Lab 7 - Census Data

     The first map produced in this exercise shows the population distribution for Blacks in the United States. As with the additional two maps that were generated for this lab the data is represented as a percentage of the population by county. As you can see in this map the largest concentrations of Blacks in the United States can be found in the South and Southeast.

     The second map created in this series maps the population distribution of Asians in the United States. The Asian population in the United States appears to be more dispersed than the Black population, but little centers of aggregation do occur on the West Coast. The two areas that appear to have the highest Asian populations are the San Francisco Bay area and Houston, Texas. The West Coast makes a lot of sense considering it is the closest part of the United States to Asia. Houston however may not. Having previously resided in Houston I would guess that this has to do with the large Vietnamese population that rivals Westminster and Garden Grove in Orange County, California.

     The final map generated in this series was compiled using data termed “Other” by the Census Bureau. The distribution of “Others” appears to be centered in the Southwest and Western United States. After looking through the various available tables offered by the Census Bureau, I am under the impression that this dataset represents the Hispanic population within the United States.

     These three maps show interesting patterns in terms of place or residence for the different culture groups and races. I would be curious to compare the Black Population map with maps showing population growth and decline for each county to see if some of these areas are experiencing an exodus of the non Black population. In any case, I think the most likely explanation for why these patterns are what they are can be found in the fact that each group finds itself best represented within the population in areas where they tend to arrive in the United States. 

            

     While the census data represented in these maps are definitely interesting, the aspect of this exercise that I appreciated the most was seeing the versatility of the database management tools ArcGIS comes with. Having had some experience with database management software before I found these tools to be amongst the easiest I have ever used for creating joins and relations. Being able to simply drag over tables in excel or csv format and have them relate so effortlessly really is a breath or fresh air.

            

     My overall impressions of ArcGIS are that it is an incredibly powerful tool with nearly unlimited potential. The ability to create these maps using freely available data distributed through the internet has managed to get me interested in making maps that aren’t specific to a class project or my own research. GIS in general and the ability to perform spatial analysis so easily will definitely be on my mind as I move forward with my academic career and consider future research projects.