Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Geography Extras

Aggregate Data: PUMA to County conversion

The ACS provides annual data, but the geographic scope of these data is limited because of the 65,000+ population requirement. Less than 900 counties meet this cutpoint. One solution to this is to produce a PUMA-based query and then use a crosswalk to map PUMAs to counties.
PUMA to County Widget [PDQ-Explore output]
This widget takes output from PDQ-Explore and converts PUMA-based characteristics to county-based characteristics
PUMA to County Widget [American FactFinder output]
This widget takes output from American FactFinder and converts PUMA-based characteristics to county-based characteristics
Posted by lisan at 05:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 24, 2009

Creating County Level Statistics from Microdata Files

Normally one would use tabular data to produce county-level statistics. However, sometimes the measure one wants is not available in tabular data and/or the county is not populous enough for county-based measures, e.g., ACS population limits.
The following document describes how one can produce county level data from PUMAs:
Here are the links to the executable program, the crosswalk, and instructions:
Program [p2c.exe]
Crosswalk [p2c.equ]
Guide to p2c [p2c.pdf]

Monday, October 26, 2009

Class Assignments

Class Blog

Participants will make a blog entry as part of this workshop. If preferred, this can be done as a joint project among several participants. To gain access to the blog, please send a message to Lee Ridley (ljridley@umich.edu).

Instructions for making an entry into the blog are below:

Writing in Blogger
Posted by lisan at 08:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 24, 2009

American FactFinder Exercises

"College town 'poverty' exposed"
Stephen Koff and Bill Sloat | Cleveland Plain Dealer
September 17, 2006

Looking at Poverty with ACS Summary Data
Exercises from a Quantitative Reasoning Class
Looking at Current Events (circa 2005)
Guide to Looking at Current Events
Data Consultant (circa 2007)
Guide to Data Consultant
Excel file [A03 Iraq War Deaths.xls]
Posted by lisan at 02:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 20, 2009

PDQ Exercises

Agenda and Participants

Workshop Agenda

Most of the presentations and handouts are available electronically. Look for links to these under Class Presentations and Handouts.
Workshop participants
This includes the contact information for the participants as well as the instructors. Send corrections to lisan@umich.edu.

Friday, October 23, 2009

PDQ Explore

Using PDQ Explore

PDQ Explore is software that allows users to create and analyze queries across millions of records in seconds, and quickly refine and adjust those queries interactively.
Getting Started with PDQ
Using PDQ Software Technical requirements, installation and a few example queries
PDQ-Explore installation (readme file)
PDQ Help
PDQ Software
Zip file
Note: The contents of the zip file should be put in C:\Program Files\pdq
Directory link (download specific files):
explore.exe, EXPLORE.INI, ipacs08.pdqCodebook, and ipacs08.pdqCustomItems
These files should be downloaded to c:\Program Files\pdq. Direct links to these files are below:
explore.exe
EXPLORE.INI
ipacs08.pdqCodebook 
ipacs08.pdqCustomItems

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Seeded Scenarios

The purpose of these examples is to show one how to use Census and/or ACS data to describe characteristics of communities or populations, broad demographic changes relevant for the nation or a community, and the consequences of political power and federal funds.

Click on one of the topics below for an introduction to the topic, background/reference articles, links to ready-made tables/figure/maps, and introductory shells for independent analysis of the issues:

Class Presentations and Handouts

Workshop Presentations: Wednesday

Below are links to the lectures presented at the workshop. On occasion, there were handouts associated with a presentation. These are listed under the presentation.
Major Demographic Trends and the Use of Census Data by the American Media
Bill Frey, University of Michigan and The Brookings Institution
[ppt] [pdf]
What Makes a Good Story?
Paul Overberg, USA Today
The History of the American Census and Controversies about Recent Enumerations
Ren Farley, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
The American Community Survey: A Comprehensive Source of Information about Social, Economic, and Demographic Change
Lisa Neidert, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
Making Sense of Census Geography
Lisa Neidert, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
Using CensusScope to Understand the Changing Landscape in the United States
Bill Frey and J.P. Dewitt, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
Introduction to American FactFinder
J.P. DeWitt and Lisa Neidert, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
Additional Resources:
An Introduction to Summary Products (and American FactFinder)
[shortened version of a Census Bureau presentation]
Presentation Notes
[shortened version of a Census Bureau presentation]
Accessing and Working with 2008 American Community Survey (ACS) Data
Cynthia Davis Hollingsworth, Census Bureau
[wmv] [presented at the ICPSR OR annual meetings]
Posted by lisan at 02:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 12, 2009

