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Mappable data has a specific spatial specification. Try saying that fast.
What this means is that you have some stuff and you can specify it's location. A well is at this latitude/longitude, there are 1000 people in that county, etc.
It is getting easier to create your own mappable data. For example, with Google Earth and its KMZ files:
The WWW is a great source for existing digital mappable data too, some free of
charge and some for a fee. In this exercise, you will select a U.S. state(S)
you are familiar with or interested in. You will then locate mappable data that
can be used in your lab project.
You need to locate population data, by county, in your selected state, for 1900 to 2000 (every 10 years) plus additional population estimates up to 2008 or 2009 (if it is available yet). The US Census is the best source of this information. You will also seek out information on population change in your state and the United States in general. In addition, you will locate at least five WWW sites relevant to your project: for example, WWW sites with historic and contemporary information about your state. Please avoid excessively commercial sites.
Lab 1 Goal: Set up a series of folders (directories) for your work on
your computer in the GIS Lab. Document your search for your mappable
data in a lab log (text or word processor file): describe your search for data,
population change information, and sites on the WWW. Note the URL of the data
(if you can find it) and sites in your digital lab log. Be prepared to show the
instructor your work on the due date.
The Gruesome Details:
1) Choose a state! Do choose a state you are interested in or know something about.
Some states, like Wisconsin, are, frankly, better than others, so you might want to choose by quality. If you choose a small state, do a few (eg., Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts together). You can also do a few larger and related states: the Dakotas, Washington and Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico, Colorado and Kentucky, etc.: this will give you a good sense of the regional characteristics of population change and it is not much extra work.
Don't choose Alaska, Hawaii, or Canada (which, by the way, isn't a US state).
2) Whilst at your computer in the GIS lab:
Open Windows Explorer to see what is on your computer
Open a word processor
Create a New document in the word processor and Save it in your
work space on the computer. This file is your lab log. I would call
mine KrygierLabLog. You should add any and all relevant information to
this file regarding your lab project from this date forward. In a future lab we
will shift your lab log to a lab blog. Please date
the entries. Leave this document open while searching the internet.
I will use the lab log/blog to review your work and determine your Lab grade.
3) Searching for Mappable Data
There are a few basic ways of searching on the internet: keyword vs directory. Most everyone does the former, but a directory search can be quicker in some cases.
Directory Search: go to a directory site such as
While you can do a keyword search at Yahoo, work with the categories Yahoo has in its directory to find your historical US Census data: please document the path you took through the Yahoo! categories to find the U.S. Census Bureau site.
Explore the US Census WWW site, and locate the historical population data you need (it is there!): your state, county population 1900, 1910, 1920, etc.
Please write one paragraph about what you find and problems you encounter in your lab log: be critical! Again, think about yourself in a real-world job, still having to find this data for your grumpy boss. And he has bad breath too. How easy is it to find the data you need at the US Census WWW site?
Note: if you don't find the data, don't panic: just write down what you think of the Census Bureau's WWW site in you journal. Email me and maybe I can help!
Google, as you probably know, ranks the sites it returns to you in terms of the popularity of the sites, how many 'hits' the sites get. Thus it tends to be able to find what you are looking for quickly if you use the right search terms.
Remember what you are seeking: tranquility, fulfillment, and population data, by county, in your selected state, for 1900 to 2000 (every 10 years) and estimates since 2000, from the US Census.
Type in some keywords that correspond to the kind of data you are looking for
You may have to try different keywords before you find what you need. Consider the source if you have found your data: it is always good to go back to the original data provider if possible.
Please write a few paragraphs about what you find and problems you encounter in your lab log: be critical! Think about yourself in a real-world job, having to find this data for your grumpy, nicotine gum-munching boss. How easy is it to find free, relevant data on the WWW using keyword searches?
When you find the Census population data please note the following in your lab log:
HEY! Check that you have the total population for each of your counties
for each US Census since 1900. You must also find the new Census 2000 data
which may not be included in the 1900-1990 historical Census data source. Oh,
the population estimates since then (to 2008 or 2009) also.
Please search around the Census site and see if you can find any information on copyright issues with Census data. Document what you find in your lab log.
5) Downloading the Data
If the data is in text format, it is easy to save
While in the WWW browser with your data source on the screen, save the file as a text file (not as source) in your Data folder in your personal folder on your computer. Usually, you do this in the WWW browser by choosing Save As...
If you find the data in some other format try and save it to your Data folder.
Be prepared to show the instructor this data document on the due date. You can open up the saved data in a word processor or NotePad or WordPad.
6) Locate information relevant to your State (or region) and Information
on Population Change.
Using the searching strategies you learned above, locate at least 5 WWW sites that provide information on your state or country that may be relevant to your project. Do spend a little time exploring around and make sure you get some decent sites (don't just use the first few you find). Save the locations of these sites (http:// ...etc.) in your lab log.
Do the same for sites that explain issues of population change in your state or the US. This task may be a bit more difficult, but do see what you find and, again, document what you find, and the URLs, in your lab log.
Finally, locate at least 15 sites of importance to your state and its history using Google Earth. Annotate them as you create them in Google Earth. Save these as placemarks. We will use them for part of the next exercise.
7) Back up your personal folder (with its three different folders for your
HTML, ArcGIS project, and data).
That is it! Easy as cheese (although not all cheese is so easy). Your beloved instructor will check that you did the two searches (and wrote up your comments) and that you found and downloaded the data file and located some informational WWW sites and books on your state or country and on population change during the next lab. Don't panic if you can't find the data after a long an arduous search. The instructor or a fellow student can pass along the actual secret location of the data and you can download it.
E-mail: jbkrygier@owu.edu
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