Administrative & Political Boundaries

The following metadata records have an online linkage to the data set:

Administrative Regions - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - This file represents the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's six administrative regions.

DNR Regions - Boundaries for the Department of Natural Resources six administrative regions. These data are derived principally from DNR's standard medium scale county boundary layer (Hybrid County Boundaries), with additional delineations (especially in Cass County) based on Road lines and Minor Civil Division Boundaries supplied by TIGER. The delineations are consistent with Commissioner Sando's Department-Wide Memorandum of June 1, 1992 concerning regional boundaries.

Geographic Names Information System (USGS) for Minnesota in GIS Format - The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, provides primary information on location of all known places, features, and areas in the United States which are identified by a proper name. Specifically, information on this file is from the National Geographic Names Data Base, which contains names of all places, features, and areas which appear on the USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle map series. The Land Management Information Center has converted a subset of the information in the original USGS ASCII files into an ARC/INFO point coverage.

Minnesota County Boundaries (1990 Census) - NAD27 version - The LCC GIS Office provides the Legislature with timely, accurate spatial data and is the repository of statewide boundary information for legislative use. The Office was originally set up for 1990 redistricting, and continues to support legislative cartographic needs as well as prepare for 2000 Redistricting. This database of Minnesota county boundaries was developed from U.S. Bureau of the Census 1990 TIGER/Line files as part of the most recent redistricting effort.

Minnesota County Boundaries (1990 Census) - NAD83 version - The LCC GIS Office provides the Legislature with timely, accurate spatial data and is the repository of statewide boundary information for legislative use. The Office was originally set up for 1990 redistricting, and continues to support legislative cartographic needs as well as prepare for 2000 Redistricting. This database of Minnesota county boundaries was developed from U.S. Bureau of the Census 1990 TIGER/Line files as part of the most recent redistricting effort.

Minnesota Public Land Survey System Section Corner Database: SECTIC-24K, version 1.1 - SECTIC-24K is a digital file of the Public Land Survey (PLS) section corners of Minnesota as recorded on the most recent edition of the U.S. Geological Survey's 1:24,000 7.5-minute quadrangle maps. The database attempts to best fit the section corner locations shown on the published 1:24,000 maps, even though better 'real world' data for the location of the section line might be available elsewhere. The SECTIC-24K data disk also includes a program which has the following utilities: UTILITY A: Section corner extraction from the SECTIC-24K by county, quad, or township. UTILITY B: Conversion among PLS, UTM, or LAT/LONG coordinates, either (1) interactively, or (2) file conversion. It also allows NAD27 - NAD83 conversions. UTILITY C: Creation of a dBASE output file from SECTIC-24K.

State of Minnesota Legislature - Senate District Boundaries - 1994 - This coverage, SEN94, represents the Senate District Boundaries for the State of Minnesota Legislature.

State of Minnesota Legislature - House of Representatives District Boundaries - 1994 - This coverage, HSE94, represents the Legislative Districts for the State of Minnesota.

United States Congressional Districts within the State of Minnesota - 1994 - This coverage, CON94, represents the boundaries for the U.S. Congress House of Representatives districts within the State of Minnesota.
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The following metadata records do not have an online linkage to the data set:

Geodetic Database: Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) - The Geodetic Database contains information on permanent geodetic control marks located in Minnesota or just outside its boundaries. Permanent geodetic control marks are established for the purpose of providing precise horizontal and vertical control positions for the registration of surveying and mapping activities in the local area. Information about the location of an object based on its geodetic location locates that object in a worldwide geographic information system. The marks have been established by all levels of government in Minnesota and they are referenced to the National Geodetic Reference System (NAD 1927, NAD 1983, NGVD 1929, and NAVD 1988).

