Lab 7: Census 2000/2010

These population density maps were created using geographic data from the 2000 census. This first map represents the percentage of Asian-American citizens per county in the United States of America. Areas with a large percentage of Asians include northern and southern California as well as Washington. It is interesting to note that the Northeastern region and the West coast appear to be areas of dense Asian-American populations.

This second map depicts the percentage of African Americans dispersed throughout the continental United States as of the 2000 census. This map analyzes the concentration of the black population across the lower 48 states by county. Most of the black population is concentrated in the South, especially in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina. In addition, in other regions of America, the black population is concentrated around urban centers, such as Detroit, Michigan and Los Angeles, California. Consequently, fewer percentages of African Americans can be found in states in the midwest.  

The final map shows the percentage of other races alone according to the 2000 census. It is the population density map of the United States representing races other than Asian, Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic. In this map, we see that by far the largest percentage of "other" races live in the American Southwest. We can see that the percentages are much higher on the western areas of the United States, especially in southern states like Texas. This map is an interesting because a variety of “minority” races were used to create this distribution.

Conclusion

Once I was finished mapping the census data of these races, I was able to analyze the data and reach several conclusions. First, each race tends to cluster into certain regions of the country. For example, in the maps it showed that Asians settle along the Pacific coast, blacks reside in the Deep South, and the "other" races live throughout the Southwest. However, each race appears to settle within the urban centers of their chosen regions. A second observation I made was that each race is represented in almost every county. With few exceptions, every county across the U.S. has an Asian, black, and "other" race presence. Although these populations may be small in most counties, they still hold significance to the culture of American society. These three maps illustrate that America is a melting pot but also that different ethnicities incline to live with their own respected race.

Overall Impression of GIS

After taking this course my outlook on GIS and maps has changed significantly. Over the course of this quarter, I have come to realize the enormous potential of GIS. At first, I thought GIS involved taking measurements of altitude and recording them in a notebook, but this course showed me the vast capabilities of GIS and its increasing popularity as it is integrated into our everyday lives. GIS technology provides a unique geographical tool that assists the general public in their understanding of the world. GIS software can transform data into visual and dynamic models that can help to solve some of the world's greatest problems. GIS can manipulate census data to help predict political outcomes. GIS can manipulate forest fire data to aid in fire investigations and prevent future wildfires. From mapping out simple mashups on Google Maps to generating 3D renderings of a geographic space, my knowledge of GIS has changed the way I see maps.