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, establish 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 numeric identifier 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 East Lyman: 2393276

GNIS ID for Lyman County: 1265789

GNIS ID for South Dakota: 1785534

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 East Lyman:

Place (Community) Code:	17845
State Code:	46 (South Dakota)
County Code:	085 (Lyman 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:	46/17845
State/County Code:	46/085

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 South Dakota:	46		1785534
Lyman County:	46/085		1265789
East Lyman:	46/17845		2393276

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 East Lyman, it is a point within East Lyman 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 East Lyman, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   43° 52' 51"   (or 43.88°)

Lon:   -99° 33' 19"   (or -99.56°)  

Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for East Lyman - 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 East Lyman, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:

Lat:   43° 52' 59"   (or 43.88°)

Lon:   -99° 32' 43"   (or -99.55°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 2,768 feet to the east<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. East Lyman is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. East Lyman is located in Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. East Lyman is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. East Lyman is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2393276   (Name of Record: Unorganized Territory of East Lyman)

Class: census

A statistical area delineated locally specifically for the tabulation of Census Bureau data (ie- Census Designated Place, Census County Division, Unorganized Territory and various types of American Indian/Alaska Native statistical areas).

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

County: Lyman

Map Name: Reliance

Lat: 43.8809059       Lon: -99.555521  

Elev: 543 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for East Lyman. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.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)