Katie Doster

1
GEOG 121 Project 5 Census Thematic Mapping

• Katie Doster
• Melissa May
• Frank Gunter

2
Thematic Maps

• Reference Maps like the topographic maps
  discussed earlier in the course display many
  different attributes and features, such as
  elevation, roads and city names.
• Thematic maps on the other hand display only one
  feature or attribute or the interaction between a
  few selected attributes over a geographic region.

3
Decennial Census

• The Decennial census is run once every ten years
  by the U.S. Census Bureau.
• It is used to allot the number of seats on the
  House of Representatives to each state, and for
  redistricting.
• In the 2000 census every household was required
  to fill out a form with the names of the members
  of that household, their ages, sex, birthdates,
  telephone numbers, Hispanic origin, and race, as
  well as whether the home was rented or owned.

4
The American Community Survey

• The American Community Survey provides more
  detailed information than the short form of the
  U.S. Census and is run more frequently
• This survey only attempts to gain a statistical
  representation of the nation rather than record
  every person. It will replace the long form for
  the 2010 Census.

5
Decennial Census DataGetting Started

• Go to http//factfinder.census.gov
• Look under
• Getting Detailed Data Decennial Census
• Click get data

6
Decennial Census Data

• Select one of the Census 2000 Summary Files
• Click Thematic Maps
• Under geographic type click County
• Select your state and county
• Click Next

7
Decennial Census Data

• Choose a theme from the list
• Click Show Result
• Under the Display map by pull down menu, select
  Census Tract
• Your map should look something like this

8
Decennial Census Data

• On the menu at the left of the screen, click Data
  Classes
• Select one of the four classing methods
• Natural Breaks
• Equal Interval
• Quantile
• User Defined

9
Decennial Census Data

• Right click on the map image and click Save
  Picture As
• Do the same
• for the legend

10
American Community Survey

• Go back to the main page
• Click get data under Getting Detailed Data
  American Community Survey
• Click Thematic Maps
• For geographic type, choose State
• Select your state and theme and click Show Result
• The Display map by tab should already be set on
  County
• Choose your data class
• Save in the same way as your other maps

11
The write-up must include

• A description of the choropleth map of your
  chosen area.
• The data classification scheme used.
• Explain the spatial and attribute data used to
  create the map.

12
The write-up must also include

• The map scale represented as a fraction.
• Map Scale (Miles Covered)(Inches in a Mile)
• Actual Map Size
• A brief conclusion in which you discuss the
  meaning of the pattern shown on your map.

13
Things to keep in mind

• You will be making three maps
• At least one map should use data from the
  Decennial Census and at least one should use the
  American Community Survey
• Each map should have a
• Different data theme
• Different classification method
• Remember to save both your map and your legends