printable versionThough pre-formatted district maps satisfy many needs, they often do not show sufficient detail to answer questions about district boundaries and their relationships to other features. The Interactive District Mapper (IDM) is a tool designed to provide answers to those types of specific questions.
IDM displays essentially the same geography that is used for redistricting purposes at the General Assembly. This geography is based on the Census Bureau's 2000 Tiger/Line files. These files match the 2000 census population figures, upon which district plans must be based.
Please note that the 2000 census geography is a relatively rough approximation of reality. The Census Bureau is currently carrying out a major overhaul of its geographic database in preparation for the next census. For the 2000 census, however, their stated purpose was to show the "relative positions of elements" only. IDM includes a tool to locate addresses. Address locations mapped against the census roads are generally close to actual locations, but should not be considered definitive.
IDM does employ updated versions of municipal boundaries and voter precincts. One should not assume that precinct or municipal boundaries shown are the same as those available when a particular district plan was originally created. Post-2000 municipal boundaries often do not correspond with 2000 census blocks, have no associated population counts, and are therefore unavailable to district drawers.