Statewide 100 Meter EPPL7/EPIC2000 Data Set - a statewide data set that consists of approximately 400 raster-formatted data layers. It is available on a single CD-ROM in either EPPL7 or ERDAS format. The data themes cover a wide range of physical and biological variables along with administrative, political, sociodemographic, and transportation data. The data collection unit for most of the variables is the 40-acre parcel. Files have been subdivided into 100-meter by 100-meter grid cells and spatially corrected to provide improved geographic reference. However, this processing step does not improve the original 40-acre resolution accuracy. The data set is designed for use in regional and statewide planning, not for site-specific decision making. This dataset is effectively the MLMIS100 county data set appended into a statewide coverage. There is also a Twin Cities Metropolitan Area 30-meter EPPL&/EPIC2000 Data Set.

The following are examples of administrative and political boundary data layers included in the statewide data set:

Administrative Regions:
Counties (from Mn/DOT county highway maps)
Department of Natural Resources administrative regions
U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle boundaries: 1:24,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000
Zip codes, 1995

Public Land Survey:
Township numbers, range numbers, section numbers, 40-acre parcel, townships

Sociodemographic:
1990 Census: minor civil divisions and tracts
Federal congressional districts, 1994
State Senate and legislative districts, 1990
School districts, 1990 and 1995-96

Minnesota Public Land Survey System: TRSQ Database - This digital version of the Public Land Survey System in Minnesota is referred to as the TRSQ database since it represents the Township, Range, Section, Quarter section, and Quarter-quarter section divisions of the state. All survey lines were extended across water bodies despite the fact that USGS base maps depict them only on land. This addition allows all sections and townships to be represented as closed areas ensuring that township and range location can be determined for any point in the state. It also means that the database is not affected if lake levels change over time.

State of Minnesota BaseMap '98 - The State of Minnesota BaseMap '98 consists of a number of individual data layers or themes digitized from USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles. These data layers fall into the following broad categories: Transportation System, Civil and Political Boundaries, and Surface Water. A brief description of each BaseMap data layer is included in Section 5 of the metadata record - Entity and Attribute Overview. The following Civil and Political Boundary data layers are included in BaseMap '98: Counties; Corporate Limits; Civil Townships; Parks; Forests; Indian Reservations; Military Reservations; Game Refuges, Wildlife and Waterfowl Areas; Public Land Survey System; Section Corners; Section Lines; Townships; State of Minnesota.
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The following data sets cover the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area only. These metadata records have an online linkage to the data set:

Agricultural Preserves Quarter-Quarter Section Table - This tabular data set tracks Public Land Survey quarter-quarter sections that are at least partly certified for or enrolled in the Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves Act, Minnesota Statute 473H. The goal of this act is to encourage preservation of agricultural lands by providing a package of benefits to keep land in long-term agricultural use. A table is created to reflect the status of the program at the end of each calendar year. Available years are: 1995, 1996.

Counties and Minor Civil Divisions - This is a polygon data set for county and MCDs (minor civil divisions) within the Twin Cities 7-county metropolitan area. It is a 'hybrid' data set in that the lines come from a variety of sources. These sources are Dakota County, Scott County, Washington County, the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation and the Metropolitan Council. Lines are coded as to their source. Three different layers are part of this data set. They are county (CO), minor civil divisions (MCD) and a combination layer (COMCD). This is done because some cities span across county boundaries. Different attributes are available in each of the layers.

Counties and Minor Civil Divisions (Cities and Townships), 1990 - This is a polygon layer of county and minor civil divisions (cities and townships) in the 7-county Twin Cities metropolitan area as of 1990.

Growth Management Policy Areas - The Growth Management Policy Areas (sometimes called the 2040 Growth Strategy) were developed by Metropolitan Council staff and approved by the Council in December of 1996. The policy areas are the Urban Core, the Urban Area, the Urban Reserve, Rural Growth Centers and Permanent Rural/Agricultural Areas.

