Software for LUCA

MAF/TIGER Partnership Software

The MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) is an easy-to-use desktop tool provided by the Census Bureau along with the address files that would make participation easier for juristictions without a GIS system.

When registering, you either choose the MTPS, shapefiles or paper maps. If you already have a GIS system in place, it is probably in your best interest to choose shapefiles.

What Will the MTPS Do?

Allow user to bring in and display other tabular and spatial files.
Provide many timesaving features for sorting lists and copying address fields to save keying.
Simplify Census Bureau processing of LUCA submissions.

What Won't the MTPS Do?

Perform geocoding or address matching of an address list
Add addresses from your address list to the master address file (they must be re-keyed)
Support address list creation for Option 2 and 3 participants
Run on 64-bit machines
Run on Windows Vista

ESRI Extension for LUCA (aka Census Tools for ArcGIS)

For communities already using ArcGIS, a no-cost extension will provide a toolbox of census-specific workflow tasks (incorporating business rules and data validation), and output a revised shapefile in the required census format. This extension, developed by ESRI and Citygate GIS, aims to replicate the task and technical functionality of the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) in an ArcGIS environment.

Download the Census Tools Extension
- This add-on was not working properly, but has now been fixed. Be sure to install this updated version if you downloaded prior to January 2008.
Citygate GIS Census Tools Overview

Proximity CommunityViewer

The Proximity CommunityViewer software features ease-of-use as a top priority and is an option for users with limited or no GIS experience. The basic version is free to LUCA participants, with additional features (including geocoding address data) available for a fee.

Read more about the CommunityViewer

Common Misconceptions about Mapping

“I can convey street and boundary updates to the Census Bureau by just sending them a shapefile from my own GIS.”
For the Census Bureau to successfully process a shapefile, the participant needs to update the shapefile originally provided by the Census Bureau.
“I can use shapefiles from the Census Bureau even though I have no access to GIS expertise.”
You need a GIS and some knowledge of how to manipulate spatial data to use them. Make friends with your GIS coordinator, and make sure they understand LUCA program requirements.