The second map (below) shows the percentage of the total population that Asians make up for each county. This race is defined as people who have origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. So this includes people who noted their race or races as "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," or "Other Asian" on the census. This also includes people who wrote down that they were Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, or Thai. In the year 2000, there were 10,242,998 Asians and they accounted for 3.6 percent of the total population in the United States. There tends to be a higher concentration of this category on the west coast of the United States, especially in California.
The third map (below shows the percentage of the total population that Some Other Race makes up for each county. This category in the Census 2000 was created to represent people who were unable to identify with the five Office of Management and Budget race categories. So this included people who identified themselves as Moroccan, South African, Belizean, or were of Hispanic origin. People who were of Hispanic origin noted down things such as Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban. In the year 2000, this category comprised of 15,359,073 people and accounted for 5.5 percent of the total population in the United States. There is a higher concentration of this category along the southwest to the south central portion of the United States, which makes sense because this region is closest to Mexico and South America where people of Hispanic origin come from.
My Census map series show how Census 2000 data can be used with ArcGIS to show population characteristics in 2000. Using ArcGIS with this type of data makes it possible to perform a powerful analysis on population because the geographic extent of the census has grown as new states and territories have been added. ArcGIS can monitor and display the change in the population as it grows. Also the type of information that is collected from the people has also expanded to cover a wide variety of topics (such as income) making it possible to analyze and map different aspects of the population to understand its changing characteristics in this complex nation. It is necessary to understand the population and how it changes to obtain statistics to provide a basis for future planning. Census data can also be important in redrawing electoral boundaries so that the election of members of the House of Representatives is based fairly on population. Census 2000 is one of the largest collection of spatially referenced data in the United States and ArcGIS is a great tool that can help people interpret, map, and share the information derived from the census.
My overall impression of GIS is that it allows people to create and share information through maps. It allows people to present information in different ways by focusing on different aspects of a given subject, such as population within a county and the races that make up that population. People can perform a spatial analysis on an area and obtain important information quickly, such as surface slope (in degrees or percent). This is usually a factor that is taken into consideration where construction might take place. GIS also allows people to see how different things are associated and related to one another, such as slope angle and fire hazard. People can create maps to diagnose the condition and show the progression of disasters such as wildfires. This can help make important decisions regarding the best steps to take to resolve issues, such as the evacuation of people. GIS allows for the accurate measurement of long distances to be made by making it possible to project spatial data correctly. GIS can be used to create maps that help people plan things such as the construction of a new airport based on several different factors that need to be taken into account spatially. It can also be used to allow people to plan trips and share their experiences with other people who can also plan and take the same trip. Multimedia mash-ups like My Maps on google are a great resource for this. All in all, GIS democratizes the map-making world by making it possible for just about anyone to create their own map with their own point of view. However, there is the pitfall that people can use GIS and create biased or incorrect information. But most importantly, it allows people to carry out powerful analyses on spatial data which is necessary to learn more about people, the earth, and the complex interactions that occur among people and take place between people and the earth.
