, but had a former 

reservation in Oklahoma.

G2150 State-designated 

Tribal Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the 

Census Bureau by a state-appointed liaison for a staterecognized American Indian tribe that does not currently have a 

reservation and/or lands in trust.

G2160 Tribal Designated 

Statistical Area

A statistical geographic entity identified and delineated for the 

Census Bureau by a federally recognized American Indian tribe 

that does not currently have a reservation and/or off-reservation 

trust land.

G2170 American Indian Joint 

Use Area

An area administered jointly and/or claimed by two or more 

American Indian tribes.

G2200 Alaska Native 

Regional Corporation

Corporate entities established to conduct both business and 

nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives pursuant to the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-203). There are 

twelve geographically defined ANRCs and they are all within 

and cover most of the State of Alaska (the Annette Island 

Reserve-an American Indian reservation-is excluded from any 

ANRC). The boundaries of ANRCs have been legally 

established.

G2300 Tribal Subdivision Administrative subdivisions of federally recognized American 

Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands, or Oklahoma 

tribal statistical areas (OTSAs). These entities are internal units 

of self-government or administration that serve social, cultural, 

and/or economic purposes for the American Indians on the 

reservations, off-reservation trust lands, or OTSAs.

G2400 Tribal Census Tract A relatively small and permanent statistical subdivision of a 

federally recognized American Indian reservation and/or offreservation trust land, delineated by American Indian tribal 

participants or the Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting 

demographic data.

G2410 Tribal Block Group A cluster of census blocks within a single tribal census tract 

delineated by American Indian tribal participants or the Census 

Bureau for the purpose of presenting demographic data.

G3100 Combined Statistical 

Area

A grouping of adjacent metropolitan and/or micropolitan 

statistical areas that have a degree of economic and social 

integration, as measured by commuting.

G3110 Metropolitan and 

Micropolitan Statistical 

Area

An area containing a substantial population nucleus together 

with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic 

and social integration with that core, as measured by 

commuting. Defined using whole counties and equivalents.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-3

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G3120 Metropolitan Division A county or grouping of counties that is a subdivision of a 

Metropolitan Statistical Area containing an urbanized area with a 

population of 2.5 million or more.

G3200 Combined New 

England City and 

Town Area

A grouping of adjacent New England city and town areas that 

have a degree of economic and social integration, as measured 

by commuting.

G3210 New England City and 

Town Metropolitan 

and Micropolitan

Statistical Area

An area containing a substantial population nucleus together 

with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic 

and social integration with that core, as measured by 

commuting. Defined using Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in New 

England.

G3220 New England City and 

Town Division

A grouping of cities and towns in New England that is a 

subdivision of a New England City and Town Area containing an 

urbanized area with a population of 2.5 million or more.

G3500 Urban Area Densely settled territory that contains at least 2,500 people. The 

subtypes of this feature are Urbanized Area (UA), which 

consists of 50,000 + people and Urban Cluster, which ranges 

between 2,500 and 49,999 people.

G4000 State or Equivalent 

Feature

The primary governmental divisions of the United States. The 

District of Columbia is treated as a statistical equivalent of a 

state for census purposes, as is Puerto Rico.

G4020 County or Equivalent 

Feature

The primary division of a state or state equivalent area. The 

primary divisions of 48 states are termed County, but other 

terms are used such as Borough in Alaska, Parish in Louisiana, 

and Municipio in Puerto Rico. This feature includes independent 

cities, which are incorporated places that are not part of any 

county.

G4040 County Subdivision The primary divisions of counties and equivalent features for the 

reporting of Census Bureau data. The subtypes of this feature 

are Minor Civil Division, Census County Division/Census 

Subarea, and Unorganized Territory. This feature includes 

independent places, which are incorporated places that are not 

part of any county subdivision.

G4050 Estate Estates are subdivisions of the three major islands in the United 

States Virgin Islands (USVI).

G4060 Subbarrio (Subminor 

Civil Division)

Legally defined divisions (subbarrios) of minor civil divisions 

(barrios-pueblo and barrios) in Puerto Rico.

G4110 Incorporated Place A legal entity incorporated under state law to provide generalpurpose governmental services to a concentration of population. 

Incorporated places are generally designated as a city, borough, 

municipality, town, village, or, in a few instances, have no legal 

description.

G4120 Consolidated City An incorporated place that has merged governmentally with a 

county or minor civil division, but one or more of the 

incorporated places continues to function within the 

consolidation. It is a place that contains additional separately 

incorporated places.

G4210 Census Designated 

Place

A statistical area defined for a named concentration of 

population and the statistical counterpart of an incorporated 

place.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-4

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G4300 Economic Census 

Place

The lowest level of geographic area for presentation of some 

types of Economic Census data. It includes incorporated places, 

consolidated cities, census designated places (CDPs), minor 

civil divisions (MCDs) in selected states, and balances of MCDs 

or counties. An incorporated place, CDP, MCD, or balance of 

MCD qualifies as an economic census place if it contains 5,000 

or more residents, or 5,000 or more jobs, according to the most 

current data available.

G5020 Census Tract Relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a County or 

equivalent feature delineated by local participants as part of the 

Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program.

