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NEW TNMCorps Mapping Challenge for City / Town Halls in IN

May 27, 2021

Here’s a new challenge for City / Town Halls in Indiana!

The United States Census Bureau lists over 500 incorporated places in Indiana; this number includes both cities and towns. Not every one of these will have a designated city/town hall building, but as you can see from the map, there are still some points that have yet to be collected. Townships also exist in Indiana and may have a designated township building depending on their size. 

TNMCorps Mapping Challenge: City/Town Halls in IN
(Public domain.)

What does each point color mean?   

These colors are part of our tiered editing process and signal to other editors that a point has passed through the upper tiers and does not need to be edited again. Our November 2018 newsletter has an article titled Editor Roles and Point Colors that describes this process further.

TNMCorps Point Border Colors
(Public domain.)

Tips and tricks for this challenge: 

Local Government: Incorporated vs. Unincorporated 

  1. Incorporated places in Indiana consist of cities and towns.   
  2. Townships also exist in Indiana, though they may not always have a designated township building.  
    • Only add a point for townships if they have their own designated building or space. Do not add a point for shared spaces or private residences. 
    • Adams Township is an example of a township with its own designated building. 
    • Abington Township is an example of a township that does not have its own designated building. 
  3. See the Cities vs. Towns vs. Villages article in our September 2019 newsletter for more on the different types of governing bodies and how to determine if a point should be collected. 
  4. The Indiana Township Association also thoroughly describes the nuances of township government.  

 

Possible Sources 

  1. Remember to confirm each entry in a list with an authoritative source (e.g., the city or village’s website) before using it to update the map.   
  2. The United States Census Bureau has downloadable lists of all the incorporated places in each state by population. 
    • Here is the list for Indiana. This list includes cities and towns. 
  3. The Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, or AIM (formerly known as Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, or IACT) maintains a directory of cities and towns along with addresses and websites. 
  4. Wikipedia also has lists of cities and towns in Indiana. 
  5. The Indiana Township Association has a directory of townships throughout the state.  
  6. Smaller communities may use Facebook or other social media platforms for their virtual communications. See the newsletter article titled Social Media as an Authoritative Source (July 2020) for tips on when it is acceptable to use social media to update points.  

 

Proper Point Placement 

Our November 2018 newsletter includes an article on aerial interpretation for city/town hall structures. This article walks you through how to identify which building to place a point on when examining aerial imagery. 

 

Interested in collecting city/town halls elsewhere? 

We’re collecting city/town halls nationally, so feel free to research these features throughout the U.S.  Other states that still need to have city halls collected include Iowa, Minnesota, and Texas.  Note that only city/town halls in Indiana will count towards this challenge.   

If you have any questions during the mapping process, reach out to us at nationalmapcorps@usgs.gov and we’ll be happy to assist!  Thank you for all that you do, and happy mapping!

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