Introduction
The purpose of this lab was to practice downloading demographic
data for the state of Wisconsin. After acquiring the data, our main objective
was to create two aesthetically pleasing maps each showing its own demographic information.
Another purpose in this lab was to learn how to use ArcOnline to create a
webmap of our final product.
Methodology
The methods for each section of the lab vary depending on
the goal of the objective. Before continuing onto objective one. I read through
the definitions regarding census data that had been provided to us. This was
done to gain a better understanding of the different types of census data and
the information they provide.
Objective one: Download 2010 Census Data
Before downloading any information, I made a “Lab 2” folder
in my personal Q drive. This was important because then I was able to have all
of my downloaded information files in one folder making it easier to find and
navigate.
Next I began downloading information. To do so, I went to
the American
Factfinder website provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Navigating through
the website, I chose to search for data of Wisconsin by county. Because of the
reading I did prior to this objective, I knew to select the SF1 data because it
is the most simplistic data with the sole purpose of providing an accurate
count of people living in the U.S. for political reasons. It also provides
other demographic information (household size, racial breakdowns, housing
units, etc.) which will be of use later on in the lab. The information I downloaded
showed the 2010 Total Population. The information downloaded was then saved to
my “Lab 2” folder where I then unzipped/ extracted the information. This was so
that I could get each individual file within the dataset. For this dataset there
was a metadata folder and a file containing the tabular information of the
data. The metadata file was quite simple with only two columns, but it
contained very important id information to be used later. I then saved the
tabular data as a MS excel file entitled “Excel Workbook”.
Objective two: Download the shapefile for the WI census data
For this objective, I returned to the American Factfinder
website to download the shapefile for WI. This is needed to add the data to a
map in ArcMap. After downloading the file to the “Lab 2” folder, I once again
had to unzip the file to see all of the parts of the file. All of these
individual files together make up the shapefile so they are all important.
Factfinder2.census.gov. (2014). American factfinder - search. [online] Retrieved from:http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtmlrefresh=t
Objective three: Join the data together
To join the data together, I first opened up a blank map in
ArcMap and saved it as Lab2. I renamed the data frame “Population” and added
the shapefile I just downloaded to the map. From here, I add the MS excel file “Excel
Workbook”. This file contained the data I want to map. I then open up both
datasets’ attribute table to conduct a table join. A table join is needed to
join the data itself and is done so by linking a common attribute. In this
case, the common attribute was the GEO#id. To actually join the tables, you
right click the shapefile and go to “joins and relates” from here you put in the
common field and join the tables.
Objective four: Map the data
In order to map the data, we must change the data type to
numeric so that it can be mapped quantitatively. To change it, we must create a
new field and use the field calculator to use data from the original field. By
doing this, we can create a graduated color map of the population data we
acquired. We can then select our symbology and select the new field for the
value to be mapped.
Objective five: Map a variable of your choice
For the next task, we were asked to select a variable to map
and compare to the population data from the previous objectives. I returned to
the census website, with my previous criteria of all counties within Wisconsin
still present, I was able to look at other demographic variables that fit these
parameters. Focusing on the 2010 SF1 100% data, I ended up choosing age groups
by sex. However, I just wanted to map the percent women in each county. After
downloading the data and saving it to the lab2 folder, I unzipped it and looked
at the tabular data. Because I do not need all of the fields it gives me, I made
note of the field that said the amount of total women in each county. I then
had to delete the row that said the field names or else ArcMap would have
thought it was data for the counties. After saving the data as an MS excel
file, I added the file to ArcMap in a new data frame along with a shapefile of Wisconsin
counties. I then joined the tables together and added a new field so that I could
amp it as a quantity map. I then changed the symbology of the map and for this
map, I had to normalize the data. I normalized the female population value with
the total population data from map #1. I then changed the labeling to show
percentage.
Objective six: Build a Layout
This task was all about making an aesthetically pleasing map.
In the layout view, I changed the page orientation to landscape and made the
two data frames equal size. I also set both data frames’ projection to NAD 1983
Wisconsin TM. I also set both the scales to be the same. I then went on to add
a title, “ U.S. Census Data by County- Wisconsin 2010”. I added a scale bar, legend,
and north arrow to both maps. I added a source, US census bureau 2010, and my
name as the author. In the legend, I made sure that I used a good amount of significant
digits and got rid of unnecessary zeros. I then added a light gray canvas
basemap to each map. By doing all of this, I created a professional looking map
document from which I could compare total population to the percent women in
Wisconsin by county (Fig.1).
 |
| Fig 1. Wisconsin County Census Data |
Objective seven: Create a Webmap
To create a webmap, I first logged into ArcGIS Online
through Arcmap. I then made a copy of the second map which showed the percent
women in each Wisconsin County. I then had to create a feature service for the
map and published it to the cloud. Afterward, I signed into my ArcGIS online
account through the internet. Here, I could see my feature service I had just
created under the “My Content” tab. For this service, there was a feature layer
and a service definition which just provided information about the service. The
feature layer was what we wanted to use to create the webmap. I added this
layer to map and the data showed up on a topographic basemap within ArcGIS.
From here, I went into the pop-up properties of the map to create proper labels
for the interactive map. Under Configure Attributes, I selected the attribute I
wanted to be shown; name, Female_Pop, and d001new. I then changed the field
alias so that it would show up more professional to the users. County, Female
Population, and Total Population were my aliases for the attributes. I made
sure that there were 0 decimal places because it made the most sense (you cant
have part of a person). After saving, I tested the pop-ups to be sure it came
up properly. I then saved the map and shared it with the UWEC Geography and
Anthropology organization.
Female Population by Wisconsin County:
Sources
[Accessed: 28 Oct 2015].
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