Reference at Newman Library

Author: fdonnelly

NYC Neighborhood Census Data Updates

I’ve received a few requests to do census data intros for spring courses, so I thought it would be a good time to mention this: I’ve updated the handout I’ve created for Finding NYC Neighborhood Census Data. It provides an overview of what neighborhoods are, what the census datasets are, and summarizes the main sources for the data. The handout is a PDF file that is embedded throughout the NYC Data Guide at http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/nyc_data.

I’ve also made updates to another PDF handout, the American Factfinder Tutorial, that’s embedded throughout the NYC Data and US Census Guides. I expect that I’ll have to update it again within the next month or so, as the Census is going to alter the AFF interface again to make it easier to use (based on user feedback).

The most pertinent, recent change to the Census: they are now releasing ZIP Code / ZCTA data on an annual basis as part of the 5-year American Community Survey ACS (previously, ZCTA data was only available via the decennial census). I’ve updated the Google Maps on the Neighborhoods tab of the NYC Data Guide so, when you click on a ZCTA, you can choose to look at the 2010 Census profile or one of the 4 ACS profiles from 2007-2011. The PUMA map has been updated to point to the latest 3-year ACS data (2009-2011) and the borough links to the most recent 1-year ACS data (2011).

Trial to East View LandScan Global

Mike has set up a trial to the LandScan database from East View.

LandScan is a mapping application that provides gridded population data for the world. They’ve used satellite data to calculate population for small grid cells for the entire planet. This gives population researchers the ability to work with areas of a uniform size with data that is collected using one methodology, as opposed to working with census data from hundreds of countries that is collected using various methods for different time frames for places of widely varying size.

The product provides researchers with the ability to access the maps directly in GIS via the company’s servers, and also locally from individual files the vendor would provide us. Researchers can use the maps in GIS to extract data and overlay the population grid with layers of their own.

East View also provides a user-friendly web browser application that anyone can use. You can view population data broken down by age and gender for individual cells, countries, and first level subdivisions (states and provinces). There are a number of base maps for streets and topography that you can overlay the population data on.

The trial works on campus (without a password) from now until Sept 14th. Once you’re in the interface there is a link to a short video that gives you an overview of how it works. Access the resource here:

http://wms.cartographic.com/LandScan2011/

American Factfinder Tutorial

The Census Bureau’s American Factfinder (AFF) is the primary source for census datasets that include the 2010 and 2000 Census, the American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program. The new version of the AFF was launched at the beginning of this year; it gives users more options for searching for data but can be a bit bewildering.

I’ve created a how-to handout with screenshots that demonstrates one method for retrieving data. I provide two examples: one is downloading a profile for a census tract from the American Community Survey, and the other is downloading a comparison table for ZIP Codes from the 2010 Census. Links to the handout are available throughout the New York City Data LibGuide on several pages, and on the US Census Data LibGuide. It’s embedded in a box labeled American Factfinder.

While the AFF is the ultimate source for census data there are some easier sources you can refer users to depending on what they’re looking for; these include the Social Explorer database, the Infoshare database, the NYC Department of City Planning, and the PUMA and ZCTA Google Maps embedded in the Neighborhoods tab of the NYC Data Guide. Embedded in the Neighborhoods tab is a separate guide with recommendations for finding NYC neighborhood census data that highlights these options.

Data for Computer and Internet Use at Home

The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of 50k US households. Each year they include special topics alongside the basic questions that they usually ask; in 2010 they included questions on computer and internet use at home. The tables include household and individual characteristics by school enrollment, age, race, sex and Hispanic origin at the national and state level. You can view the announcement and access the tables here in Excel and CSV format.

New American Factfinder

On January 20th (tomorrow) the original version of the Census Bureau’s American Factfinder will disappear, and the New American Factfinder will take it’s place. You’ll want to update any links you have in guides, web pages, and handouts to the new version at http://factfinder2.census.gov/.

The new version gives users a lot more options and paths for searching for census data. Unfortunately, this avalanche of options can make searching more daunting, as it’s tough to figure out where to start. You can look at the Quick Start guide for a brief intro or view a number of video tutorials and guides.

One approach is to use the old approach – choose the dataset first (Decennial Census, American Community Survey, Population Estimates, Economic Census, etc), choose your geography second, and then select the tables you want to view and download.

I’ve updated the census related libguides (US Census Data and New York City Data) and revised the Finding NYC Neighborhood Census Data Handout to reflect the changes. The Factfinder is one of several ways to access data (others being the Social Explorer for national or City data, and the City Department of Planning and Google Maps I’ve created for City data).