G5030 Block Group A cluster of census blocks having the same first digit of their 

four-digit identifying numbers within a Census Tract. For 

example, block group 3 (BG 3) within a Census Tract includes 

all blocks numbered from 3000 to 3999.

G5035 Block Area Grouping A user-defined group of islands forming a single census 

tabulation block. A BAG must: (1) consist of two or more islands, 

(2) have a perimeter entirely over water, (3) not overlap, and (4) 

not cross the boundary of other tabulation geographies, such as 

county or incorporated place boundaries.

G5040 Tabulation Block The lowest-order census defined statistical area. It is an area, 

such as a city block, bounded primarily by physical features but 

sometimes by invisible city or property boundaries. A tabulation 

block boundary does not cross the boundary of any other 

geographic area for which the Census Bureau tabulates data. 

The subtypes of this feature are Count Question Resolution 

(CQR), current, and census.

G5200 Congressional District The 435 areas from which people are elected to the U.S. House 

of Representatives. Additional equivalent features exist for state 

equivalents with nonvoting delegates or no representative. The 

subtypes of this feature are 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 

111th Congressional Districts, plus subsequent Congresses.

G5210 State Legislative 

District (Upper 

Chamber

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from 

which members are elected to the upper or unicameral chamber 

of a state governing body. The upper chamber is the senate in a 

bicameral legislature, and the unicameral case is a single house 

legislature (Nebraska).

G5220 State Legislative 

District (Lower 

Chamber)

Areas established by a state or equivalent government from 

which members are elected to the lower chamber of a state 

governing body. The lower chamber is the House of 

Representatives in a bicameral legislature.

G5240 Voting District The generic name for the geographic features, such as 

precincts, wards, and election districts, established by state, 

local, and tribal governments for the purpose of conducting 

elections.

G5400 Elementary School 

District

A geographic area within which officials provide public 

elementary grade-level educational services for residents.

G5410 Secondary School 

District

A geographic area within which officials provide public 

secondary grade-level educational services for residents.

G5420 Unified School District A geographic area within which officials provide public 

educational services for all grade levels for residents.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-5

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

G6120 Public-Use Microdata 

Area

A decennial census area with a population of at least 100,000 or 

more persons for which the Census Bureau provides selected 

extracts of household-level data that are screened to protect 

confidentiality.

G6300 Traffic Analysis District An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations 

(MPOs) and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for 

tabulating journey-to-work and place-of-work data. A Traffic 

Analysis District (TAD) consists of one or more Traffic Analysis 

Zones (TAZs).

G6320 Traffic Analysis Zone An area delineated by Metropolitan Planning Organizations 

(MPOs) and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for 

tabulating journey-to-work and place-of-work data.

G6330 Urban Growth Area An area defined under state authority to manage urbanization 

that the Census Bureau includes in the MAF/TIGER® System in 

agreement with the state.

G6350 ZIP Code Tabulation 

Area (Five-Digit)

An approximate statistical-area representation of a U.S. Postal 

Service (USPS) 5-digit ZIP Code service area.

G6400 Commercial Region For the purpose of presenting economic statistical data, 

municipios in Puerto Rico are grouped into commercial regions.

H1100 Connector A known, but nonspecific, hydrographic connection between two 

nonadjacent water features.

H2025 Swamp/Marsh A poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or grassy, 

possibly covered with open water [includes bog, cienega, marais 

and pocosin].

H2030 Lake/Pond A standing body of water that is surrounded by land.

H2040 Reservoir An artificially impounded body of water.

H2041 Treatment Pond An artificial body of water built to treat fouled water.

H2051 Bay/Estuary/Gulf/

Sound

A body of water partly surrounded by land [includes arm, bight, 

cove and inlet].

H2053 Ocean/Sea The great body of salt water that covers much of the earth.

H2060 Gravel Pit/Quarry filled 

with water

A body of water in a place or area from which commercial 

minerals were removed from the Earth.

H2081 Glacier A body of ice moving outward and down slope from an area of 

accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on 

the top or side of a mountain or mountainous area [includes ice 

field and ice patch].

H3010 Stream/River A natural flowing waterway [includes anabranch, awawa, 

branch, brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, and run].

H3013 Braided Stream A natural flowing waterway with an intricate network of 

interlacing channels.

H3020 Canal, Ditch or 

Aqueduct

An artificial waterway constructed to transport water, to irrigate 

or drain land, to connect two or more bodies of water, or to 

serve as a waterway for watercraft [includes lateral].

K1225 Crew-of-Vessel 

Location

A point or area in which the population of military or merchant 

marine vessels at sea are assigned, usually being at or near the 

home port pier.

K1231 Hospital/Hospice/

Urgent Care Facility

One or more structures where the sick or injured may receive 

medical or surgical attention [including infirmary].
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-6

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K1235 Juvenile Institution A facility (correctional and non-correctional) where groups of 

juveniles reside; this includes training schools, detention 

centers, residential treatment centers and orphanages.

K1236 Local Jail or Detention 

Center

One or more structures that serve as a place for the 

confinement of adult persons in lawful detention, administered 

by a local (county, municipal, etc.) government.

K1237 Federal Penitentiary, 

State Prison, or Prison 

Farm

An institution that serves as a place for the confinement of adult 

persons in lawful detention, administered by the federal 

government or a state government.

