Cohousing-L Mailing List: GEOSTATS USA - January 2000

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GeoStats USA (tm)
Issue   #1
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

- Editor's Message
- About GeoStats USA
- GeoLytics
- Census 2000
- Product Highlights
- Product Spotlight
- Events Calendar

Pdf version: http://www.censuscd.com/newsletter.htm

INAUGURAL ISSUE: MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to this inaugural issue of GeoStats USA.
Our goal is to provide you with the tools and information
that you will need for the new millennium. We are moving quickly
to a data rich but information challenged society.
We at GeoStats USA are committed to not only enhancing your access
to data but to provide context and relevance.
We will focus on tools and information to better integrate and
visualize government and private data sources to meet your business,
educational, and/or community service needs.  We welcome and encourage
your feedback so that we may better serve your needs.

As we all know from the growing linkages between the demographic
and geographic information systems (GIS) industry, data used together
is more powerful.  One major source of demographic, economic,
social, and even geographic data is the U.S. Census Bureau.
Census 2000, the USA's first millennial census, is upon us;
it will provide an incredible wealth of current nationwide data
for users like you-in business, government, libraries, academia,
and non-profit organizations.  Using this data and integrating
it in a timely, cost-effective, and easily accessible form
with other public and private sources as well as those
in your own organization has not always been easy.  Most users
would benefit from an easy all-in-one solution to their data needs
that include the ability to query heterogeneous data as well as
visualize and generate reports, maps, graphs, and charts.

About GeoStats USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We would like to use this newsletter as a forum to provide information
and tools to better access government and private
GEOgraphic and STATistical data. It is published bimonthly
by staff at GeoLytics, Inc. Please help us by sharing
what topics you would like to read about, what additional data
sets you are interested in, and how you are using our products
and services. We invite your questions, suggestions, and comments.
The current and future issues will be available on the GeoLytics web site
at http://www.censuscd.com/newsletter.htm

GEOLYTICS PAVES THE WAY FOR EASY ACCESS TO DATA AND MAPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GeoLytics, Inc. is a well-established premier integrator
of government data, particularly census data.  Through its growing
number of products and services, GeoLytics aims to help users
by linking a warehouse of data with new information technologies.

Census data, a cornerstone of GeoLytic's core expertise,
is used extensively by the business, governmental, and academic
communities. According to the General Accounting Office, at least
$182 billion will be distributed annually or 1.8 trillion dollars
over the next ten years by Federal funding grant programs to state,
local, and tribal governments based on formulas using Census 2000 data.
This money pales next to the use of census and other government data
by the private industry.  Census data also is a critical component
for planning, decision making, and research for corporate, small
business, government, academic and individual uses.

GeoLytic Products
- CensusCD+Maps
- StreetCD 98
- CensusCD Blocks
- CensusCD 1980

http://www.censuscd.com/products.htm

GeoLytic Services
- Geocoding
- Data Compression
- Custom Data Sets
- Custom Projects

http://www.censuscd.com/services.htm

CENSUS 2000 NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEO Update

The Census Bureau will disseminate its Census 2000 TIGER/Line
files in early 2001. While updated geographic files have been
available throughout the decade, the 2000 files are critical
because they will contain the final legal and statistical
tabulation geography and identifiers that will be used to
tabulate and disseminate all the population and housing data
for the 2000 Census.  These files will serve as the geographic
foundation for most public and private sector statistics for
the remainder of the decade. Since all the city-style (house
number/street name) addresses of the United States are
incorporated as ranges into these files, they also will provide
the standard for geocoding applications that will link local
and community-based health, planning, transportation, and other
databases to provide visualization and data analysis capabilities.
These files will contain a wealth of data on all the streets, rivers,
railroads, legal and statistical boundaries, ZIP Codes, school
districts, transportation zones, and hundreds of other attributes.

STATS Update

The first Census 2000 statistics, state population counts, will be
delivered to the President no later than December 31, 2000 for the
purpose of reapportioning the seats in the House of Representatives.
The next release of legally mandated data will be redistricting data.
Under the Voting Rights Act, the Census Bureau is required to provide
the States with race and ethnic data for small geographic areas
to be used for redistricting process specified in Public Law 94-171
by April 1, 2001. This data will include sixty-three categories of race
in combination with Hispanic/Latino categories tabulated for both total
population and people 18 years of age and older.

All other data will be released on a flow basis from June 2001
through September 2003. Information from the 100 percent short
form questionnaire will be available down to the census block
level while all sample long form data (approximately 1 in 6 households)
will be available down to the census block group level.  Census 2000 data
will be disseminated mainly using a new data retrieval system called
the American Fact Finder (AFF).  The AFF also will eventually provide
data from the Economic Censuses and the new Amercan Community Survey.

Future issues of GeoStats USA will focus on different aspects of
Census 2000, the Economic Censuses, the American Community Survey,
and other areas of interest to the data user community.

