Table 2.

IPUMS-Terra Integrated Data Structures

Data Structures	Spatial representations
Microdata: Each record represents an individual person, household, or firm	Each record includes a code identifying a geographic polygon (e.g., state) or a point (street address)
Vector: Each record contains information about a place, such as census tabulations.	Each record includes coordinates defining a geographic polygon or point (e.g., zip code, environmental zone)
Raster: Two-dimensional grid of pixels, where each pixel provides a value for a variable	Each grid cell corresponds to a rectangular area on the ground