GIS I Lab 2: Downloading GIS Data

Introduction

The goal of this lab was to learn how to download data from the United States Census Bureau and map the data in ArcMap. In this lab we learned how to download Census data, Wisconsin total population and Wisconsin median age. We then learned how to download a shapefile from the Census boundaries. The next goal was to learn how to map the data and join the data in the shapefiles. The final step was to create a layout that would be presentable to someone who would publish a map.

Methods

In order to complete this lab, we first had to understand a few topics that would come up often. Some basic topics we needed to understand were, what was the US Census Bureau, What exactly are Census Boundaries as well as Statistical Boundaries, and lastly, 2010 SF1 100% Data, this data is based off of data collected every 10 years by the United States Constitution. The first step was to go to the United States Census’s website and select the desired category you wished to find. For this project we selected the total population based on county and then selected Wisconsin. Next, as previously mentioned about the SF1 statistics, we had to select the “Total Population” from the list of downloadable contents. After downloading the file, we had to unzip it and save it into our folder. After checking to make sure they were in our correct folder we changed the format so it would be able to be read by ArcMap. Step two, after downloading the data we then had to get the Wisconsin state and counties data map from the census website. Found under the geographies selection tab, find the Wisconsin counties map and save it to the same folder as the previous data. Step three, in a new ArcMap document add the newly downloaded shapefiles downloaded and open the tables containing the data. After opening the two tables we then joined them together by the GEO#id. After joining the tables we then had to assign a quantitative color scheme to it to further show the denseness of population in Wisconsin. This was done under the properties menu, under symbology. The key is to select a good color scheme that will show the difference in data sections. Following the same steps as listed earlier, I had to download another set of data. The data I chose to use was the average age by county in Wisconsin. Again this data had to be downloaded, unzipped, formatted for ArcMap, and joined to a table which could show the data. Lastly, it was given the same color scheme as the previous map to help show relationships between the two sets of data. The last step was to create a presentable layout, which would make it easy to understand and see. This included, putting the two maps together on the same page, adding a legend, title, north arrow, scale, date, source, and author, and lastly adding a background map provided by ESRI to the map for more detail.

Results

The results of the two maps show the total population as well as the median age in the State of Wisconsin. An interesting pattern that stuck out in this map was that the youngest median age county also had the largest population, Milwaukee. Generally, the higher population, the younger the average age was. And for some parts of the map, the further north you went the less populated the counties were, as well as, the higher the median age was. It is clear which counties have colleges, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison, La Crosse, and Milwaukee. These counties have a higher population, as well as, a lower average age by county.

Source

The geographic census data was provided by the United States Census Bureau
2010 Census Data used
Background map provided by ESRI