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Policy Statement Regarding the Standard Geographic Code for Maine Minor Civil Divisions
GIS Executive Council
Revised September 29, 1999
Presented as a "First Reading" to the Information Services Policy Board 1/20/00
Whereas, the Maine GIS Technical Committee was charged by the GIS Executive Council to formulate standards governing the ongoing and widespread use geographic codes for Maine minor civil divisions, and
Whereas, the geographic codes table has been revised several times to reflect the creation of new towns and/or a change in town status since original adoption by the Governor in July 1971,
Whereas, some state agencies continue to use the original codes and other agencies have adopted the changes which impedes efficient data sharing and integration, and
Now therefore be it resolved: the Information Services Policy Board adopt the following recommendations of the GIS Executive Council:
- All state agencies will use the standard geographic codes adopted on July 1, 1971 to identify Maine minor civil divisions in databases, geospatial databases, spreadsheets and other computer based data storage and analysis systems. Four new geographic codes will be added to the 1971 list to identify the towns of Frye Island (05085), Long Island (05125), Muscle Ridge Shoals Township (13803) and Islands of Moosehead Lake (21000) which were either formed or recognized after 1971.
- The Maine Office of GIS will be responsible for implementing, maintaining and providing information about any version changes as follows:
- maintain and provide access to a database relating the geographic code with the town name and official status (i.e., city, town, plantation, reservation, unorganized township)
- the status code will be changed to reflect changes in minor civil division status without changing the geographic code (i.e., the geographic code will never change)
- new minor civil divisions will be assigned geographic codes based upon the existing protocol, if possible. Using the "reserved" numbers will maintain the correspondence between a numerical sort and alphabetical order within county.
- if a minor civil division is legislated out of existence, the geocode will be retired and tracked in related history databases.
Maine Geographic Codes for Minor Civil Divisions
The Maine Geocodes were developed by the State Planning Office and were adopted by the Governor in July, 1971 as a method of providing a unique identifier (a unique number) for minor civil divisions (cities, towns, reservations, etc.) within the state. Over time, some agencies have adopted changes as they have occurred while other state agencies have not adopted the changes. As a result, there are different versions of the Geocodes that are used within state government.
What is a Geocode?
The Geocode is a 5-digit number that consists of a 2-digit county number (this is a federal code) followed by a 3-digit code that refers to the minor civil division (example: the code for Kennebec County is 11 and the Geocode for Augusta is 11020). There are federal codes for minor civil divisions (from the Bureau of the Census) but they vary greatly from the state codes because the federal codes do not recognize townships.
| County Codes: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Androscoggin | 17 | Oxford | |
| 03 | Aroostook | 19 | Penobscot | |
| 05 | Cumberland | 21 | Piscataquis | |
| 07 | Franklin | 23 | Sagadahoc | |
| 09 | Hancock | 25 | Somerset | |
| 11 | Kennebec | 27 | Waldo | |
| 13 | Knox | 29 | Washington | |
| 15 | Lincoln | 31 | York | |
| Status Code | |
|---|---|
A status code (or letter code) is associated with each place name to indicate the type of minor civil division. |
|
| C = City | U = Unorganized Township |
| T = Town | V = Village |
| P = Plantation | L = Location or Settlement |
| R = Reservation | A = Alternate Name |
Geocodes Subcommittee
The Maine GIS Technical Committee formed a subcommittee to form a current basis for making recommendations regarding the ongoing use of the codes. The Committee initiated this study because of the widespread use of the codes in computer systems, including geographic information systems. Based upon reports from the GIS Technical Committee, the GIS Executive Council recommends that the following policies be adopted immediately:
- All state agencies will use the standard geographic codes adopted on July1, 1971 to identify Maine minor civil divisions in databases, geospatial databases, spreadsheets and other computer based data storage and analysis systems. Four new geographic codes will be added to the 1971 list to identify the towns of Frye Island (05085), Long Island (05125), Muscle Ridge Shoals Township (13803), and Islands of Moosehead Lake (21000) which were either formed or recognized after 1971.
- The Maine Office of GIS will be responsible for implementing, maintaining, and providing information about any version changes as follows:
- Maintain and provide access to a database relating the geographic code with the town name and official status (i.e., city, town, plantation, reservations, unorganized township).
- The status code will be changed to reflect changes in minor civil division status without changing the geographic code (i.e., the geographic code will never change).
- New minor civil divisions will be assigned geographic codes based upon the existing protocol, if possible. Using the "reserved" numbers will maintain the correspondence between a numerical sort and alphabetical order within county.
- If a minor civil division is legislated out of existence, the Geocode will be retired and tracked in related history databases.