Secondary Data Census and TIGER
Why Secondary Data? Context (geographic, temporal, social) for primary data. Secondary data may provide validation for primary data Secondary data may act as a substitute for primary data.
Types of Secondary Data How to find it Official Unofficial
Unofficial Secondary Data Sources Private research results Research reports, research papers, textbooks Opinion polls Market research On-line databases Anecdotal/hearsay
Official Secondary Data Sources Agriculture Business/Industry Crime Education Finance Energy Environment Health Transport Weather
Agriculture USDA FAO Farm Bureau Federation Babcock
Business / Industry STAT-USA/Internet (US Dep. of Commerce, not free) Consumer Expenditure Surveys (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Internal Revenue Service
Crime Bureau of Justice Statistics FBI Crime & Justice Electronic Data Abstracts
Education National Center for Education Statistics School District Data Book (ORST) National Science Foundation UNESCO
Environment EPA Envirofacts EPA EnviroMapper Facility Information Hazardous Waste Data Superfund Toxics Releases Inventory Water Discharge Permits ScoreCard Right To Know
Health National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) Social Security Administration
Geophysical NOAA USGS US Forest Service Soil Conservation Service Dep. of Natural Resources (DNR) Dep. of Conservation
Transportation Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics State Highway Departments (CA, TX) Regional Transport Authorities
Census Structure Timing Population Organization Analysis Presentation Geographical Hierarchy Variables
Census Geographical Hierarchy Region Division State County County subdivision Place (or part) Census tract (or part) Block group (or part) 9 mio. Census blocks
Census Household Variables Number of persons Age and gender Race Language Income and poverty Education Employment Citizenship Vehicles for commute Disability Homeownership status Vacancy Rent and value of housing Age and type of structure Plumbing and Kitchen Heating
Examples of Census Variables Accommodations Agriculture Alaska Natives Arts, Entertainments Asians Assets Assistance Capital Expenditures Child Care/Support Commodity Flows Communications Consumer Income County Business Patterns County/City Government
TIGER Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system Based on USGS topographic maps but majorly augmented Contains no elevation data No copyright No street names
American Community Survey Annual Long Representative – not comprehensive Master Address File for sample selection Wisconsin a forerunner
Pro’s and Con’s of Secondary Data Advantages Cheap Timeliness Access to people/organizations that we wouldn’t have access to otherwise Less post-processing Disadvantages Collection method unknown Lack of control
Data Vendors Remote Sensing Value adding to public data Utilities Market Research GIS Vendors University Extensions World Bank
Before YOU Purchase Data Accuracy Compatibility Lineage and metadata Who owns the copyright?