GIS and the Census Bureau
In 2000, the Census Bureau conducted their decennial survey of racial demographics in the US. In the census, Americans were given the opportunity to identify themselves with one of these racial groups: White, Black/African American, American Indian or Alaska Native (aka Native American), Asian/Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, Two or More Races. Below are three reference maps showing the 2000 Census populations ranked by percent of Black, Asian, and Some Other populations.
In the context of the Census Survey, Blacks or African-Americans are described as possessing origins in any of the black racial groups of Sub-Saharan Africa. Figure 1 illuminates the percentage of Black populations across the continental US. It is clear that this particular race is most prevalent in the South and in the southern regions of California. About 13.5% of Americans are Black and most are descendants of slaves during the time between 1619 and 1860s. Their history may explain the high percentages of Blacks in the southeastern region of the US because that was the primary location of slaves during the Slavery Era of the US.
In contrast, the reason why such a high percentage of Asian-Americans are found in the western regions of the US is because of the period between 1910 to 1940 (see Figure 2). During this time approximately 1 million Asian-Americans immigrated to the US through Angel Island and subsequently through San Francisco. According to the census, Asians or Asian-Americans include origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Continent. Frequent specifications of these three regions involve Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Indian Americans, Filipino Americans, Vietnamese Americans, and Japanese Americans. The Asian demographic makes up 4.4% of the US populations, equivalent to 13.1 million Americans. 4.5 million of them live in California and 512,000 Asians live in Hawaii.
Figure 3 shows the percent of the Some Other Race demographic; a non-standard category recently added to the 2000 Census Survey involving he majority of members who are typically reclassified as white in official documents. This particular category was created with the intent of capturing the two multiracial groups to which many Hispanics and Latinos belong: Meztizo and Mulatto. In the 2006 ACS survey, 6.4% of the US population belongs to this specific category (or not so specific), 97% of which were Hispanic or Latino.
Through my completion of this lab I was able to understand the value of Census data. With the information provided by the Census Bureau and my subsequent mapping of such information, one can decide where to build houses and include public facilities or one can examine the demographic characteristics of communities, states or the entire US. These analyses can help predict future demands in products, expansion locations for businesses, or nursing homes and hospitals. The skills and knowledge I obtained from this class have opened numerous doors of opportunity that will satiate the various interests I hold towards my major. After acquiring a Bachelor’s in Geography/Environmental Studies I plan on completing a Master’s Program in the field of Urban Planning. The various aspects of Urban Planning provide a cornucopia of implications that involve imperative consideration, from issues of geomorphological relationships of regions along to issues of urbanization. GIS helps organize and identify these issues. I am grateful for the opportunity I am provided in acquiring active knowledge in GIS, because I will be able to properly implement its various functions in my future studies and ultimate career.
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