K1238 Other Correctional 

Institution

One or more structures that serve as a place for the 

confinement of adult persons in lawful detention, not elsewhere 

classified or administered by a government of unknown 

jurisdiction.

K1239 Convent, Monastery, 

Rectory, Other 

Religious Group 

Quarters

One or more structures intended for use as a residence for 

those having a religious vocation.

K1246 Community Center Community Center.

K2110 Military Installation An area owned and/or occupied by the Department of Defense 

for use by a branch of the armed forces (such as the Army, 

Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard), or a state owned 

area for the use of the National Guard.

K2165 Government Center A place used by members of government (either federal, state, 

local, or tribal) for administration and public business.

K2167 Convention Center An exhibition hall or conference center with enough open space 

to host public and private business and social events.

K2180 Park Parkland defined and administered by federal, state, and local 

governments.

K2181 National Park Service 

Land

Area—National parks, National Monuments, and so forth—

under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

K2182 National Forest or 

Other Federal Land

Land under the management and jurisdiction of the federal 

government, specifically including areas designated as National 

Forest, and excluding areas under the jurisdiction of the National 

Park Service.

K2183 Tribal Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of an 

American Indian tribe.

K2184 State Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

state government.

K2185 Regional Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

regional government.

K2186 County Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

county government.

K2187 County Subdivision 

Park, Forest, or

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

minor civil division (town/township) government.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-7

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K2188 Incorporated Place 

Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of a 

municipal government.

K2189 Private Park, Forest, 

or Recreation Area

A privately owned place or area set aside for recreation or 

preservation of a cultural or natural resource.

K2190 Other Park, Forest, or 

Recreation Area 

(quasi-public, 

independent park, 

commission, etc.)

A place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a 

cultural or natural resource and under the administration of 

some other type of government or agency such as an 

independent park authority or commission.

K2191 Post Office An official facility of the U.S. Postal Service used for processing 

and distributing mail and other postal material.

K2193 Fire Department Fire Department.

K2194 Police Station Police Station.

K2195 Library Library.

K2196 City/Town Hall City/Town Hall.

K2400 Transportation 

Terminal

A facility where one or more modes of transportation can be 

accessed by people or for the shipment of goods; examples of 

such a facility include marine terminal, bus station, train station, 

airport and truck warehouse.

K2424 Marina A place where privately owned, light-craft are moored.

K2432 Pier/Dock A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported 

by piles. This platform may provide access to ships and boats, 

or it may be used for recreational purposes.

K2451 Airport or Airfield A manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft [including 

airstrip, landing field and landing strip].

K2452 Train Station, Trolley 

or Mass Transit Rail 

Station

A place where travelers can board and exit rail transit lines, 

including associated ticketing, freight, and other commercial 

offices.

K2453 Bus Terminal A place where travelers can board and exit mass motor vehicle 

transit, including associated ticketing, freight, and other 

commercial offices.

K2454 Marine Terminal A place where travelers can board and exit water transit or 

where cargo is handled, including associated ticketing, freight, 

and other commercial offices.

K2455 Seaplane Anchorage A place where an airplane equipped with floats for landing on or 

taking off from a body of water can debark and load.

K2456 Airport—Intermodal 

Transportation 

Hub/Terminal

A major air transportation facility where travelers can board and 

exit airplanes and connect with other (i.e. non-air) modes of 

transportation.

K2457 Airport—Statistical 

Representation

The area of an airport adjusted to include whole 2000 census 

blocks used for the delineation of urban areas

K2458 Park and Ride 

Facility/Parking Lot

A place where motorists can park their cars and transfer to other 

modes of transportation.

K2459 Runway/Taxiway A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by airplanes for 

taking off and landing at an airport.

K2460 Helicopter Landing 

Pad

A fairly level and usually paved expanse used by helicopters for 

taking off and landing.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-8

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

K2540 University or College A building or group of buildings used as an institution for postsecondary study, teaching, and learning [including seminary].

K2543 School or Academy A building or group of buildings used as an institution for 

preschool, elementary or secondary study, teaching, and 

learning [including elementary school and high school].

K2545 Museum, Visitor 

Center, Cultural 

Center, or Tourist 

Attraction

An attraction of historical, cultural, educational or other interest 

that provides information or displays artifacts.

K2561 Golf Course A place designed for playing golf.

K2582 Cemetery A place or area for burying the dead [including burying ground 

and memorial garden].

K2586 Zoo A facility in which terrestrial and/or marine animals are confined 

within enclosures and displayed to the public for educational, 

preservation, and research purposes.

K3544 Place of Worship A sanctified place or structure where people gather for religious 

worship; examples include church, synagogue, temple, and 

mosque.

L4010 Pipeline A long tubular conduit or series of pipes, often underground, 

with pumps and valves for flow control, used to transport fluid 

(e.g., crude oil, natural gas), especially over great distances.

L4020 Powerline One or more wires, often on elevated towers, used for 

conducting high-voltage electric power.

L4031 Aerial Tramway/Ski 

Lift

A conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers 

suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers.

L4110 Fence Line A man-made barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., 

usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent 

entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.

L4121 Ridge Line The line of highest elevation along a ridge.

