Lab 7

This map shows Black population density in the United States using US census data from 2000. In this map, the lighter the color, the less dense the area is with African-American population. As can be seen in the map, the most dense area is the southern US, especially in Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. There are other pockets with medium density around Los Angeles and New York. Overall the census data clearly shows where large areas of blacks live, mainly in the southern US and near the coast. From here, other population dynamics can be clearly calculated.

This map shows the percent of population of other races by county in the United States. What "other races" means is the percent of races without their own subcategory on the census survey form and are grouped into a larger category. This map charts the population of each county based on the percent of their population of other races. What can be seen by this map is that the larger populations of "other races"is in the western portion of the US. There is a little density in Florida, and that constitutes the largest density on the Eastern US. The large portions still reside in the western US despite the portion in Florida.

This final map shows the population density of Asians, in percent, per county in the continental US. In this map, the largest portion of Asians exist in California, with other large portions existing in the North East, nearby New York City. There is also a pocket of large Asian population in the Houston Area in Texas, however the largest density of Asians exist in California, as evidenced by the darker colors on the west coast.

Overall the census data map series is very informational and provides a readable and clear way of representing population data on a map. This works because the data covers a large area while still showing via colors how dense the population of that race was in that county, with the colors fading to white as the density went down. Overall the display of the census data via maps and raster data provides a clear and effective display of the information for further analysis and observation.

Going into this class, ArcGIS seemed very intimidating, and the interface seemed confusing and hard to grasp. However, with a lot of practice, I can see the vast potential this program has. With the proper knowledge and technical know-how after practicing with the program, spatial information can be effectively displayed in a clear and presentable manner using ArcGIS. While this program can be time consuming and confusing for the user at times, the potential for quick and readable data as well as complex data presented in a simpler manner can be seen. Data or information of location, distance, and other spatial attributes can easily be related to other non-spatial data such as population density, and then presented in a reader-friendly manner in order for a more profound insight into the subject to be attained.