--------------------------------------------------
According to the GAO, at least 182 billion dollars
will be distributed annually over next ten years
based on formulas using Census 2000 data
--------------------------------------------------

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT:  CENSUS CD+MAPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CensusCD + Maps is a virtual interactive encyclopedia of census data
and maps. Utilizing innovative data compression technology and
a friendly out-of-the-box user interface, CensusCD offers 50 gigabytes
of the complete set of 1990 census data, as well as estimates, projections,
consumer expenditure, historical (from 1790), and other useful data.
All statistical data is fully supported with mapping/GIS and report
generators. This amazingly productive and easy-to-use tool simplifies
research and business needs, and because of its simplicity, meets many
classroom and library needs.  All demographic and statistical data can
be analyzed using tabular or geographic views. Data exploration and mining
capabilities are available with all levels of census geography, including
ZIP Code, metropolitan statistical areas, Congressional Districts, and more.
Other useful tools include report generation, integrated thematic mapping,
export of data to ASCII or dbf, radius tools, address geocoding, direct
export of legal and statistical boundaries and thematic views to
ArcView and Mapinfo GIS, and a host of other useful utilities.

http://www.censuscd.com/cdmaps/censuscd_maps.htm

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"CensusCD+Maps puts a wealth of demographic data at your fingertips"
Business Geographics, June 1998
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PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT:  CENSUSCD BLOCKS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7 million points of GeoLyte!

CensusCD Blocks is the first product to contain complete
demographic and housing data and map boundaries from
the US Census Bureau for all 7 million+ census blocks nationwide
on a single CD. Census blocks provide a significantly higher level
of resolution than block groups for basic demographic and housing
data. This CD containing all the STF1B and PL94-171, all geographic
boundaries and relationships, as well as ZIP Code to census block
relationships and a full range of value added tools such as population
and their characteristics by distance around a point, customized data
and map displays and extracts based on user defined variables or
geographic identifiers.

CensusCD Blocks is a solution for business, government, and academic
users who need instant access to small area statistics and geography
below the block group and ZIP Code level. Expert GIS users also can
instantaneously export  to ArcView and MapInfo formats.

http://www.censuscd.com/cdblocks/cdblocks.htm

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT:  CENSUSCD 1980
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get a headstart for 2000 with CensusCD 1980.

This is the first product that enables data users the opportunity
to visually display, map, and query the complete 1980 census down
to the census tract level-all on one CD. This product can be used
for time series analysis, GIS mapping, and comparability with 1990
and, soon, 2000 census data.

Until now, it has been difficult to access and integrate the "pre-CD"
and "pre-TIGER" 1980 census data and boundaries, particularly on
a nationwide basis.  CensusCD 1980 contains all the 100 percent
and sample data, a nationwide set of geographic boundaries down
to the census tract level, and easy-to-use software for creating reports
and displaying data in colorful thematic maps.  For sophisticated GIS
users, this product quickly exports boundaries and data to the popular
ArcView and MapInfo formats.

http://www.censuscd.com/censuscd1980/censuscd1980.htm

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"CensusCD 1980 and CensusCD Blocks are highly recommended for public
and academic libraries, particularly those with GIS capabilities
and/or hosting time-series-based inquiry"
The Library Journal, June 1999
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT:  STREETCD 1998
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

StreetCD 1998, a new integrated data product by GeoLytics, is
also one of the most powerful  data display and conversion tools
on the market today. StreetCD significantly reduces the cost and
difficulty of acquiring and converting  all the Census geographic
data for the nation, including streets, boundaries, landmarks.
Instantaneous data retrieval, map display, and conversion to Arcview
Shape and Mapinfo MID/MIF GIS formats differentiates this product
from all others on the market.

StreetCD is incredibly easy to use (pick the layer, pick the geography,
run and/or export your selection, and view the data ... that's it!
Developed for a novice user but robust enough for the advanced user.
StreetCD has incredible functionality (views and outputs data and maps
into documents or databases, and provides instantaneous data retrieval.
No need to hook up to the internet, long download waits, inability to
integrate data with other software and programs, or worry when the
connection goes down.

StreetCD 98 includes:

- Comprehensive coverage of the US and outlying   areas.
- All Interstates, highways, major roads, local streets;
- All boundaries, blocks, school districts, voting districts, and more;
- All Railroads, Amtrak stations, rail transfer facilities, and more;
- All Hydrology, rivers, waterways, lakes, and more;
- All landmarks, Airports, schools, hospitals, parks, and more;
- The complete TIGER 98 exportable in both Arcview and MapInfo formats;
- Two million new street segments for accurate geocoding;
- Detailed shorelines

http://www.censuscd.com/streetcd/streetcd.htm


Events Calendar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- April 15-19 2000 American Planning Association
National Planning Conference,   New York, NY
http://www.planning.org/conferen/2000index.htm

- April 30-May 3 MapWorld 2000, San Antonio, TX
http://www.mapinfo.com/events/conferences/mapworld_00/

- June 26-30 ESRI User Conference 2000, S. Diego, CA
http://www.esri.com/events/uc

- August 13-17 2000 Joint Statistical Meetings
of the American Statistical Association,
Indianapolis,IN http://www.amstat.org

- August 19-23 Urban and Regional Information Systems
Association (URISA)2000
Annual Conference http://www.urisa.org

- March 17-19 International Health Geographics Conference 2000,
Washington DC. ESRI, Johns Hopkins University, CDC and others.
http://www.jhsph.edu/ihgc

GeoLytics,Inc
PO Box 10 East Brunswick, NJ 08816
1-800-577-6717
Voice: 1-732-651-2000
Fax: 1-732-651-2721
http://www.censuscd.com
mailto:info [at] censuscd.com

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