Metropolitan Urban Service Area - This layer contains boundaries of the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota, USA. Currently, the only available year is the 2000 MUSA as of 1995. Plans are to add 1996 and 1997 by fall of 1998. The Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) describes that part of the region within which the Metropolitan Council provides local and regional services for urban scale development. Regional systems include transportation, waste water, aviation and recreation/open space. The location of the MUSA boundary is defined by the comprehensive plans developed by local governments. These comprehensive plans are reviewed by the Metropolitan Council.

Traffic Assignment Zones, 1975 - Traffic assignment zones are subdivisions of geographical areas that are delineated for land use and travel analysis purposes.

Traffic Assignment Zones, 1990 - Traffic assignment zones are subdivisions of geographical areas that are delineated for land use and travel analysis purposes. They were initially created by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The 7-county Twin Cities region is subdivided into 1165 TAZs. An additional 36 TAZs have been defined for 4 external counties. These are point data (not polygons) and are a separate layer named TAZX90.

Transit Tax Incentive Zones and High Frequency Bus Routes - The Minnesota State Legislature passed a law (Minnesota Statutes 473.3915) to encourage commercial and industrial development along high-frequency bus transit lines. A commercial or industrial business needs to be within a quarter mile of an eligible transit line to qualify for the tax incentive. Since transit routes and service change from year to year, the tax incentive zones are updated annually. Local tax assessors should be consulted to determine if a property qualifies for the tax incentive. The data set consists of two layers. The first (hfbr96) is a line file of that part of the transit network which is identified as 'high frequency'. The second (ttiz96) is a 1/4 mile buffer polygon which roughly approximates the transit tax incentive zone. This data set is NOT a legal document but is meant to give a general idea where the tax incentives apply.

ZIP Code Boundaries - This layer contains approximate boundaries for 5-digit zip codes for the Twin Cities 7 county metropolitan area.
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The following data sets cover the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area only. These metadata records do not have an online linkage to the data set:

Metropolitan Council Districts - This layer defines the district boundaries for the Metropolitan Council members.

MSP Airport Noise Policy Area - This data set depicts the Noise Policy Area around the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport (MSP). This Noise Policy Area was adopted by the Metropolitan Council as part of the December, 1996 Aviation Chapter of the Metropolitan Development Guide. A discussion of the Noise Policy Area is found on page 66 of the Aviation Guide Chapter. The noise policy area lines in this layer were derived from MSP airport noise contours developed by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).
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Other Information Resources

Digital Line Graphs (DLGs)
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Line Graph (DLG) data are digital representations of cartographic information. DLGs of map features are converted to digital form from maps and related sources. Intermediate-scale DLG data are derived from USGS 1:100,000-scale 30- by 60-minute quadrangle maps. Intermediate-scale DLGs are sold in five categories: (1) Public Land Survey System, (2) boundaries, (3) transportation, (4) hydrography, and (5) hypsography. Large-scale DLG data are derived from USGS 1:20,000-, 1:24,000-, and 1:25,000-scale topographic quadrangle maps. Large-scale DLGs are sold in nine categories: (1) hypsography, (2) hydrography, (3) vegetative surface cover, (4) non-vegetative features, (5) boundaries, (6) survey control and markers, (7) transportation; (8) manmade features, and (9) Public Land Survey System. All DLG data distributed by the USGS are DLG-Level 3 (DLG-3), which means the data contain a full range of attribute codes, have full topological structuring, and have passed certain quality-control checks. DLG data can be ordered by contacting the Rolla-Earth Science Information Center (ESIC), 573-308-3500 or 1-888-ASK-USGS. For more information about DLGs, refer to the DLG User Guide.

Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs)
Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs) are scanned images of published U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 1:24,000-, 1:100,000-, and 1:250,000-scale maps. Each file consists of a full color 250 dpi raster file in GeoTIFF format and includes all legend information printed along the margins of the map. The USGS distributes DRGs on Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) and can be ordered by contacting the Rolla-Earth Science Information Center (ESIC), 573-308-3500 or 1-888-ASK-USGS. For more information about DRGs, refer to the following: Base Maps for the 1990s - DRGs, DRG Fact Sheet, and DRG User Guide - draft.