L4125 Cliff/Escarpment A very steep or vertical slope [including bluff, crag, head, 

headland, nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim and 

rimrock].

L4130 Point-to-Point Line A line defined as beginning at one location point and ending at 

another, both of which are in sight.

L4140 Property/Parcel Line 

(Including PLSS)

This feature class may denote a nonvisible boundary of either 

public or private lands (e.g., a park boundary) or it may denote a 

Public Land Survey System or equivalent survey line.

L4150 Coastline The line that separates either land or Inland water from Coastal, 

Territorial or Great Lakes water. Where land directly borders 

Coastal, Territorial or Great Lakes water, the shoreline 

represents the Coastline. Where Inland water (such as a river) 

flows into Coastal, Territorial or Great Lakes water, the closure 

line separating the Inland water from the other class of water 

represents the Coastline.

L4165 Ferry Crossing The route used to carry or convey people or cargo back and 

forth over a waterbody in a boat.

P0001 Nonvisible Linear 

Legal/Statistical 

Boundary

A legal/statistical boundary line that does not correspond to a 

shoreline or other visible feature on the ground.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-9

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

P0002 Perennial Shoreline The more-or-less permanent boundary between land and water 

for a water feature that exists year-round.

P0003 Intermittent Shoreline The boundary between land and water (when water is present) 

for a water feature that does not exist year-round.

P0004 Other non-visible 

bounding Edge (e.g., 

Census water 

boundary, boundary of 

an areal feature)

A bounding Edge that does not represent a legal/statistical 

boundary, and does not correspond to a shoreline or other 

visible feature on the ground. Many such Edges bound area 

landmarks, while many others separate water features from 

each other (e.g., where a bay meets the ocean).

R1011 Railroad Feature 

(Main, Spur, or Yard)

A line of fixed rails or tracks that carries mainstream railroad 

traffic. Such a rail line can be a main line or spur line, or part of a 

rail yard.

R1051 Carline, Streetcar 

Track, Monorail, Other 

Mass Transit

Mass transit rail lines (including lines for rapid transit, monorails, 

streetcars, light rail, etc.) that are typically inaccessible to 

mainstream railroad traffic and whose tracks are not part of a 

road right-of-way.

R1052 Cog Rail Line, Incline 

Rail Line, Tram

A special purpose rail line for climbing steep grades that is 

typically inaccessible to mainstream railroad traffic. Note that 

aerial tramways and streetcars (which may also be called 

“trams”) are accounted for by other MTFCCs and do not belong 

in R1052.

S1100 Primary Road Primary roads are generally divided, limited-access highways 

within the interstate highway system or under state 

management, and are distinguished by the presence of 

interchanges. These highways are accessible by ramps and 

may include some toll highways.

S1200 Secondary Road Secondary roads are main arteries, usually in the U.S. Highway, 

State Highway or County Highway system. These roads have 

one or more lanes of traffic in each direction, may or may not be 

divided, and usually have at-grade intersections with many other 

roads and driveways. They often have both a local name and a 

route number.

S1400 Local Neighborhood 

Road, Rural Road, 

City Street

Generally a paved non-arterial street, road, or byway that 

usually has a single lane of traffic in each direction. Roads in 

this feature class may be privately or publicly maintained. Scenic 

park roads would be included in this feature class, as would 

(depending on the region of the country) some unpaved roads.

S1500 Vehicular Trail (4WD) An unpaved dirt trail where a four-wheel drive vehicle is 

required. These vehicular trails are found almost exclusively in 

very rural areas. Minor, unpaved roads usable by ordinary cars 

and trucks belong in the S1400 category.

S1630 Ramp A road that allows controlled access from adjacent roads onto a 

limited access highway, often in the form of a cloverleaf 

interchange. These roads are unaddressable and do not carry a 

name in the MAF/TIGER System.

S1640 Service Drive usually 

along a limited access 

highway

A road, usually paralleling a limited access highway, that 

provides access to structures along the highway. These roads 

can be named and may intersect with other roads.

S1710 Walkway/Pedestrian 

Trail

A path that is used for walking, being either too narrow for or 

legally restricted from vehicular traffic.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page C-10

MTFCC Feature Class Feature Class Description

S1720 Stairway A pedestrian passageway from one level to another by a series 

of steps.

S1730 Alley A service road that does not generally have associated 

addressed structures and is usually unnamed. It is located at the 

rear of buildings and properties and is used for deliveries.

S1740 Private Road for 

service vehicles 

(logging, oil fields, 

ranches, etc.)

A road within private property that is privately maintained for 

service, extractive, or other purposes. These roads are often 

unnamed.

S1750 Internal U.S. Census 

Bureau use

Internal U.S. Census Bureau use.

S1780 Parking Lot Road The main travel route for vehicles through a paved parking area.

S1820 Bike Path or Trail A path that is used for manual or small, motorized bicycles, 

being either too narrow for or legally restricted from vehicular 

traffic.

S1830 Bridle Path A path that is used for horses, being either too narrow for or 

legally restricted from vehicular traffic.

S2000 Road Median The unpaved area or barrier between the carriageways of a 

divided road.

