| Quick Guides - My Geographies | |
DataPlace lets you assemble your own geographies by using the My Geography tool. This tool lets you
aggregate multiple disparate location types - States, Metros, Cities, Counties, Zips, and/or Tracts -
so that you can aggregate across statistics on DataPlace for a set of locations you choose. Note: every
location and indicator has its own particular sets and time periods which may not let you roll up
aggregate statistics for every My Geography you can build. See the
Data Set Summary page for what
data exists for which places.
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| Creating Your Own Geography | |
To start building your own geography, you need to be a registered user on DataPlace. Once you've registered
for an account, you can then go into the "My DataPlace" page by clicking on the link in the upper right hand
corner of any DataPlace page.
At the bottom of this page, you'll see the My Geographies section. In order to create your own aggregate
geography from DataPlace's many location types, click on "Create My Geography." Enter a Name and Description
for your new Geography. At a later time, you'll be able to share your geographies with others, but for now,
the only option is to create your own private Geographies.
Click "Save" to store your new geography.
Now, you're ready to start adding locations to define your new geography. Notice that at any time, you can remove
this Geography by clicking on 'X' to the left of the named Geography. Clicking on the Add/Remove Locations link
takes you the map page where you can edit locations that make up your geography.
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| Adding/Removing Locations to your geography | |
There are several methods for adding and removing locations to your geography:
- Adding / Removing Locations using the map: there are a couple methods you can use to add and remove locations from the map. Browse to a desired location (using the main search box at the top or by dragging and zooming the map) and use the "Add/Remove Locations" selection tool to add or remove places displayed on the map.
Use the "Location type" buttons to help you select the desired type of place, ranging from States to Tracts.
To select groups of places quickly, you can use the Polygon Selection tools. Again, browse to your desired location on the map that displays the places you want to add. Use the "Select Polygon" button to draw a polygon shape directly on the map: all places that are within and that touch the line will be added to your geography. Follow the same method for removing locations using the "Un-select Polygon" button.
- Adding Locations Using Search: you can quickly add a list of places, separating them with semi-colons. You'll notice that this search box uses the same auto-suggest feature from the main search box of DataPlace. The auto-suggest will continue to work as you enter more than one location after each semi-colon.
- Adding Locations by Browsing: you use the location browser by clicking on "Browse Places." Browse to your desired location and click the button within the browse menu to add locations to your geography.
- Adding Locations using pulldown: quickly add recent and saved places using the "Recent Places" pulldown.
- Removing locations in your list: quickly remove locations in your geography by clicking 'X' to the left of the location you want to remove.
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After you have added your list of places to your new geography, simply click "Done" to return to My DataPlace. You'll notice a list of options next to your geography name. You can click on these to view an area overview, maps or Data & Charts. The data on these pages will be specific to your new geography, helping you to learn more about the collection of places you created. In the future DataPlace will offer tools to let you share your geography and findings with colleagues and friends.
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 Available Help Pages
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