These links are to pages that deal with various aspects of geography, Geogrpahic Information Systems and geographic codes as they relate to this web site. We are dealing primarily with census geography (counties, census tracts, block groups, places, etc.) but also with some postal geography. (The Census Bureau deals only rather reluctantly with ZIP codes, but data users cannot live without ZIP data). Note that the ultimate tool for dealing with these issues is the MABLE/Geocorr application. But many of these pages help understand what the geocodes used in MABLE are about.

• FIPS GeoCodes: Federal Information Processing Standards codes are used to identify many kinds of entities, including geographic areas. We maintain lists of several types which can be used to "look up" these codes. All are based on information in the MABLE data base, so they are as of 1990.
       Counties   |  Places (Cities) - of any size   |   Metro Areas (MSA's, CMSA's, PMSA's and NECMA's)

• Interactive mapping applications - Missouri only. Both of these applications permit detailed mapping of Missouri including aerial photographs. Both includes an interactive geocoding tool which allows you to produce maps about a site. While both are impressive, they are both somewhwat experimental and "under construction" (as of Dec. 2000).
  • MsDIS Internet Map Server provides interactive mapping of the state for a wide range of coverages. Also generates thematic maps of key demographic items down to the block group level.
  • CARES Interactive Map Server from the Center for Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Systems. This is a very impressive application that allows access to just about any coverage you can think of -- both political and natural.

• Gazetteer and TMS
  Chris Stuber of the Census Bureau created this wonderful application. Type in the name of a piece of geography and get back codes, coordinates, 1990 population, what ZIP codes intersect it and links to extract 1990 STF1 and STF3 data and to TMS. The TIGER Mapping Service (TMS) application will draw you a map of the area.

• MAGGOT File
  This is the Master Area Geographic Glossary of Terms document. Created as an auxiliary Help page for the Geocorr application. Good basic exlanations of many types of census geography (and others that appear in the MABLE database). Also contains a link to the Census Bureau/Geography Divsion's Geographic Areas Reference Manual, the ultimate source of documentation for census geography.

• ETAK Geocoder
  Best address geocoder we've seen on the web. It's only a demo to entice you to buy the real service but it does what I want most of the time. Returns census geocodes down to the block group as well as lat-long coordinates. Will draw you a map as well (if you specify that option). Not always available.

• All about ZIP codes
  The author used to spend many hours responding to queries on various listserv's asking about ZIP codes and how they relate to other geographies, etc. We finally decided to create a web page where we put all that we knew about this subject, and with pointers to many of the tools (datasets, SAS format codes, web sites, etc.) that can be used to deal with ZIP codes. Mostly, however, it pertains to the ZIP codes used in the 1990 census and in MABLE/Geocorr. With the understanding that what many/most want is information about the ZIPs as they exist right now.