Note: The information in this table was last updated in November 2017.
Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS Page D-1

APPENDIX D. STANDARD STREET TYPE ABBREVIATIONS

Street Name Type Standard Abbreviation

ALLEY ALY

ANEX ANX

ARCADE ARC

AVENUE AVE

BAYOU BYU

BEACH BCH

BEND BND

BLUFF BLF

BLUFFS BLFS

BOTTOM BTM

BOULEVARD BLVD

BRANCH BR

BRIDGE BRG

BROOK BRK

BROOKS BRKS

BURG BG

BURGS BGS

BYPASS BYP

CAMP CP

CANYON CYN

CAPE CPE

CAUSEWAY CSWY

CENTER CTR

CENTERS CTRS

CIRCLE CIR

CIRCLES CIRS

CLIFF CLF

CLIFFS CLFS

CLUB CLB

COMMON CMN

COMMONS CMNS

CORNER COR

CORNERS CORS

COURSE CRSE

COURT CT

COURTS CTS

COVE CV

COVES CVS

CREEK CRK

CRESCENT CRES

CREST CRST

CROSSING XING

CROSSROAD XRD

CROSSROADS XRDS

CURVE CURV

DALE DL

DAM DM

DIVIDE DV

DRIVE DR
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page D-2

Street Name Type Standard Abbreviation

DRIVES DRS

ESTATE EST

ESTATES ESTS

EXPRESSWAY EXPY

EXTENSION EXT

EXTENSIONS EXTS

FALL FALL

FALLS FLS

FERRY FRY

FIELD FLD

FIELDS FLDS

FLAT FLT

FLATS FLTS

FORD FRD

FORDS FRDS

FOREST FRST

FORGE FRG

FORGES FRGS

FORK FRK

FORKS FRKS

FORT FT

FREEWAY FWY

GARDEN GDN

GARDENS GDNS

GATEWAY GTWY

GLEN GLN

GLENS GLNS

GREEN GRN

GREENS GRNS

GROVE GRV

GROVES GRVS

HARBOR HBR

HARBORS HBRS

HAVEN HVN

HEIGHTS HTS

HIGHWAY HWY

HILL HL

HILLS HLS

HOLLOW HOLW

INLET INLT

ISLAND IS

ISLANDS ISS

ISLE ISLE

JUNCTION JCT

JUNCTIONS JCTS

KEY KY

KEYS KYS

KNOLL KNL

KNOLLS KNLS

LAKE LK

LAKES LKS
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page D-3

Street Name Type Standard Abbreviation

LAND LAND

LANDING LNDG

LANE LN

LIGHT LGT

LIGHTS LGTS

LOAF LF

LOCK LCK

LOCKS LCKS

LODGE LDG

LOOP LOOP

MALL MALL

MANOR MNR

MANORS MNRS

MEADOW MDW

MEADOWS MDWS

MEWS MEWS

MILL ML

MILLS MLS

MISSION MSN

MOTORWAY MTWY

MOUNT MT

MOUNTAIN MTN

MOUNTAINS MTNS

NECK NCK

ORCHARD ORCH

OVAL OVAL

OVERPASS OPAS

PARK PARK

PARKS PARK

PARKWAY PKWY

PARKWAYS PKWY

PASS PASS

PASSAGE PSGE

PATH PATH

PIKE PIKE

PINE PNE

PINES PNES

PLACE PL

PLAIN PLN

PLAINS PLNS

PLAZA PLZ

POINT PT

POINTS PTS

PORT PRT

PORTS PRTS

PRAIRIE PR

RADIAL RADL

RAMP RAMP

RANCH RNCH

RAPID RPD

RAPIDS RPDS
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page D-4

Street Name Type Standard Abbreviation

REST RST

RIDGE RDG

RIDGES RDGS

RIVER RIV

ROAD RD

ROADS RDS

ROUTE RTE

ROW ROW

RUE RUE

RUN RUN

SHOAL SHL

SHOALS SHLS

SHORE SHR

SHORES SHRS

SKYWAY SKWY

SPRING SPG

SPRINGS SPGS

SPUR SPUR

SPURS SPUR

SQUARE SQ

SQUARES SQS

STATION STA

STRAVENUE STRA

STREAM STRM

STREET ST

STREETS STS

SUMMIT SMT

TERRACE TER

THROUGHWAY TRWY

TRACE TRCE

TRACK TRAK

TRAFFICWAY TRFY

TRAIL TRL

TRAILER TRLR

TUNNEL TUNL

TURNPIKE TPKE

UNDERPASS UPAS

UNION UN

UNIONS UNS

VALLEY VLY

VALLEYS VLYS

VIADUCT VIA

VIEW VW

VIEWS VWS

VILLAGE VLG

VILLAGES VLGS

VILLE VL

VISTA VIS

WALK WALK

WALKS WALK

WALL WALL
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page D-5

Street Name Type Standard Abbreviation

WAY WAY

WAYS WAYS

WELL WL

WELLS WLS
Boundary and Annexation Survey: GUPS Page E-1

APPENDIX E. GUPS TOOLS

E.1 Set Layer Symbology

GUPS loads a default layer symbology established for each Census Bureau geographic 

partnership program. You can change the default symbology to suit your preferences. To 

change the default symbology for a layer in GUPS, follow the instructions in Table 50.

