Monday, December 12, 2016

GIS 1 Lab 2: Downloading GIS Data



Introduction: 

                The goal of this lab was to learn how to download data from the U.S. Census Bureau and bring that data into Arcmap.  A graduated color map was then created of one variable from that data.  That map was then used to build an interactive web map in ArcGIS Online. 

Methods:

Task 1: Selecting and downloading the 2010 U.S. Census data
                Starting in the advanced search by navigating to “population total” was the first step, then it was added to the selection, then the geography category chosen for Wisconsin was “all counties in Wisconsin”.  From here, “total population” from the 2010 SF1 Dataset was chosen.  This dataset was downloaded as a zipfile to the Lab folder.  The csv files were then extracted and saved as MS Excel files before being brought into Arcmap.  

Task 2: Downloading the shapefile for the Wisconsin Census data
                The data already downloaded doesn’t contain any geographic data, the shapefile for the Wisconsin Census data must be downloaded.  The data was then downloaded as a zipfile, and extracted in the Lab folder.  

Task 3: Joining the data
                Using ArcCatalog, the shapefile was added to a blank map, along with the P1 table from excel.  The P1 table was then joined to the shapefile using the GEO_ID field because it was an attribute that was the same in each table.  In order to perform more standard operations with the data that was added to ArcMap straight from an MS Excel file, a new population field was added, using the field calculator to add the same data contained in the old population field.  

Task 4: Mapping the data
                Next a graduated color map was created using the new population field as the value.  This map shows a color value for population in each county of Wisconsin.  

Task 5: Mapping a variable of choice
                The same workflow and steps from Tasks 1-4 were used to create a map of any variable of choice.  In this case, sex by age in Wisconsin counties was a logical choice, specifically females - age 22.  

Task 6: Building a layout
                Next was to create a cartographically pleasing map for each feature dataset: Wisconsin population by county, and the percent of 22-year-old females of the total population in each Wisconsin county.  All appropriate map elements and pertinent map information was included, things like: title, legend, source, etc.

Task 7: Create an interactive web map in ArcGIS Online
                The first step in this task was to log in to ArcGIS Online using a personal UWEC Geography & Anthropology Organization account.  Next was to create a feature service from the ArcMap document.  Only one of the two maps would be used in the web map, so Wisconsin Population by County was chosen.  This service was then shared with UW-Eau Claire Geography and Anthropology and published.  Next, using Google Chrome as an internet browser, a web map was created from the demographic information service published to ArcGIS Online.  Under My Content on the main ArcGIS Online tab, the published feature layer was added to the map.  Next, using Configure Pop-Up, the two attributes that were chosen to show on this map were County (Name) and Population.  The interactive web map was then finished.  This could be tested by clicking on a county and seeing that the name and population popped up.  The map was then saved with the appropriate title, tags, and summary, and shared with UW-Eau Claire Geography and Anthropology.  



Results:

 
Figure 2.1

                Figure 2.1 shows the two maps created in Arcmap.  On the left is the first map created, showing population by county in Wisconsin.  It displays counties that are more populated with the darker shades.  On the right is the map created from the variable of choice.  It shows what percentage of the population 22-year-old females make up in each county.  One factor that may influence these statistics is colleges being located in the counties with higher percentages of 22-year olds. 
                 



Figure 2.2

                Figure 2.2 shows the interactive web map created with ArcGIS Online.  This is functional and user friendly because it shows the population and name of each county you click on.  It also allows you to zoom in and out and pan in any direction. 


Source:

U.S. Census Bureau website:

Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS). (n.d.). American FactFinder. Retrieved December, 2016 from http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml?refresh=

ArcGIS Online:

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