[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23269-23271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09101]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Generic Clearance for Master Address File (MAF) and 
Topologically

[[Page 23270]]

Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) Update 
Activities.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0809.
    Form Number(s): DF-31DA(E/S) Confidentiality Notice Listing and 
Mapping Application Screen Shots.
    Type of Request: Regular submission.
    Number of Respondents:

FY16: 60,000 HH, 2,000 GQs
FY17: 60,000 HH, 2,000 GQs
FY18: 60,000 HH, 2,000 GQs

    Average Hours per Response: 3 min/HH; 10 min/GQs.
    Burden Hours:

FY16: 3,333
FY17: 3,333
FY18: 3,333

    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau requests approval from the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of the generic 
clearance for a number of activities it plans to conduct to update its 
Master Address File (MAF) and maintain the linkage between the MAF and 
the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding Referencing System 
(TIGER) of address ranges and associated geographic information. This 
MAF/TIGER database (MTdb) serves as the national repository for all of 
the spatial, geographic, and residential address data needed for census 
and survey data collection, data tabulation, data dissemination, 
geocoding services, and map production. The MAF contains all known 
living quarters and serves as the base of the census frame, to deliver 
questionnaires and postcards and to facilitate in-person data 
collection. The goal is to have each address in the MAF linked to a 
geographic location in TIGER, the Census Bureau's mapped spatial 
database. This linkage also ensures that the census data are processed 
and tabulated in the correct geographic location.
    The Census Bureau established the first MAF/TIGER System to support 
the Census 2000 enumeration. The objective was to build and maintain a 
permanent housing unit address list and linked spatial database for 
future use. The 1990 Census Address Control File was the initial base 
for the MAF. The United States Postal Service (USPS) Delivery Sequence 
File (DSF) provided regular updates to the MAF in city-style address 
areas. Census 2000 frame operations were the first decennial census 
operations to update the MAF. Census 2000 enumeration operations 
supplied additional updates to the MAF.
    After Census 2000, the advent of the American Community Survey 
(ACS), an ongoing census survey to collect community information, 
strengthened the need for MTdb updates throughout the decade. Between 
2000 and 2010, the Census Bureau continued to use the USPS's DSF to 
update the MAF at least twice a year. In addition, the ACS established 
the Community Address Updating System, a program that provides field 
verified address updates to the MAF particularly in areas where the DSF 
is deficient. The Census Bureau used the addresses in the MTdb for the 
address frame for the 2010 Census and all frame-building operations and 
will do so again for the 2020 Census. These addresses are also used as 
a sampling frame for the American Community Survey and our other 
demographic current surveys. Maintenance activities for the MTdb are 
ongoing.
    The generic clearance has proved to be very beneficial to the 
Census Bureau. The generic clearance has allowed us to utilize our 
limited resources on actual operational planning and development of 
procedures. The extension will be especially beneficial over the 
upcoming three years by enabling us to focus on the efforts to improve 
procedures and continue updating the MTdb for the 2020 Census and 
current surveys.
    The Census Bureau will follow the protocol of past generic 
clearances: 30 days before the scheduled start date of each census 
activity, we will provide OMB with a detailed background on the 
activity, estimates of respondent burden and samples of pertinent 
forms. After the close of each fiscal year, we will also file a year-
end summary report with OMB, presenting the results of each activity 
conducted.
    The following sections describe the activities to be included under 
the clearance. The Census Bureau has conducted these activities (or 
similar ones) previously and the respondent burden remains relatively 
unchanged from one time to another. The estimated number of respondents 
is based on historical contact data and applied to the number of Census 
blocks in sample.

Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL)

    The Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL) program encompasses the 
geographic area updates for the Community Address Updating System 
(CAUS) and the National Health Interview Survey, the area and group 
quarters (GQ) frame listings for many ongoing demographic surveys (the 
Current Population Survey, the Consumer Expenditures Survey, etc.), and 
any other operations that use the MTdb as a frame for data collection. 
As noted above, the CAUS program was designed to address quality 
concerns relating to areas with high concentrations of noncity-style 
addresses and to provide a rural counterpart to the update of city-
style addresses the Census Bureau will receive from the U.S. Postal 
Service's DSF. The ongoing demographic surveys, as part of the 2000 
Sample Redesign Program, use the MTdb as one of several sources of 
addresses from which they select their samples.
    The DAAL program is a cooperative effort among many divisions at 
the Census Bureau; it includes automated listing software, systems, and 
procedures that allow us to conduct address listing operations in a 
dependent manner based on information contained in the MTdb. The DAAL 
operations are conducted on an ongoing basis in potentially any county 
across the country. Census Bureau field staff canvass selected 2010 
Census tabulation blocks in an effort to improve the address list in 
areas where substantial address changes may have occurred that have not 
been added to the MTdb through regular update operations, and/or in 
blocks in the area or group quarters frame sample for the demographic 
surveys. Staff update existing information and, when necessary, contact 
individuals to collect accurate location and mailing address 
information. In general, contact with a household occurs only when the 
staff is adding a unit to the address list, there is a missing mailing 
address flag, and/or the individual's address is not posted or visible 
to the staff. There is no pre-determined or scripted list of questions 
asked for households as part of this listing operation. If an address 
is not posted or visible to the staff, they inquire about the address 
of the structure, the mailing address, and in some instances, the year 
the structure was built. If the occupants of these households are not 
at home, the staff may attempt to contact a neighbor to obtain the 
correct address information. DAAL collects Group Quarters information 
from all GQs in the selected blocks, and although there is not a 
scripted list of questions, the staff will ask information about the GQ 
such as the number of beds, the GQ name, and so on.
    DAAL is an ongoing operation. Listing assignments are distributed 
regularly, with the work conducted throughout the time period. We 
expect the DAAL listing operation will be conducted throughout the 
entire time period of the extension of this clearance.

MAF Coverage Study

    The MAF Coverage Study (MAFCS) is planned as an ongoing Census 
Bureau effort to update the MTdb for current surveys and the Decennial 
Census, as well as to produce MTdb coverage

[[Page 23271]]

estimates at national and sub-national levels. The coverage estimates 
produced as a result of the MAFCS design will allow the Census Bureau 
to establish a baseline coverage measure for the MTdb and yearly 
measures to assess the impacts of ongoing address updates on the MTdb. 
In addition to the traditional updates from the United States Postal 
Service and current surveys, the Census Bureau now continuously updates 
the MTdb with data from local data providers through the Geographic 
Support Systems (GSS). The MAFCS estimates will allow the Census Bureau 
to assess the updates from the GSS as well as other ongoing updates. 
MAFCS will leverage existing Census Bureau programs and systems to 
achieve these objectives. MAFCS data are collected by DAAL staff; 
hence, there will be a large increase to the DAAL operation workload.
    During Fiscal Year 2016, the bulk of the production field data 
collection (18,500 blocks) will occur from April 2016 through September 
2017. In subsequent fiscal years, the field data collection will be 
spread over a 12-month period from October through September. The MAFCS 
uses probabilistic sampling methods to select blocks to canvass in the 
United States (except remote areas of Alaska) and Puerto Rico. Blocks 
for Puerto Rico will be selected for Fiscal Year 2017 and canvassing 
will not begin until April 2017. Blocks that are known to include 
public lands, nonresidential military facilities, or only street 
medians are out of scope for the MAFCS.
    The listed activities are not exhaustive of all activities that may 
be performed under this generic clearance. We will follow the approved 
procedure when submitting any additional activities not specifically 
listed here.
    All activities described above directly support the Census Bureau's 
efforts to update the MTdb on a regular basis so that the most current 
MTdb will be available for use in conducting and evaluating statistical 
programs the Census Bureau undertakes on a monthly, annual, or periodic 
basis.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: Continuous throughout the three years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, Sections 141 and 193.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

    Dated: April 15, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-09101 Filed 4-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P