Geographic Names
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, contains names information for known places, features and areas in the United States that are identified by proper names. GNIS is composed of three databases, each providing different, but related, information that can be incorporated into other data bases. These 1:24,000-scale data are in ASCII format. Note: The names of roads, streets and railroads are not included. These data are available at no charge via (GNIS), or call the Earth Science Information Center at 1-888-ASK-USGS to order the CD for $57 or for more information on other available media and documentation. The Internet site also offers an online query system for information about user-selected geographic features.

Quadrangle Boundaries - U.S. Geological Survey
Three quadrangle boundary data files (1:24,000-, 1:100,000-, and 1:250,000-scale) were generated by calculating U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangle corners based on the latitude/longitude calculating algorithm provided in ARC/INFO and casting them on the UTM Zone 15 extended projection. One file is available for each quadrangle delineation. Note: Using these standard boundary files to create data or divide existing data into smaller file units will help users produce seamless data sets that register to other files available from LMIC and other Minnesota state agencies. These data are available for no charge via ftp://ftp.lmic.state.mn.us/pub.

Telephone Exchange Service Area Boundaries
In cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Public Service (DPS), the Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC) produced an updated statewide view of telephone exchange service areas in 1996. This data set contains the boundaries of more than 700 telephone exchange service areas, in addition to county boundaries, area codes and LATA zones. LATA (Local Access and Transport Area) zones define the areas within which a call is local; calls between zones are long-distance. The major telecommunications companies are color-coded, the Twin Cities metropolitan area is enlarged on an inset map, and all exchanges are listed by company. The map is intended to provide a statewide overview of telephone exchanges and is not to be used for detailed site analysis or as a legal document. To view official maps of particular exchanges, contact the Department of Public Service at 612-296-5120. The source for these data are Minnesota Department of Public Service telephone exchange boundary maps. Hardcopy maps (33" x 44" or 20" x 26") and digital files (ARC/INFO export; ARC/INFO shape; DXF formats) may be ordered by contacting LMIC, 651-296-1211. Prices - hardcopy maps (either size): $65 for first map; $40 for each additional map ordered at the same time. Digital file: $95.

TIGER/Line Files
The term TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) is the name for the system and digital database developed at the U.S. Census Bureau to support its mapping needs for the Decennial Census and other Bureau programs. A TIGER/Line file is a single layer that contains lines for all census data collection areas. Lines are assigned codes that indicate the type of boundary or boundaries they represent and the type of feature they portray (roads, railroads, rivers, lakes). For example, a single line could be coded as a county and census tract boundary, and also as a river. Using these line codes, GIS users can select features they want to analyze. The census distributes the TIGER/Line files and publishes on-line technical documentation that explains format and translates codes. Although line files can be complicated, they are sometimes the only source for geocode address information. Note: Many areas, particularly rural parts of the state, do not have complete address information. TIGER/Line files may be ordered via the TIGER Page, or by contacting the U.S. Census Bureau Customer Services Office, 301-457-4100.

The Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC) distributes a version of the TIGER/Line data set in ARC/INFO format that includes 1992 file updates and corrections, primarily additional address range information. The U.S. Census Bureau has prepared more recent updates, but these have not been incorporated into LMIC files. This data set can be ordered by contacting LMIC, 651-296-1211. The file unit is by county and the price is $95 for the first unit; $15 for each additional unit.

Zip Code Boundaries
The information for this data set was gathered from U.S. Postal Service field sites in 1984 and last updated in the early 1990s. The information was delineated on Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) county highway maps (1:63,360- or 1:126,720-scale) by the Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC). The data set is in ARC/INFO export format with full state coverage and is available for $95 from (LMIC), 651-296-1211.
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