Mapping US Census Data in AWhere Professional/Express
Data tables
These will be in the form of either MS Excel files (.xls) or MS Access databases (.mdb). These files will contain the data tables which hold the actual 2000 US Census data (the numbers). It is these data tables that you will connect to the census boundary map layers (see below) in AWhere. A given data table holds data for the entire extent of the U.S., therefore you can connect any of the data tables to either the "National Extent" map layers, or to any of the "Individual States" map layers.
While the US Census Bureau collects, compiles and provides data on a very large number of different demographic variables, we have selected out only some of the more general (commonly accessed) variables to be included in our data tables. If you are interested in mapping other census variables that are not included in our tables, know that you can go to the US Census "Fact Finder" website and generate your own customized data table containing any and all variables that you want, for any geographic area desired. You can then use the Data Connection tool in AWhere to connect that data table to any of the boundary layers that we provide below.
We currently have only county-level and state-level census data tables available for connecting to the boundary map layers. We will have Tract-level and Block Group-level data tables soon. Please check back for those.
Boundary layers
The Boundary Layer files that we provide are the "map piece" that is necessary for mapping census data. These are provided in the form of AWhere Map Exchange files (.amaps). When .amap files are imported into AWhere, their contents (i.e. map layers/shapefiles) are loaded into AWhere, and at that point you are able to display them in AWhere’s map window. The map layers in these .amaps contain the map features (polygons) that identify state boundaries, county boundaries, census tract boundaries, and block group boundaries. However, the features in these map layers are simply "empty" polygons and are of no real value until you populate them with data. That is where the data tables come in; you will establish a connection between a given map layer and a data table using AWhere’s Data Connection tool. Which of the map layers you connect the data to depends on which of the available data tables you have downloaded; i.e. you will connect the "tract" data table to a "tract" map layer…the "county" data table to a "county" map layer, etc.
Each map feature in each of the included layers (whether a state boundary polygon, county boundary polygon, census tract boundary polygon or block group boundary polygon) will have a "FIPS" code value that uniquely identifies that map feature. Correspondingly, each record (row) in a given data table will include a FIPS code value that will associate that unique table record with a particular map feature (polygon) in the map layer. This unique FIPS code ID is the field upon which you will base the linkage between the map layer and the data table when using the Data Connection tool.
Individual states
These .amaps provide the county, tract, and block group boundary map layers for only the extent of the state named. If you are interested in mapping census data from only one (or a part of one) U.S. state, you need only download the .amap file for that one state and import that .amap into AWhere.
National extent
These .amaps provide the state, county, tract, and block group boundary map layers and cover the entire extent of the United States. These map layers are not provided all together in one .amap file (like the State .amaps are) because the tract and block group map layers at the national extent are quite large files. Therefore, to bring all four of these map layers together into one AWhere database, download all four of these .amaps and import all four of them into one instance of AWhere, and then save that as a new AWhere database; for example, save it as "National Extent Census Boundary Layers.awh".
State Block Group Level Sample Maps
The various .amap files that are available under the ‘State Block Group Level Sample Maps’ download category are prepared packages of mapped, Block Group level census data. You will not need to perform any data connection (described under the “Data Tables” and “Boundary Layers” sections above) when working with these State Block Group .amap files, because that data connection work has already been done for you and is captured in these files. Simply download these .amap files, double-click on them to load them into a new instance of AWhere, and begin browsing the included Block-Level Census data for your selected state. Not all possible census data variables are included and mapped; only a sample selection of variables are included. Also, we do not currently have all states available, but will be adding to this list over time.
US Census Data Sets
Click here to download US Census Data Sets.