The maps depict Census 2000 data for three different data sets. The first map shows the percentage of Asians in counties in the continental United States. The colors represent a different range of percentages. The lightest blue shows a range of 0.008506 to 1 percentage. The majority of the United States falls within this range. The counties in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota fall almost entirely in the 0.008506 to 1 percent range. The next range, 1 to 5 percent of the population, has the second highest amount of counties within this range. The Northeast and Southeast of the United States has a mixed percentage of 1 to 5 percent of the population as Asian. The counties with the highest percentage of Asian are located along the east coast and the west coast. In the east coast, New Jersey, Road Island, and Connecticut have most if not all of the counties with at least one percent of the population Asian. California counties have the highest percentage of Asians living there. California has a population of at least one percent Asian for most counties. California is the only state on the map that has counties with 15 to 35 percent of the population Asian. The county with the highest percentage of Asians in the United States is San Francisco with approximately 31 percent. It is important to note that the intervals used on the graph are not equal. This is because there is not a big spread in the percentage of data, therefore it was necessary to break up the ranges based on the spread of the data.
The next map shows the percentage of Blacks in each county in the continental United States. The light green color shows a range of 0.010289 to 5 percent of the county Black. Almost all counties have at least 0.010289 percent of the population Black; the counties that have a percentage of Black less than 0.010289 percent are in white. In the West and Midwest, a large number of states have counties that are only in the 0.010289 to 5 percent range. States in the Northeast have some areas that have a percentage of Blacks between 5 and 15 percent. Also, California has some counties with Blacks making up a percentage of 5 to 15 percent. Counties in the Southeast have the highest percentage of the population as Black. The states Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, North Dakota, and South Dakota have counties with the highest percentage of Blacks in the counties. The darkest blue represents a percentage of Blacks in a county that ranges from 45 to 90 percent. The county with the highest percentage of Blacks out of the United States is Jefferson County in Mississippi.
The last map shows the percentage of counties with “Some Other” population. According to the Census website “Some Other” race refers to races that are not included in “Black or African American,” “White,” “Asian,” “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,” and “American Indian and Alaska Native.” Individuals that identify themselves as Hispanic/Latino, multiracial, interracial, or mixed are classified under this category. The “Some Other” map shows that at almost all of the counties have individuals that fall within this category. Along the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest the majority of the counties have 0.007950 to 1 percent of their population listed as “Some Other” race. In these areas some counties do have 1 to 5 percent of the population classified as “Some Other” race. The counties with the highest population percentage of residents classified as “Some Other” race are along the West and Southwest. In New Mexico and California there are quite a few counties that have between 20 and 40 percent of their population as “Some Other” race. The county with the highest percentage of “Some Other” race is Imperial County in California. The majority of the counties in the West and Southwest have at least 1 percent of their population as “Some Other” race, with many counties having a percentage of the population over 5 percent. Whereas the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest have a majority of the counties with a percentage of less than 1 percent of the population as “Some Other” race.
The Census data maps show a wide distribution of percentage of races within counties. Overall, it seems that there is a higher percentage of Asians living in California and some Northeast states. The highest percentage of Blacks live in the Southeast. “Some Other” race has the highest percentage in the West and Southwest. Census data is used to redraw the political districts. Data on race may also be considered in redrawing boundaries because certain races may tend to vote a certain way. For the data shown in the maps, it is important to note that the intervals of percentage of people in a county used for the maps is not the same. This is due to people of different races living in different areas or being concentrated in some areas and not others. For the Asian population and the “Some Other” population, some counties have very few individuals living there that are classified into these categories. Due to this reason the intervals had to be spaced differently in order for a range of data to be shown. For example, if the intervals were by 10 percent, the map would show very little variation. It is important to choose a range and scale of data that represents the intent of the map and shows a spread of data. Overall, Census data can be used for a number of different reasons and can be utilized by governments, companies, and organizations for a variety of different reasons.
My GIS experience has been good for the most part. I have learned more about GIS and was able to see how GIS is a part of our lives. Making maps can be really challenging, but rewarding at the same time. Maps are very powerful tools that help convey our message. It is important to display your information accurately in order for the reader to understand the meaning of the map. I have learned a lot about how user generated maps, such as Google MyMaps, and formal GIS software, such as ArcMap have both positive and negative aspects. It is interesting to see how maps are changing to become more user friendly, but yet at the same time are maintaining the accuracy of the data and their professional nature. I hope to learn more about GIS and how it can be applied to a number of different fields. GIS is not just limited to a map of the globe, be can show environmental issues, geographic information, and thematic content among others. I think that GIS is important to how we see data and interpret data and I hope to learn more about GIS and map making.
