[acs-r] acs.R version 1.2: Now, with 2012 data

arilamstein@gmail.com arilamstein at gmail.com
Thu Feb 6 20:28:16 EST 2014 

Thank you Ed!


On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:25 PM, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky <znmeb at znmeb.net>wrote:

> Done - signed, Scoop.it and tweeted!
>
> On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:20 PM,  <arilamstein at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I just created a petition on whitehouse.gov asking the Obama
> administration
> > to make all census data from all years available via the Census Developer
> > API.  Please consider signing it and sharing it with other people who you
> > think might benefit from this: http://wh.gov/lnc3J
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Ezra Haber Glenn <eglenn at mit.edu> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> The acs.R package is limited to data available via the API, listed
> >> here: <http://www.census.gov/developers/data/>.  In short, right now
> >> it's only the 5-year survey ending in 2010, 2011, 2012.
> >>
> >> In addition, the package can only deal with the "Summary File"
> >> variables -- not the "Data Profiles," which are really in a different
> >> format -- more like short reports than summary tables.
> >>
> >> In the future, I expect that the census will add the 1- and 3-year
> >> summary files to the API, at which point the package will be able
> >> fetch those as well.
> >>
> >> --Ezra
> >>
> >> At Sat, 1 Feb 2014 22:33:42 -0800, M Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
> >> >
> >> > My initial goal for pdxcensusdata was to provide a 'decoder ring' for
> >> > Census data for local journalists. The initial test case was going to
> >> > be languages spoken at home, since the transportation planners here
> >> > need that for signage and the mobile apps. And I'm personally
> >> > interested in the Gini coefficient measures of inequality.
> >> >
> >> > I'm pretty sure the acs.R package only accesses 2010, 2011 and 2012 as
> >> > "end years", with a length parameter of 1, 3 or 5 years.
> >> >
> >> > On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 10:25 PM,  <arilamstein at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > > Ed,
> >> > >
> >> > > The pdxcensusdata project looks very interesting, but I still have
> the
> >> > > same
> >> > > question - which years are accessible with the current version of
> >> > > acs.R?
> >> > >
> >> > > You are (mostly) correct about the limitations of the current
> version
> >> > > of
> >> > > choroplethr.  But in addition to state and county level data, it
> also
> >> > > renders ZCTA (Zip Code Tabulated Area) level data.  Although I had
> >> > > trouble
> >> > > working with the ZCTA shapefile that the census releases, so I just
> >> > > render
> >> > > each ZIP as a colored dot, centered at the longitude and latitude of
> >> > > the
> >> > > ZIP.  At that point its no longer a proper choropleth (because it
> >> > > lacks a
> >> > > border), but I still thought it was worth including in the project.
> >> > >
> >> > > I spoke with Ramnath briefly as well about using rCharts for
> rendering
> >> > > choropleths, but I haven't had a chance to follow up with him yet.
> >> > > Please
> >> > > send along any interesting results you get.  I think that
> choropleths
> >> > > are
> >> > > going to benefit a lot from the recent advances in interactive
> >> > > graphics.
> >> > >
> >> > > Ari
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 7:24 PM, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky
> >> > > <znmeb at znmeb.net>
> >> > > wrote:
> >> > >>
> >> > >> I have a script that will extract table code names and their
> >> > >> definitions into CSV files so one can browse, rather than doing a
> >> > >> lookup via acs.r lookup functions. See
> >> > >> https://github.com/znmeb/pdxcensusdata/tree/master/csv. However,
> this
> >> > >> only covers 2012, 2011 and 2010, not earlier data. I suspect if
> there
> >> > >> are XML files on the Census Bureau site equivalent to the ones in
> >> > >> acs.r I could hack up the scripts to use them without much trouble
> if
> >> > >> you have a use for this.
> >> > >>
> >> > >> As far as I can tell, choropleth.R only goes down to the county
> >> > >> level,
> >> > >> not census tract, block group or block. I'm also talking to Ramnath
> >> > >> Vaidyanathan of rCharts (http://ramnathv.github.io/rCharts/) about
> >> > >> making Census choropleth maps using Leaflet.js, which will rended
> >> > >> automagically on Github Pages. I'm going to try to hack something
> up
> >> > >> for that this week in the above-linked project.
> >> > >>
> >> > >> On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 7:13 PM,  <arilamstein at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > >> > Hi Ezra,
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > Thanks for including this update.  I'm having a tough time
> figuring
> >> > >> > out
> >> > >> > what
> >> > >> > data is available via acs.R.  From what you've said before, I
> >> > >> > gather
> >> > >> > that
> >> > >> > it's "whatever is available via the Census API".  But that is
> also
> >> > >> > not
> >> > >> > clear
> >> > >> > to me.  For example, I found this page on the census website,
> which
> >> > >> > I
> >> > >> > think
> >> > >> > lists all ACS ever conducted:
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/help/jsf/pages/metadata.xhtml?lang=en&type=survey&id=survey.en.ACS_ACS
