The objective of this lab was to learn how to download data from the United States Census Bureau and create a map from the data. After creating the map, it was used to create a web map by using ArcGIS Online.
Methods:
I learned many new skills while completing this lab. I learned how to download 2010 Census data from the U.S. Census Bureau online. I learned how to download a shapefile from the 2010 Census boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau online. I then learned how to join the downloaded data to the downloaded shape file in ArcGIS. I learned how to create a web map using ArcGIS Online.
I used these following steps to create the following image.
Task 1: Download 2010 Census Data
I started by needing to download the 2010 Census data for the total population from the U.S. Census Bureau online. To do this I opened up a web browser and navigated to the U.S. Census Bureau Fact Finder Website: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t. By using an Advanced Search I was able to narrow my search to select my data set of total population. I selected my search through the following pathway, Topics, People, Basic Count/Estimate and then Population Total. I then had to select my geography and I selected counties and then selected County 050. I choose the state of Wisconsin and All Counties within Wisconsin. With my search results I downloaded the variable P1 for TOTAL POPULATION from the 2010 SF1 Dataset. To access the files they had to be unzipped in Windows Explorer and saved the tabular data file as a MS Excel file (Excel Workbook file).
Task 2: Download the shapefile for the WI census data
I next needed to download the shapefile for the Wisconsin census data. I returned to the U.S. Census Fact Finder Website and under my Geographies search option I went to the Map tab and downloaded the map in the spatial data format of a shapefile.zip. I unzipped these files in Windows Explorer.
Task 3: Join the data together
Next, I needed to join the shapefile with the Total Population data. I added the shapefile of the Wisconsin census data and the P1 table to a data frame in Arcmap. I joined the shapefile in the table of contents to the P1 table using the attribute common field of Geo_ ID to base the join on. I exported the data to make the table join permanent in a new feature class.
Task 4: Map the data
I next started to construct my final map of the data. I opened a blank map in ArcMap and changed the orientation to landscape. I opened up my newly exported feature class in the data frame. I changed the symbology of the feature class to quantities and graduated colors. I set the value to D001_new, which I created in the attribute table by creating a new field and using the field calculator to populate the new field with D001 data. The D001 data is the population per county data from the U.S. census. In the symbology tab I also set a graduated color scheme and set the labels to 3 significant figures with thousands separators.
Task 5: Map a variable of your choice
I wanted to add a second map displaying a different variable from the data available through the U.S. Census. To do this, I returned to the census website and left my search as Wisconsin counties but changed my variable to Housing Units. I downloaded the 2010 SF1 100% data from the H3, Vacant Housing Units, variable. I unzipped these files in Windows Explorer and checked the Excel files to make sure there were no extra rows in the data and if there were I deleted the row. I lastly saved the file as a MS Excel file. I opened up my Vacant Housing Units data and the U.S. census shapefile for Wisconsin counties. I joined and exported the tables based on the Geo_ID field. I opened the new feature class in the data frame and changed the symbology to quantities and graduated colors. I set the value to D003 (vacant housing units) and normalized the data by D001 (total housing units). I set the labels to 2 significant figures and set the labels to percentages.
Task 6: Build a layout
I put a lot of work into constructing the final map layout. In the ArcMap window that I was previously working with in tasks 3 and 4, I created a second data frame. I named the previous one "Population" and the new one I named "Housing". In the housing data frame I added the feature class I created in task 5. I set both data frames in Arc Map to the same size by using rulers and guides. In each data frame I added the base map World Light Gray Base with no reference. I zoomed in and set the map scale to a proper size to maximize the data frame size and include the whole state of Wisconsin in the frame. I added boarders around each data frame. I added titles, legends, scales, and north arrows to both data frames. I edited the titles of the feature classes to make them more comprehendible. I cited my sources and listed myself as the cartographer and included the date. I made final touches to make sure the layout was even and visually pleasing and exported the map as a JPEG.
Task 7: Create a web map
I started with the image created above and saved the image twice, each time under a different name so I had two copies of this image. I then, in one of the saved copies of the image, deleted the County Housing Vacancy map data frame so I only the County Population data frame was present. In this section I only downloaded one data set, County Population, to the web map. I switched my ArcMap document to from layout view to data view.
Log into ArcGIS Online from ArcMap
I signed into my ArcGIS Online Account through the ArcMap window. I went to File, Sign In, and chose to sign in with the University of Wisconsin Geography & Anthropology Organization account, and opened up with in that my University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire personal account.
Create a feature service from an ArcMap document
To publish my map document to the ArcGIS Online server I needed to create a feature service from the ArcMap document. I started by going to File, Share As, Service, and selecting Publish as a service. I connected with My Hosted Service of UW-Eau Claire- Geography and Anthropology. I also created a service name with no spaces. When the Service Editor window opened up I changed the Capabilities from Titled Mapping to Feature Access. I opened the Item Description tab and added a summary, tags, and description of my service. Under sharing I selected to share my service with the UW-Eau Claire-Geography and Anthropology ArcGIS group. In Service Editor I used the Analyze option to check my map document for errors. When that checked out I published my service.
Create a web map from my feature service
I opened a Google Chrome browser window and navigated to https://www.arcgis.com/features/. I signed in with UWEC as my enterprise account and then my own account login credentials. I went to the My Content tab on the main ArcGIS Online menu. I located the feature layer I had made and selected the add layer to map option. This opened an ArcGIS Online geobrowser with my service displayed in an ArcGIS Online map. Under Content, I selected a three dot icon which allowed me to select the Configure Pop-up option. In this new window I changed the title to "Population per county". In the Configure Attributes window I selected for the map developer to only display the {NAME} and {POPN} attributes on the pop-up window. I changed the alias of NAME to County and POPN to Population. I saved the pop-up and gave my web map an appropriate title, tags and summary. I save the web map and in the My Content window selected to share my web map with the UWEC Geography organization.
Results:
Figure 1 shows the population per county in Wisconsin in the map in the left and the map on the right shows percent of the total housing units that are vacant per county in Wisconsin. This map was created through the steps listed out in tasks 1 through 6 above. The data used in this figure is from the 2010 U.S. Census. The image on the left shows that the most populated counties are located in southeastern Wisconsin. This image also shows that the counties with the lowest populations are located in northern Wisconsin. The image on the right shows that the counties with the greatest percentage of total housing units that are vacant are located in northern Wisconsin. This image also shows that the counties with the lowest percentage of total housing that are vacant are located in southeastern Wisconsin. These graphs aid in determining that northern Wisconsin does not have lower population levels per county because of a lack of housing units, because the image on the right shows that there are numerous housing units vacant in northern Wisconsin. People are making a deliberate choice to not populate northern Wisconsin.
Figure 1
URL for ArcGIS web map: http://uwec.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=4496691c79354c6ab30aa60dbbd5cd8e
This web map was created in task 7 of this lab.
Sources:
ArcGIS.com News. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. <http://www.arcgis.com/home/>.
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