Miscellaneous Information

Various Identification Codes ...

GNIS Codes ...

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was created to address the problems caused by spelling and naming variations. The BGN will usually recognize an existing name or, when necessary, chose a new name for a geographic feature (such as a mountain, lake, river, stream, city, town, village, dam, bridge, etc).

The BGN names are kept in a database called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and it is the official Federal repository. The GNIS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

A unique and permanent number has been assigned for each name in the GNIS database. These names and identifiers are definitive and it is intended that they are to be used by all departments of the Federal Government:

GNIS ID for Doral: 2404236

GNIS ID for Miami-Dade County: 295755

GNIS ID for Florida: 294478

FIPS Codes ...

In a past effort, various federal agencies created a set of codes with a purpose similar to the GNIS codes. These codes are called the Federal Information Processing Standard (or the FIPS 55 codes). Although they are still used by some organizations, the FIPS codes are obsolete and will ultimately be replaced by the GNIS codes.

The following FIPS codes apply to Doral:

Place (Community) Code:	17935
State Code:	12 (Florida)
County Code:	086 (Miami-Dade County)

Since the Place and County FIPS codes are not unique and can be repeated in other States, it's necessary to combine the State code with the Place and County FIPS codes to uniquely identify them - for example:

State/Place Code:	12/17935
State/County Code:	12/086

As already mentioned, the FIPS codes are to be replaced by the GNIS codes. The following reflect those changes:

	FIPS Code	translates to	GNIS Code
State of Florida:	12		294478
Miami-Dade County:	12/086		295755
Doral:	12/17935		2404236

GPS Location - GNIS vs Census ...

An important aspect of the GNIS code is that it assigns a GPS location (the latitude/longitude) to the geographic feature. This location is simply a point on the map and does not represent the size or shape of the feature. In the case of Doral, it is a point within Doral that might be a post office, the city hall or simply an intersection - the point should really be considered arbitrary and only indicating a general location.

For Doral, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat: 25° 48' 53" (or 25.81°)

Lon: -80° 21' 23" (or -80.36°)

Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Doral - this area also contains a map point. As with the GNIS code, the location of the Census point should be considered as being arbitrary within the sampling area.

For Doral, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:

Lat: 25° 48' 54" (or 25.82°)

Lon: -80° 21' 28" (or -80.36°)

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 480.5 feet to the west<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above).

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Doral is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Doral is located in Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Doral is located in Region IV (Region 4).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Doral is located in Region IV (Region 4).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1867137 (Name of Record: Doral)

Class: populated place

A place or area having clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent population (such as a city, settlement, town or village). The boundaries may or may not coincide with the perceived population.

A 'populated place' record may have a corresponding 'census' or 'civil' record. The information contained in the 'populated place' record applies only to the class and should not be confused with either the 'census' and 'civil' classes.

County: Miami-Dade

Map Name: Hialeah

Lat: 25.8195424 Lon: -80.3553302

Elev: 1 ft.

GNIS ID #2404236 (Name of Record: City of Doral)

Class: civil

A political division formed for administrative purposes (such as a borough, county, incorporated place, parish, town or township).

A 'civil' record may have a corresponding 'census' or 'populated place' record. The information contained in the 'civil' record applies only to the class and should not be confused with either the 'census' and 'populated place' classes.

County: Miami-Dade

Map Name: Hialeah

Lat: 25.8149817 Lon: -80.356541

Elev: 1 ft.