RoadsideThoughts |
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada |
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Montgomery County >> Ambler >> Miscellaneous | Index... |
Miscellaneous InformationVarious 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, establish a 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 Ambler: 1215463 GNIS ID for Montgomery County: 1213680 GNIS ID for Pennsylvania: 1779798 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 Ambler:
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:
As already mentioned, the FIPS codes are to be replaced by the GNIS codes. The following reflect those changes:
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 Ambler, it is a point within Ambler 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 Ambler, the GNIS GPS location is given as: Lat: 40° 9' 23" (or 40.16°) Lon: -75° 13' 6" (or -75.22°) Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Ambler - 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 Ambler, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as: Lat: 40° 9' 22" (or 40.16°) Lon: -75° 13' 17" (or -75.22°) The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 843 feet to the west<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above). You might note that the GPS location given for the 2010 Census is different than the location that was specified by the 2000 Census: Lat: 40° 9' 18" (or 40.16°) Lon: -75° 13' 12" (or -75.22°) The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 604 feet to the southeast<2> of the point given by the 2010 Census. Regional Codes ...For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Ambler is located in Region #1 (the Northeast Region). In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Ambler is located in Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Ambler is located in Region III (Region 3). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Ambler is located in Region III (Region 3). Referenced GNIS Records ...GNIS ID #1168252 (Name of Record: Ambler) 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: Montgomery Map Name: Ambler Lat: 40.1545535 Lon: -75.2215651 Elev: 65 ft. GNIS ID #1215463 (Name of Record: Borough of Ambler) 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: Montgomery Map Name: Ambler Lat: 40.156498 Lon: -75.2185094 Elev: 67 ft. Referenced FIPS Records ...FIPS Code: 42/02264 (Place Name: Ambler) County: Montgomery (FIPS State/County: 42/091) Class: C5 GSA Code: 140 MRF Code: 195 MSA Code: 6160 Off-the-Road Links ...The official website for Ambler: www.ambler.pa.us/ The official website for Montgomery County: www.montcopa.org/ The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/ The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau The official website of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) The official website of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Footnotes ... |
Thank you for visiting our website.
In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.
If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.
This page was last modified/updated: 24 Nov 2024