PUMA / Neighborhood Census Map Updated

Last week the Census Bureau released the latest 3 year estimates (2008-2010) for the American Community Survey. I’ve updated the Google Map for accessing PUMA / neighborhood profiles to pull data from this latest survey. The interface is a little different since the new data was released via the new version of the American Factfinder. In the past you would click on one link to access the profile page at the Census Bureau’s website, and from their website you could select Social, Economic, Housing, or Demographic profiles. In the new Factfinder this landing page has been eliminated and there are separate links to each profile – I provide a link to each one in the map.

http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/content.php?pid=95819&sid=985209

New five year census tract-level estimates (2006-2010) will be released in December.

New Census Resources for NYC Neighborhood Data

1. I’ve created a handout that summarizes the different neighborhood geographies, census datasets, and sources for finding neighborhood profiles and comparison tables. Much of the 2010 Census data is now available and the NYC Dept of City Planning has also released some new resources. The handout is available on the neighborhoods tab of the NYC Data Libguide as a PDF; it updates and replaces the Neighborhood FAQ page that was previously in the guide.

What’s the difference between the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey? What the heck is a PUMA and a ZCTA and what’s the difference? Where’s the best place to go get neighborhood census data? It’s all in the handout. The dataset, geography, and source you choose will vary based on the nature of the question and the relative importance of currency, size of geographic area, and variables needed.

2. I’ve created a new Google Map that lets you to click on ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) within the city to open 2010 Census profiles directly from the Census Bureau’s American Factfinder. ZCTAs are statistical areas created by the Census Bureau to approximate USPS ZIP Codes. The map is also available on the neighborhoods tab of the NYC Data guide, directly below the PUMA Google Map (which you can use to get neighborhood profiles from the 2007-2009 American Community Survey). If viewing the map within the guide is too constraining, you can click the View Larger Map link directly below the map to get the full screen view.

GIS Practicum Fall 2011

This semester’s GIS Practicum, Introduction to GIS Using Open Source Software, will take place on the following Fridays:

  • October 14th
  • November 11th

The day-long workshop runs from 9am to 4:30pm. Baruch & CUNY graduate students, faculty, and staff, Baruch undergraduates, and Baruch CAPS students are eligible to register. Registration is $30 and includes a detailed tutorial manual and a light breakfast. Participants must register approx one week before the workshop begins. Visit the GIS Practicum page to learn more and to register. Registration opens on August 26th.

Last semester’s practicum was well attended; forty-five participants representing a variety of academic disciplines and ten different CUNY campuses. The tutorial from last semester is available online. This year’s practicum has been revised, and participants will receive an updated manual.

Course Description:

Do you have a research question that you’d like to envision geographically? Maybe you’d like to study neighborhoods and businesses to target a market. Or perhaps you want to visualize the distribution of education, employment, or resources across the country or around the world. Have you ever wanted to add a map to your presentations or reports, but couldn’t find one that suits your needs?

This practicum introduces participants to geographic information systems (GIS) as a concept for envisioning information and as a tool for conducting geographic analyses and creating maps. Participants will learn how to navigate a GIS interface, how to prepare map layers and conduct a basic geographic analysis, and how to create thematic maps using the open source software QGIS.

New NYC Neighborhood Census Data

The NYC Department of City Planning has released new tables and maps based on the 2010 Census Redistricting data, which gives us basic counts of the population. The tables (in PDF and Excel format) are provided for the city, boroughs, individual census tracts, and new areas called Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs). Here’s their definition:

*Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs) are aggregations of census tracts that are subsets of New York City’s 55 Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs). Primarily due to these constraints, NTA boundaries and their associated names may not definitively represent neighborhoods.

There are 195 NTAs in the city – more manageable then the 2,168 census tracts (small areas with an ideal size of 4,000 people) and more precise than the 55 PUMAs (large areas with an ideal size of 100,000 people). It looks like the department may be trying to re-align and standardize how they’re going to report the new 2010 Census data with how they’ll be reporting the annually updated American Community Survey (the Census Bureau will probably report next year’s ACS using updated 2010 Census boundaries). The city provides cross-tabs that you can use if you wanted to aggregate tract-level data to NTAs on your own, and helpful maps that show you where the NTAs are.

All of these geographies nest within each other: census tracts -> NTAs -> PUMAs -> Boroughs -> City. The city hasn’t said whether or how they’ll report data for the Community Districts; it seems likely that they will, since the CDs were established by city law. The 59 CDs were also constructed by aggregating census tracts and they are similar in size to PUMAs, but they don’t align well with the PUMA boundaries.

It’s likely that the city will release more tables and maps once the complete 2010 census data for Summary File 1 is released this summer.