DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation Census Geography/Geographic Information Webinar:

Thursday, April 5, 201211.00 – 11.30 AM EDT

Part of the Commerce Business Apps Challengehttp://docbusinessapps.challenge.gov

We’re challenging developers to look for innovative ways to utilize DOC and other publicly available data to help businesses identify opportunities, grow, enhance,

productivity, and create jobs

$10,000 USD in prizes (1st - $5,000; 2nd - $3,000; and 3rd - $2,000)

Ends: April 30, 2012 @11.59 PM EDT

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Introductions:

Mike Kruger, DOC – Director of Digital Strategy (Host)

Director of Digital Strategy, U.S. Department of Commerce

mkruger@doc.gov 202-482-2556

Michael Ratcliffe, Census Bureau, Geography Division (Presenter)

Asst. Division Chief for Geocartographic Products and Criteria

Michael.r.ratcliffe@census.gov

301-763-8977

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Agenda:

•Why is geography important?

•Geographic area commonalities and differences across demographic and economic datasets

•Geospatial data for applications

•Questions

Census Geographic Hierarchy

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/geodiagram.pdf

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Why is geography important?

•All demographic and economic data are presented by geographic area– But, there are differences in the types of geographic areas used to present

demographic and economic data– Census geographic areas do not always match user perceptions of local

geography– Not all geographic areas of interest may be used to present data– but there may

be census geographic areas that are similar. For example, census tracts are similar to neighborhoods

•Geography provides an entry point for accessing and displaying data– Many data users will have a general location or geographic area of interest– Typical question: how many _____ are there in geographic area _____?

•Effective decision-making requires appropriate data at appropriate levels of geography

– Scale and spatial resolution are important– Are data by county good enough? Or, is more or less detail needed?

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Common geographic areas across demographic and economic datasets

•Common geographic units for demographic data as well as all economic data from Census and BEA:

– States– Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas– Counties

•In Census Bureau data, common geographic units for demographic and economic data are:

– States– Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas– Counties– County subdivisions (towns/townships), but only in the nine Northeastern

states (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT), and MI, MN, and WI– Incorporated places and census designated places (except in the states

listed above)

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Geographic area differences across demographic and economic datasets

•Lowest levels of geography for demographic data– Decennial census: census block– American Community Survey: block group and census tract– Local Employment Dynamics data: census block– Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: county, school

district– Population Estimates: incorporated place, town/township

•Economic data are not available by block, block group, or census tract

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Resources for Understanding Census Geography:

•http://www.census.gov/geo/www/reference.html

2010 Census Geographic Products and Information:

•http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Geospatial data for applications

•TIGER/Line Shapefiles– http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html

– Produced Annually

– 2010 Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles available for all geographic areas, including the Island Areas

– 2010 Census block shapefiles with population and housing unit counts

– Technical Documentation & User Notes• http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2010/documentation.html

– GIS–ready files

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Geospatial data for applications

•TIGERweb Web Map Service– Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) web map service

(WMS) standard– Users that have a client that supports the WMS standard may

access the TIGERweb service using the following URL:– //tigerweb.geo.census.gov/ArcGIS/services/tigerWMS/

MapServer/WMSServer

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Geospatial data for applications

•KML files: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/kml/kml.html

– Layers Available: Counties and Census Tracts– Attributes: Geographic Identifier (GEOID)– Vintage:  2010 Census– Available in Detailed (the exact boundaries) and Generalized

(boundaries are smoothed and do not represent the exact boundaries)

•For use with GoogleEarth- and GoogleMap-based applications

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)•http://nhd.usgs.gov/gnis.html

– Provides lat/long for over 100,000 populated place and locale names not contained in Census Bureau data tabulations

– Lat/long could be used to identify census geographic areas in which the place or locale is located, then link to statistical data for appropriate census geography

Feature Name ID Class County State Latitude Longitude Ele(ft)* Map** BGN Date Entry DateKing of Prussia 1178473 Populated Place Montgomery PA 400521N 0752346W 200 Valley Forge - 02-AUG-1979

King of Prussia Plaza

1206812 Locale Montgomery PA 400517N 0752331W 164 Valley Forge - 01-DEC-1989

King of Prussia Industrial Park

1207825 Locale Montgomery PA 400548N 0752429W 115 Valley Forge - 01-FEB-1990

King of Prussia Business and Industrial Center

2349207 Locale Montgomery PA 400612N 0752119W 135 Norristown - 23-AUG-2007

King of Prussia Business Center

2349208 Locale Montgomery PA 400606N 0752449W 118 Valley Forge - 23-AUG-2007

DOC/Census Bureau Apps for Innovation

Questions?

Michael Ratcliffe

Michael.r.ratcliffe@census.gov

301-763-8977

Geography Division: geo.tiger@census.gov