Table 50: Reset Layer Symbology

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Right-click on the layer in the Table of Contents (in this example, we selected the Edges 

layer). The Layers drop-down menu opens.

Step 2 In the drop-down menu, choose ‘Properties’. The Layer Properties screen opens. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-2

Step Action and Result

Step 3 In the left-hand pane, click on Style, then double-click the symbol you want to edit in the 

layers list. In this example, we will double-click on ‘Roads, substr (“MTFCC, 1,1) = S1100’ to 

select it. 

The Rule Properties dialog box opens and the Label and Filter fields display the item 

chosen. The Symbol pane shows the current symbology (yellow line).

Step 4 Choose a new color from the Color drop-down menu, or select a different symbol for the layer 

altogether by double-clicking any symbol in the Symbols in Group field. Click OK. The new 

symbology will display in the Table of Contents and in Map View.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-3

Step Action and Result

E.2 Change Label Display

You can change the default GUPS labeling display and also restore it to the original setting. To 

change the default labeling for a layer, follow the steps in Table 51.

Table 51: Change Default Labeling

Step Action and Result 

Step 1 Right click on the layer (we have selected the edges layer) in the Table of Contents. The 

Layers drop-down menu opens.

Step 2 In the drop-down menu, choose ‘Properties’. The Layer Properties dialog box opens.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-4

Step Action and Result 

Step 3 In the far left-hand pane, click Labels. The options to change the label display properties 

open in the main window.

Step 4 To change the attribute field, click on the drop-down menu for ‘Label this layer with’ at the top 

of the screen, and select the desired option. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-5

Step Action and Result 

Text style options allow you to change the font, style, size, color, transparency, type case, 

and spacing of layer labels. Shown below are the drop-down options for style.

E.3 Restoring Default Label Display Settings

To restore the default labeling for a layer, follow the steps in Table 52.

Table 52: Restoring Default Labeling

Step Action and Result

Step 1 Right-click on the layer you changed in the Table of Contents. The layer’s drop-down 

menu opens. 

Step 2 In this example, we have selected the Edges layer. In the drop-down menu, click on the 

arrow to the right of ‘GUPS Layer’. Four options appear: ‘Load default style’, ‘Load all 

default style’, ‘Load BBSP Edges style’, and ‘Load Low profile Edges style’. 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-6

Step Action and Result

Step 3 Select ‘Load default style’ to restore the selected layer’s original properties OR select ‘Load 

all default style’ to reset ALL the layers to their original settings. 

E.4 Using the Table of Contents Toolbar to Manage Layers

Using the buttons on the toolbar located at the top of the Table of Contents, you can add and 

remove layers or groups, manage layer visibility, filter the legend by map content, expand or 

contract all sections of the Table of Contents list at once, and group layers. 

The Table of Contents Layers toolbar contains the items shown below in Figure 20. 

Table 53: Table of Contents Layers Toolbar Buttons describes the function of each of the 

buttons on the toolbar.

Figure 20. Table of Contents Layers Toolbar

Table 53: Table of Contents Layers Toolbar Buttons

Button Name Function / Description

Add Group Allows you to organize layers in the Table of Contents

into groups.
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page E-7

Button Name Function / Description

Manage Layer 

Visibility

Allows you to preset views in the Table of Contents.

Filter Legend by 

Map Content

Removes from the Table of Contents display any layers 

that are not currently in the Map View extent. This 

feature ensures that the Table of Contents does not 

contain entries for items not currently in the map view.

Expand All Expands the Table of Contents menus (+) to display all 

layers under each group’s menu.

Collapse All Collapses the Table of Contents menus (-) to show only 

groups.

Remove 

Layer/Group

Allows you to remove a layer or group from the Table of 

Contents. 

E.5 Preset Views in the Manage Layer Visibility Table of Contents

You can add preset views in the Table of Contents by clicking on the Manage Layer 

Visibility button on the Table of Contents toolbar. You can choose to display a layer with specific 

categorization and add this view to the Presets list. 

To add a preset view click on the Manage Layer Visibility button and choose ‘Add Preset...’

from the drop-down menu. 

Figure 21. Add Preset Layer
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page F-1

APPENDIX F. MAF/TIGER FEATURE CLASSIFICATION

Table 54: MAF/TIGER Feature Classification

MTFCC FEATURE NAME

S1100 Interstate Highway or Primary Road with limited access

S1200 Primary Road without limited access, US Highway, State Highway, or County Highway, 

Secondary and connecting roads

S1400 Local Neighborhood Road, Rural Road, City Street

S1500 Vehicular Trail (4WD)

S1630 Ramp

S1640 Service Drive usually along a limited access highway

S1710 Walkway/Pedestrian Trail

S1720 Stairway

S1730 Alley

S1740 Private Road for service vehicles (logging, oil fields, ranches, etc.)