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > But when I tried to get the 2005 or 2007 ACS I get an error
> message
> >> > >> > and
> >> > >> > lots
> >> > >> > of warnings.  Do you have any documentation of what data your
> >> > >> > package
> >> > >> > supports retrieving?
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > I am interested in making animated gifs where each frame is a
> >> > >> > choropleth
> >> > >> > of
> >> > >> > some demographic measurement at a particular year.  Right now
> >> > >> > that's
> >> > >> > difficult because I'm just going hit or miss thru the list, and
> it
> >> > >> > seems
> >> > >> > to
> >> > >> > be a lot of misses.
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > Also, in version 1.0 of choroplethr I am just using the 2011
> >> > >> > (default)
> >> > >> > ACS.
> >> > >> > In subsequent versions I would like users to use whatever (year,
> >> > >> > span)
> >> > >> > combinations acs.R supports.  I would also like to distribute a
> >> > >> > list of
> >> > >> > available data with my code, but right now I don't have one.
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > Thanks.
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > Ari
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 5:30 PM, Ezra Haber Glenn <
> eglenn at mit.edu>
> >> > >> > wrote:
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> Dear acs.R folks:
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> As some of you have noticed, the new five-year Census ACS data
> has
> >> > >> >> just come out (see <http://www.census.gov/developers/data/>),
> and
> >> > >> >> is
> >> > >> >> now available via the Census API. To make sure you are able to
> >> > >> >> fetch
> >> > >> >> the freshest possible data to play with in R, I've updated the
> >> > >> >> acs.R
> >> > >> >> package to version 1.2, which now includes full support for the
> >> > >> >> 2008-2012 ACS data.
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> The latest version is now available on the CRAN repository --
> see
> >> > >> >> <http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/acs/index.html>. If
> you've
> >> > >> >> already installed the package in the past, you can easily update
> >> > >> >> with
> >> > >> >> the update.packages() command; if you've never installed it, you
> >> > >> >> can
> >> > >> >> just as easily install it for the first time, by simply typing
> >> > >> >> install.packages("acs"). In either case, be sure to load the
> >> > >> >> library
> >> > >> >> after installing by typing library(acs), and install (or
> >> > >> >> re-install)
> >> > >> >> an API key with api.key.install() -- see the documentation and
> the
> >> > >> >> latest version of the acs user guide for more info.
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> To get the latest data, just continue to use the acs.fetch()
> >> > >> >> function
> >> > >> >> as usual, but specify endyear=2012. (By default, endyear is set
> to
> >> > >> >> 2011 if no year is explicitly passed to acs.fetch, and I didn't
> >> > >> >> want
> >> > >> >> to change this for fear of breaking existing user scripts. In
> the
> >> > >> >> future, we might to rethink this, so that it selects the most
> >> > >> >> recent
> >> > >> >> endyear by default. Thoughts?)
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> (Note: It might take a day or two for the updates to percolate
> >> > >> >> through
> >> > >> >> the CRAN system.  If you update and you're not sure which
> version
> >> > >> >> you
> >> > >> >> are using, you can always type packageVersion("acs") to find
> out.)
> >> > >> >> --
> >> > >> >> Ezra Haber Glenn, AICP
> >> > >> >> Department of Urban Studies and Planning
> >> > >> >> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> >> > >> >> 77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-337
> >> > >> >> Cambridge, MA 02139
> >> > >> >> eglenn at mit.edu
> >> > >> >> http://dusp.mit.edu/faculty/ezra-glenn |
> >> > >> >> http://eglenn.scripts.mit.edu/citystate/
> >> > >> >> 617.253.2024 (w)
> >> > >> >> 617.721.7131 (c)
> >> > >> >>
> >> > >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> > >> >> acs-r mailing list
> >> > >> >> acs-r at mit.edu
> >> > >> >> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/acs-r
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> >
> >> > >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > >> > acs-r mailing list
> >> > >> > acs-r at mit.edu
> >> > >> > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/acs-r
> >> > >> >
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >>
> >> > >> --
> >> > >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism on a
> >> > >> Stick
> >> > >> http://j.mp/CompJournoStickOverview
> >> > >>
> >> > >> My poltergeist can beat up your zeitgeist.
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism on a
> Stick
> >> > http://j.mp/CompJournoStickOverview
> >> >
> >> > My poltergeist can beat up your zeitgeist.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Ezra Haber Glenn, AICP
> >> Department of Urban Studies and Planning
> >> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> >> 77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-337
> >> Cambridge, MA 02139
> >> eglenn at mit.edu
> >> http://dusp.mit.edu/faculty/ezra-glenn |
> >> http://eglenn.scripts.mit.edu/citystate/
> >> 617.253.2024 (w)
> >> 617.721.7131 (c)
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism on a Stick
> http://j.mp/CompJournoStickOverview
>
> My poltergeist can beat up your zeitgeist.
>
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