Workshop Presentations: Thursday

Below are links to the lectures presented at the workshop. On occasion, there were handouts associated with a presentation. These are listed under the presentation.
Census Outreach - Complete Count Issues
Terri Ann Lowenthal, Census Project and Funders Census Initiative
Using PDQ Software and the Integrated Public Use Microdata
Series (IPUMS)

Albert Anderson, Public Data Queries and Ren Farley, University of Michigan
[ppt] [pdf]
Hands-on exercises using microdata (with PDQ and IPUMS)
Please find examples to try/expand in the Six Examples document or the PDQ Examples from the Seeded Scenarios.
Informal Question and Answer Session: Data collection strategies in the ACS and the decennial census
Mick Couper, University of Michigan
Project work
[users choose which room to work in; may shift back and forth]
Aggregate Data: Room 150A
American FactFinder and CensusScope
Helpers: DeWitt, Frey, Neidert, Somerman
Microdata: Room 150B
PDQ Explore; IPUMS-Census/ACS and IPUMS-CPS
Helpers: Anderson, Briske, and Farley
Paul Overberg will be available for consultation across rooms
Adjourn
Participants who wish to do so, may continue to work in the labs. Staff will be available to assist you.
Posted by lisan at 03:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 08, 2009

Workshop Presentations: Friday

Below are links to the lectures presented at the workshop. On occasion, there were handouts associated with a presentation. These are listed under the presentation.
Congressional Apportionment
Lisa Neidert, University of Michigan
[hands-on exercise with Census Estimates data and web tool]
The Changing Demographics of the Nation as We Look Forward
to the 2010 Census

Barbara Bryant, Research Scientist Emerita
Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Director, 1990 Census, Bureau of the Census

[ppt] [pdf]
Ten things you should know about the Census Robert Groves, Director, Bureau of the Census
Story Board: Describe blog entry
Participants
Working Lunch
Speakers:
Paul Overberg, USA Today
Bill Frey, University of Michigan and Brookings

Project work
Participants will work with staff on their own projects. These can be
based on the Seeded Scenarios or an independent project. Tools can
include:
o Apportionment Tool
o CensusScope-based story
o Stories based on Census 2000 or ACS data drawn from American
FactFinder
o Analyzing census, ACS, or CPS data using PDQ

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Segregation Indices

Researcher/University-based Resources:
CensusScope: Segregation Indices
Lewis Mumford Center
Segregation Dataset: 1890-2000(Cutler, Glaeser,and Vigdor) (Note: The original site is no longer maintained by Duke University; this is an archive of the site - with the data still available - collected in 2008 by the Internet Archive.)
Racial Residential Segregation Indices for Counties and Metropolitan Areas: Census 2000


Questionnaires

Justification for Questions included in the Census and ACS

Submission of Subjects for the 2010 Decennial Census Program
Section 141 (f) of the Census Act requires that not later than 3 years before the next census, the subjects to be included on that census be submitted to Congress. The contents of this notebook [link below] describe the subjects that will be asked on the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey, including proposed new subjects, as well as the subject that will be dropped because it is no longer required by federal agencies.
The Census Act also requires that not later than two years before the Census date, the questions to be included in the next census be submitted to Congress. A document that meets that requirement for the 2010 Decennial Census will be submitted to Congress by March 31, 2008.
In advance of providing the subjects to be included on the next census to Congress, the U.S. Census Bureau asked federal agencies to provide information on their data needs, so that only necessary data are collected, as opposed to data that could be acquired by other means. The Office of Management and Budget facilitates the process to validate current uses of census data, determine unnecessary subjects and questions, and identify new subjects for which questions are required.
Question by Question Fact Sheets
Information on the origin of each question, how long the question has been in use, a description of how the federal government uses the data and how those uses translate into community benefits.
Posted by lisan at 03:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

American Community Survey (ACS) Questionnaires

Here are links to the 2009 ACS questionnaire - in the field right now:
Group Quarters: Questionnaire | Instruction Guide
For links to questionnaires for previous years and/or changes across questionnaires:
Posted by lisan at 03:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Census 2010 Questionnaires

Here is a link to two versions of the 2010 Census questionnaire:
The bilingual questionnaire will be sent to 13.5 million households. For further information:

http://2010.census.gov/partners/materials/inlanguagemaps.php
If a respondent calls the telephone questionnaire assistance phone number located on the back of their English form, they may request a questionnaire in Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Korean, or Russian.
There are Be Counted forms available in these five non-English languages in local libraries and other public locations across the country. Here are links to sample questionnaires in these additional languages:

Spanish
Chinese (Simplified)
Vietnamese
Korean
Russian