S1750 Private Driveway

H3010 Stream/River

H3013 Braided Stream

H3020 Canal, Ditch or Aqueduct

R1011 Railroad Feature (Main, Spur, or Yard)

R1051 Carline, Streetcar Track, Monorail, Other Mass Transit Rail

R1052 Cog Rail Line, Incline Rail Line, Tram

P0001 Nonvisible Legal/Statistical Boundary

L4010 Pipeline

L4020 Power Transmission Line

L4110 Fence Line

L4121 Ridge Line

L4031 Aerial Tramway/Ski Lift

K2451 Airport or Airfield

L4140 Property/Parcel Line

L4165 Ferry Crossing
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page G-1

APPENDIX G. SHAPEFILE NAMES

State Shapefile Names 

PVS_17_v2_<layername>_<SS>.shp, where <SS> is the number corresponding to the state, 

for example, “24” and <layername> is the abbreviation for the shapefile layer, describe in 

detail below. 

Table 55: State Shapefiles Names

Shapefile Layer <layername>

American Indian Areas (AIA) – Legal aial

2010 American Indian Areas (AIA) – Legal aial2010

American Indian Areas (AIA) – Statistical aias

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Legal aitsl

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Statistical aitss

Block Area Group bag

Metropolitan Statistical Area/Metropolitan Statistical Area cbsa

Congressional Districts cd

Census Designated Place cdp

Counties and Equivalent Areas county

2010 Counties and Equivalent Areas county2010

Elementary School Districts elsd

County Subdivisions - Legal mcd

New England City and Town Areas necta

Incorporated Places place

2010 Public Use Microdata Areas puma2010

Secondary School Districts scsd

State Legislative Districts Lower sldl

State Legislative District Upper Chambers sldu

State state

Tribal Block Groups tbg

Tribal Census Tracts tct

2010 Census Tracts tracts2010

Urban Area uac

Unified School District State-Based unsd
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page G-2

County Shapefile Names

PVS_17_v2_<layername>_<SSCCC>.shp, where <SSCCC> is the number corresponding 

to the state and county, for example, “24001” and <layername> is the abbreviation for the 

shapefile layer, describe in detail below. 

Table 56: County Shapefiles Names

Shapefile Layer <layername>

American Indian Areas (AIA) – Legal aial

American Indian Areas (AIA) – Statistical aias

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Legal aitsl

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions (AITS) - Statistical aitss

Alaska Native Regional Corporations (ANRC) anrc

Area Landmark arealm

Block Area Groups bag

Block Groups bg

Metropolitan Statistical Area/Metropolitan Statistical Area cbsa

Census County Division ccd

Congressional Districts cd

Census Designated Place cdp

Consolidated Cities concity

Counties and Equivalent Areas county

Census Tracts - Current curtracts

All Lines edges

Elementary School Districts elsd

Hawaiian Home Lands (HHL) hhl

County Subdivisions - Legal mcd

New England City and Town Areas necta

Offsets offset

Incorporated Places place

Point Landmarks pointlm

2010 Public Use Microdata Areas puma2010

Secondary School Districts scsd

State Legislative Districts Lower sldl

State Legislative Districts Upper sldu

Subbarrios submcd
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page G-3

Shapefile Layer <layername>

Census Blocks - Current tabblock

2010 Census Blocks tabblock2010

2010 Traffic Analysis Delineation tad2010

2010 Traffic Analysis Zones taz2010

Tribal Block Groups tbg

Tribal Census Tracts tct

2010 Census Tracts tracts2010

Census Urban Areas uac

Urban Growth Area uga

Hydrography - Area water

Unified School Districts unsd

Relationship Tables

Address Ranges addr

Topological Faces (2-cells with all geocodes) faces

Topological Faces - Area Landmark Relationship areafaces

Topological Faces - Area Hydrography Relationship hydrofaces

Linear Feature Names - Fielded allnames
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page H-1

APPENDIX H. SHAPEFILE LAYOUTS

Table 57: Edges Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_edges) 

ATTRIBUTE FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

TLID 10 Double Permanent edge ID

TFIDL 10 Double Permanent face ID (left)

TFIDR 10 Double Permanent face ID (right)

MTFCC 5 String MAF/TIGER Feature Class Code

FIDELITY 1 String Indication to a respondent when their entity boundary 

has changed through spatial enhancement

FULLNAME 40 String Decoded feature name with abbreviated qualifier, 

direction, and feature type

SMID 22 String Spatial Theta ID

SMIDTYPE 1 String SMIDTYPE code

BBSPFLG 1 String Redistricting data project participant’s submitted request 

of an EDGE for selection as a block boundary

CBBFLG 1 String Indicates the status of an EDGE for a selection as a 

block boundary

BBSP_2020 1 String New BBSP flag

CHNG_TYPE 4 String Type of linear feature update

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

LTOADD 10 String Left To address

RTOADD 10 String Right To address

LFROMADD 10 String Left From address

RFROMADD 10 String Right From address

ZIPL 5 String Left zip code

ZIPR 5 String Right zip code

EXTTYP 1 Char Extension type

MTUPDATE 10 Date Date of last update to the edge
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page H-2

Table 58: Address Ranges Attribute File (PVS_17_v2_addr) 

