February 1996  
  
MEMORANDUM FOR      State Liaisons  
                    2000 Census Redistricting Data Program  
  
From:               Marshall L. Turner, Jr., Chief  
                    2000 Census Redistricting Data Office  
  
Subject:            Post-Furlough Update on the 2000 Census   
                    Redistricting Data Program  
  
  
STATUS OF PHASE 1.  As you know, we have experienced two government shutdowns and  
a major snowstorm between November and mid-January.  We have lost over a month of  
work time and this has delayed Phase 1 of the Redistricting Data Program as well as other  
Bureau projects.  During the last few weeks, we have talked with most states and performed  
an internal evaluation of our workload.  In particular, we have attempted to determine which  
states had the most pressing needs for materials based on their available funding, staffing and  
other state work related to ongoing redistricting or spring primary elections.  
  
     Annotation Maps.  Our goal is to produce all of the BBSP Annotation Maps between  
     now and May 1996.  We are asking our geographers in the 12 Regional Offices to  
     contact each state-designated liaison for the Redistricting Data Program to discuss any  
     county order for the delivery of the map sheets you may require.  We know that both  
     you and we have limited space to store paper maps and the geographers will work  
     with you to try to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement that still allows us to  
     keep our production moving.  
  
     Map Image Metafiles.  We have begun the production of the Map Image Metafiles  
     (MIMs) which we need to produce the BBSP Annotation Map sheets on our new color  
     electrostatic plotters.  We are preparing these files state-by-state on CD-ROM, and we  
     shortly will be sending out the first group of states that we have produced.  For the  
     first deliveries, you may receive two CD-ROMs -- one with data and the other with  
     software.  We will consolidate the information on the two CD-ROMs onto a single  
     CD-ROM shortly.  We expect to have all states on the way to the designated liaison  
     by early April, if not sooner.  
  
     Updated Guidelines for Phase 1 BBSP.  We are attaching updated guidelines that  
     include instructions on the designation of state legislative districts, water features,  
     sketch maps, and attribute files.  This new and updated material stems from our  
     discussions at the October 1995 Reapportionment Task Force Meeting of NCSL.  
  
  
  
STATUS OF 2000 CENSUS.  We are now completing the tabulation and analysis of  
population totals from the test censuses conducted in Louisiana, Oakland, California and  
Paterson, New Jersey last March.  We plan three "products" after our analysis is completed  
later this spring:  
  
     1. A letter from the Director to the local officials  (mayors, etc.) of the test sites  
     transmitting the test census totals for their cities or parishes (Louisiana).  
  
     NOTE:  To obtain feedback from these mayors and parish officials, we are including  
     the range of "uncertainty" for each of the totals but designating the "official" total.   
     In other words, there will be only one official total.  
  
     2. Later, we plan to release, via Internet, a data file that will contain population totals,  
     major race and Hispanic origin totals, and voting age for the test sites and their tracts  
     and blocks.  
  
     3. We also plan to release a diskette and CD-ROM containing the Internet file described  
     above.  
    
     NOTE:  The Internet and CD-ROM files will not contain "uncertainty ranges" but  
     their accompanying documentation will include the necessary information if a user  
     wishes to calculate these ranges.  
  
If you want to receive a test copy of the diskette at no charge, please let me know.  We will  
provide more information about these 1995 test products at the NCSL Reapportionment Task  
Force meeting in July.  
  
CENSUS REDISTRICTING DATA PROGRAM HOMEPAGE.  Beginning March 1, 1996,  
you will be able to access this memorandum and other information about the P.L. 94-171  
Program by clicking on the "Latest News" section of the Census Bureau's homepage on the  
World Wide Web at http://www.census.gov.  Any state that wishes to contribute items for  
inclusion, or would like us to have a link to their homepage, should contact Sue Knight at  
sknight@census.gov, or (301)457-2095.  When you try this new feature of our homepage,  
you also will see links to Census Geographic products and to NCSL.  
  
For your information, we are attaching a list of email addresses for those state contacts that  
have supplied them.  We would appreciate any corrections or additions; please provide them  
to Sue Knight.  
  
NOTE FOR INTERNET READERS:  For copies of Attachments, please contact Sue Knight  
at the address or phone number listed above.