Introducing Social Explorer®

Russ WhiteNumeric and Spatial Data SpecialistRobert E. Kennedy LibraryCal Poly State University San Luis Obispo

View, Share and Export US Censusand demographic data spanning 220 years, from 1790 to present.

Overview

• Background on Social Explorer and US Census• How to Access• The Map Interface

– Available Datasets– Map Features– Sharing Options– Export Reports and Data

• Some Next Steps

Who is this for?

For those interested in accessing demographic datasets, but not familiar with the US Census…

Familiar with the US Census & demographics, but don’t commonly use datasets…

Who is this for?

• Faculty Teaching, Assignments, Reference, Research

• Students Reference, Research, senior projects…

Who is this for?

• Social Sciences• Business & Economics• History & Humanities• City and Regional Planning• Geography• The list goes on…

Social Explorer

Social Explorer provides quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information.

The easy-to-use web interface lets users create maps and reports to illustrate, analyze, and understand demography and social change.

In addition to its comprehensive data resources, Social Explorer offers features and tools to meet the needs of demography experts and novices alike.

Data Resources• Decennial US Census data from 1790 to 2010.• American Community Survey (ACS) from 2005 to 2011.

• InfoGroup data on religious congregations in the US (2009-2010), County-level maps, as well as congregation point locations.

• The Religious Congregations and Membership Study (RCMS) from 1980 to 2010.

• Carbon Emissions Data for 2002 from the Vulcan Project.

• 40 billion data elements, 500,000 variables, and more than 25,000 interactive maps. New datasets coming soon—stay tuned for details.

What this is, and is not. Social Explorer

Is Census data summarized at given geography levels:

County level (1790-2010)Tract level (1980-2010), Block Group level (2000-2010)

Is not Individual-level data, Public Use

Microdata, or Manufacturing, Ag Census

(other geographies as well, eg Census Place)

How is Social Explorer helpful?

• Consider typical access to Census data– American Fact Finder– US Census data tools– PDF Publications– Print Publications

• Historical Census Data? Options include– ICPSR, NHGIS

Accessing Social Explorer

Access Social Explorer (on Campus)

1. On Cal Poly Campus, visit www.socialexplorer.com/

2. Sign Up for personal account (This is Optional, but Recommended)

Account allows you to• Save and Share projects• Easily access off campus

Cal Poly Students & Staff (Off Campus)

1. Visit library website, then Databases A-Z, and find Social Explorer

2. Prompted for Cal Poly Username and Password3. Sign Up for Social Explorer Personal Account

4. Once an account is created, future log-in are done simply on the Social Explorer site.

Set Up Personal Account

Provide informationfor your personalaccount, or use 1-click Sign Up.

Logged-in

• See past projects• Create New

• See ‘How To’ for more help info.

Help Topics

• Logging In

• Maps & Reports

• Subject Matter Census & ACS

Getting Started

Maps and Tables: Starting point for data access

• Maps Explore data via maps, export reports & data

• Tables Construct table queries, export reports & data

Browse Available Datasets

• Choose Census Year

• Data Category

• View on Map

Mapping Options

Change Geography Level

View moredetailed dataat the County, Tract, or Block Group level

Change Color Ramp

Single-color and divergent colorramps.

Change Break-points

This has avery important role on how themap is viewedand interpreted.

Options for Saving and Sharing

Export Map as Image

High quality PNG

Map Options: Mark-up and Annotation

Make notesand highlightfeatures withbasic drawingTools.

Share Link (click image for example)

Interactive Map

Link viewable by recipientas interactive web map

Functionality: Pan & Zoom Detailed info pop-ups Change Geography level

Embed into Webpage or Blog post

It’s Easy!

Share & Collaborate

Invite others to view,edit, or add notes toyour map!

Export Reports and Datasets

Generate Report

1. Select Census Year2. Select Report topic (Demographic Report)

3. Choose Geography level, (eg Tract)

4. Select Tracts

Downloadable Report

Demographic Summary

Available Formats:HTML on the WebExcel SpreadsheetCSV, SPSS, STATA

Included Data Dictionary

Some Final Thoughts

• Extensive datasets• Easy & Web-based• Rich interactive

features

• Maps single variables only

• Assembling time-series

data can be tedious• Can use map view to

select and export data

Some Next Steps…

• Try out Table View to generate tabular exports

• Visualize Tabular data in Tableau• Map exported data in ArcGIS or QGIS• Statistical Analysis with SPSS

Questions?

Thanks!