American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Practice Exam

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What is the purpose of a Tiger file?

  1. To provide demographic statistics on populations

  2. To serve as a digital database of U.S. geographic features

  3. To document public meeting minutes

  4. To map environmental hazards

The correct answer is: To serve as a digital database of U.S. geographic features

The purpose of a Tiger file is to serve as a digital database of U.S. geographic features. Tiger files, which stand for Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing, are created by the U.S. Census Bureau and provide detailed geographic data that includes information about roads, boundaries, water bodies, and various geographic entities. This data is used extensively in geographic information system (GIS) applications, urban planning, and transportation analysis, as it helps planners and researchers visualize and analyze the spatial relationships of different geographic features throughout the United States. The other options describe important but distinct types of data: demographic statistics pertain to population characteristics but do not focus on geographic features; documentation of public meeting minutes involves recording discussions and decisions but is unrelated to geographic data; and mapping environmental hazards would require specific datasets that focus on risks rather than being a broad digital database of geographic features. Thus, the correct characterization of the Tiger file is that it acts as a digital repository focused specifically on U.S. geographic features.