[acs-r] acs version 2.1.3: test-drive it now

[Ezra Haber Glenn]

Dear acs-r community:

In order to address some pesky issues related to fetching 2016 ACS
data and strange census XML variable tables, we've update the package
with a quick patch.  As a special benefit to our loyal members of the
the acs.R mailing list (technically: as a way to recruit some
beta-testers), we are making available a special sneak-peak,
pre-release version for you to try out.

Pretty much everything should work the same --- no improvements, just
a patch to allow you to get 2016 data.

*** Downloading and installing

To install the updated version, simply fire up an R session and type:

> install.packages("http://web.mit.edu/eglenn/www/acs/acs_2.1.3.tar.gz", 
  clean=T, repos=NULL)
> acs.tables.install()

If you prefer to download it first, you can grab it from
<http://web.mit.edu/eglenn/www/acs/acs_2.1.3.tar.gz>.  After
downloading, you can install via the command line:


$ R CMD INSTALL acs_2.1.3.tar.gz --clean


or via an R session:


> install.packages(pkgs="acs_2.1.3.tar.gz", clean=T, repos=NULL)
> acs.tables.install()

Don't forget to reinstall or "api.key.migrate()" your api key if it
doesn't seem to have been migrated during install.  I also strongly
recommend you run "acs.tables.install()" as well -- you only need to
do this once per installation (or update), and it will really speed up
the package.



** Please note: this fix is more of a "workaround" than a true fix:
   starting with the 2016 release, the Census Bureau changed the
   format for the XML variable lookup tables and calls to acs.lookup
   (and acs.fetch) were failing; the quick solution was to simply use
   the 2015 lookup tables for these requests, which should be safe in
   most situations, since table numbers and variable codes generally
   do not change from year to year.  (In some situations this
   assumption is not true: see
   https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/table-and-geography-changes/2016/5-year.html
   for details.)

--
Ezra Haber Glenn, AICP
Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-346
Cambridge, MA 02139
eglenn at mit.edu 
http://dusp.mit.edu/faculty/ezra-glenn
617.253.2024 (w)
617.721.7131 (c)