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

OID 8 STRING Object ID

TLID 22 INTEGER TIGER Line ID 

STATEFP 2 STRING FIPS State Code 

COUNTYFP 3 STRING FIPS County Code 

FROMHN 12 STRING From House Number 

TOHN 12 STRING To House Number 

SIDE 1 STRING Side Indicator Flag 

ZIP 5 STRING 5-digit ZIP Code 

PLUS4 4 STRING ZIP+4 Code 

LFROMADD 10 STRING Left From Address 

LTOADD 10 STRING Left To Address 

RFROMADD 10 STRING Right From Address 

RTOADD 10 STRING Right To Address 

ZIPL 5 STRING Left 5-digit ZIP Code 

ZIPR 5 STRING Right 5-digit ZIP Code 

ZIP4L 4 STRING Left ZIP+4 Code 

ZIP4R 4 STRING Right ZIP+4 Code 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page H-3

Table 59: Census Block Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_tabblock2010) 

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

BLKSZIND 1 String Block Size Indicator

BLOCK 4 String Block Number 

BLOCKCE 4 String Tabulation Block Number 

BLOCKID 15 String FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract 

Code, Block Number 

COUNTYFP 3 String Census County FIPS code 

COUNTYFP10 3 String FIPS County Code 

FID 10 Integer Permanent Face ID 

NCELIGBLE 1 String New Construction Program eligible

PARTFLG 1 String Part Flag Indicator 

Shape 7 String Type of shape

STATEFP 2 String Census state FIPS code 

STATEFP10 2 String FIPS State Code

SUFFIX1CE 2 String Census Block Suffix 1 

SUFFIX2CE 2 String Census Block Suffix 2 

TRACTCE10 6 String Census tract code 
Boundary and Annexation Survey Digital Respondent Guide: GUPS Page H-4

Table 60: Census Tract Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_curtracts) 

ATTRIBUTE 

FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area update 

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code 

EFF_DATE 8 String Effective Date or Vintage 

FID 10 Integer Permanent Face ID 

JUSTIFY 150 Char Justification 

NAME 100 String Name 

NEW_CODE 2 String New Congressional District Code 

RELATE 120 String Relationship Description 

Shape 7 String Type of shape

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code 

TRACTCE 6 String Census Tract Code 

TRACTID 11 String FIPS State Code, FIPS County Code, Census Tract Code 

TRACTLABEL 7 String Tract number used for LUCA geocoding 

TRACTTYP 1 String Tract Characteristic Flag 

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage updated with returned data 
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Table 61: American Indian Areas Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_aial) 

ATTRIBUTE FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

AIANNHCE 4 String Census AIANNH Code 

AIANNHFSR 1 String Flag Indicating Level of Recognition of an AIA 

AIANNHNS 8 String ANSI numeric identifier for AIA areas 

AREA 10 Double Acreage of Area Update 

AUTHTYPE 1String Authorization Type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, 

L – Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other) 

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of Area Update 

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 Class Code Describing an Entity 

COMPTYP 1String Indicates if Reservation, Trust Land, or both are 

Present 

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS County Code 

DOCU 120 String Supporting Documentation 

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective Date 

FID 10 Integer Permanent Face ID 

FORM_ID 4 String (MTPS and Web BAS Only) 

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional Status 

JUSTIFY 150 Char Justification 

LSAD 2 String Legal / Statistical Area Description 

NAME 100 String AIA name 

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with Translated LSAD 

PARTFLG 1 String Part Flag Indicator 

RELATE 120 String Relationship description 

SHAPE 7 String Type of shape

STATEFP 2 String FIPS State Code 

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the Data 
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Table 62: County and Equivalent Areas Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_county) 

ATTRIBUTE FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

COUNTYNS 8 String ANSI feature code for the county or 

equivalent feature

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with translated LSAD code

LSAD 2 String Legal/Statistical Area Description code

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 class code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE 1 String

Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R –

Resolution, L – Local Law, S – State Level 

Action, X – Other)

DOCU 120 String Supporting documentation

FORM_ID 4 String Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA 10 Double Area of update

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

NAME 100 String Entity name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the data
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Table 63: County Subdivisions Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_mcd) 

ATTRIBUTE FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

COUSUBFP 5 String FIPS 55 county subdivision code

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with translated LSAD

COUSUBNS 8 String ANSI feature code for the county subdivision

LSAD 2 String Legal/Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 class code describing an entity

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE 1 String Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –

Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU 120 String Supporting documentation

FORM_ID 4 String Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA 10 Double Area of update

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

NAME 100 String Entity name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the data
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Table 64: Incorporated Place Shapefile (PVS_17_v2_place) 

ATTRIBUTE FIELD LENGTH TYPE DESCRIPTION

STATEFP 2 String FIPS state code

COUNTYFP 3 String FIPS county code

PLACEFP 5 String FIPS 55 place code

NAMELSAD 100 String Name with translated LSAD

PLACENS 8 String ANSI feature code for the place

LSAD 2 String Legal / Statistical Area Description

FUNCSTAT 1 String Functional status

CLASSFP 2 String FIPS 55 class code describing and entity

PARTFLG 1 String Indicates if only part of a feature is represented

CHNG_TYPE 2 String Type of area update

EFF_DATE 8 Date Effective date or vintage

AUTHTYPE 1 String Authorization type (O – Ordinance, R – Resolution, L –

Local Law, S – State Level Action, X – Other)

DOCU 120 String Supporting documentation

FORM_ID 4 String Record ID (GUPS only)

AREA 10 Double Area of update

RELATE 120 String Relationship description

JUSTIFY 150 String Justification of change

NAME 100 String Entity name

VINTAGE 2 String Vintage of the data