E
very decade the US Census Bureau releases a dataset called “TIGER” that includes what it calls “ZIP Code Tabulation Areas” or ZCTAs. As the Census Bureau itself admits, ZCTAs are not ZIP Codes. They are simply areas to help the Census staff go out and collect/analyze census information.
“There is no correlation between U.S. Postal Service ZIP Codes and U.S. Census Bureau geography.... The geographic entities the Census Bureau uses to tabulate data by are relatively stable over time. For instance, census tracts are only defined every ten years. In contrast, U.S. Postal Service ZIP Codes are designed to meet the day-to-day operational needs of the U.S. Postal Service and tend to change more frequently than every ten years.” From www.census.gov on October 2, 2007
Many companies have tried to use ZCTAs instead of ZIP Code polygons and found that since the data is so old and inaccurate, it causes more harm than good. Remember, the ZCTA polygons you can get from the Census Bureau are 9 yrs old. Of course, the price can’t be beat – the data itself is free. But free data that is wrong ends up costing plenty.
The images at http://www.maponics.com/GIS_Map_Data/ZIP_Code_and_Carrier_Route_GIS/ZCTAs_vs_ZIP_Code_Data/ZCTA_vs_ZIP_Code.png illustrate concretely some of the differences between ZCTA data and current ZIP Code data. All of the ZIP Codes highlighted yellow in the ZIP Code data above do not appear at all in the ZCTA data below. These are ZIP Codes that have been added since the last ZCTA update. Some ZIP Codes that are included in both data (for example 85242 in the bottom right corner), have changed shape over time, as new ZIP Codes have been
Most online business owners need to understand that having a strong authority online or being seen as an expert is extremely important to their success in internet marketing. This is also true for internet marketing beginners who want to achieve thei
Most of us people only read articles when we are struck by a compelling headline that eventually made us read the whole article. It simply shows headlines play a big part on articles. In internet marketing, there are a lot of good offers out there wh
If you're the owner of a small service business, having a solid Internet marketing plan in place can both increase your name and brand recognition locally in your geographic area, as well as expose you to a whole new set of potential clients througho
Entrepreneurs are a determined and stubborn breed. Even so, today’s headlines could discourage anyone. And while it may be true that bad news sells newspapers and boosts TV talk show ratings, the entrepreneurs who survive—and thrive—during tight econ
Brand represents your product to the consumers. It is the image of your business and is vital to your success. If you have a good product then your brand will be remembered. But not only that. Through your brand you can create customer's trust. So a
The importance of internet marketing is continuing to expand. Surveys of all kinds show a major shift in traditional marketing budgets to dollars being spent online to market all types of products and services.
When marketing your product or service, you need to have a firm understanding of your audience, the message you want to deliver, the offer you’re willing to make, and the optimal timing for your marketing campaign.
If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably wondering where you can get the biggest bang for the buck with your marketing dollars. As a veteran marketing professional and small business owner myself, I understand the importance of making the mo
If you’re thinking about developing a marketing program, you need to begin with a marketing plan.Having been in marketing for more than a decade, I have seen my share of marketing plans.Some are short and to the point, others are hundreds of pages th
Printable version
Publisher HTML version
Post a Comment
Email
Add to Favorites
