Instructions:

Step 1: Read the article and take the reading quiz associated with this exercise. 

Part A:

Step 2: Click on the link to the right to open the DDViewer, an interactive mapping and statistics program.  Click on the Java edition 3.0.  If your browser or your version of Java is seriously outdated, then find a computer with software that is reasonably up-to-date or go to java.com and download the latest version of JAVA. 

Once you have two browser windows open, press and hold down the Alt button and press Tab to switch between open applications.  Try it.

Step 3: After you have launched the DDViewer (edition 3), a few minutes later, a mapping window will appear on your screen that resembles figure 2.1 below.  This mapping program is fairly intuitive so most of you will have few problems figuring it out, but you may want to click on the TUTORIAL link at the bottom of the DDViewer launch page to help you learn how to use the DDVIEWER.

Once the program launches, notice a large base map of the United States appears in the main window.  Function buttons are below the map window.  If the “Label” check box is checked, move your cursor over the map and notice how the names of states appear as your cursor moves over them.  You may also wish to experiment with the “Pan”, “Zoom in” and “Unzoom” functions. 

(Figure 2.1)

Step 4: Select a variable to map, so click on “Select Vars”.  A second dialog window will appear.

Step 5: Notice that the “Population” button on the top tool bar is selected as the default.  Click on “totpop total persons” from the list of variables presented in the middle dialog box.  You’ll notice that it will now appear in the “Select Mapping Variable:” dialog box on the right (see Figure 2.2)

(Figure 2.2)

Step 6: Return to the map window and click on “Submit Job” button.  Momentarily the server will return data to your application and a choropleth map will appear on screen depicting the total population of each state.  Return your cursor to the map and notice how the mapped variable, not the state name, now appears as you move your cursor over each state. 

Answer Question 1.

            Question 1: What is the population of Mississippi? (DON’T USE COMMAS or DECIMALS)

            Answer 1:

Step 7: Move your cursor to Florida.  Notice the population figure is in scientific notation, a means of expressing numbers that may bee too large to be displayed efficiently as regular integers.  Florida’s population is expressed as 1.293792E7.  This means that Florida has 1.293792 * 10 to the 7th persons or approximately 12,937,920 people.  ANSWER QUESTIONS 2-5.

            Question 2: What is the MOST populous state?

            Answer 2:

            Question 3: Translate the scientific notation and report in standard numeric fashion the population of the state in question #2 ?

            Answer 3:

            Question 4: What is the least populous state?

            Answer 4:

            Question 5: What is the population of the least populous state?

            Answer 5:

Step 8: In the mapping window (figure 2.1), click on the “Customize Map” button.  The Customize Output dialog box will appear.  In this window, you can rearrange the colors and the manner in which the data are categorized and mapped.  Some variables use quantitative colors (red-dark orange-light orange-yellow) because the data is continuous.  Population is best mapped with a quantitative color schema (red-orange-yellow).  Other variables, such as “Voted for Bush”, “Voted for Kerry”, “Voted for Nader” are better served by using a qualitative color scheme (red-blue-green) because the data is nominal (name data).  This would indicate a qualitative difference in the data.  We will use a quantitative color schema in this exercise.

Step 9: Examine the Customize Output dialog box.  This dialog box allows you to map the data using several different methods.  The default data classification method is set to quantiles (sometimes called “equal number”, which means that each color on the map will include roughly the same number of observations.  For example, if there were 100 states in the United States and a variable was mapped into four ranges, roughly 25 states would be included in each group and they would show up on the map as different shades of the same color group.  The other data classification method available on the DDViewer is “equal interval”.  If you select equal intervals, the computer divides the data up not by the number of observations (e.g. 50 states states), but instead takes the range (highest value minus lowest value) and divides the range by the number of categories selected. 

Step 10: Customize the map.  Leave the data classification button on "Quantile" and chose “5 equal groups” from the Data Ranging Method selection box (see figure 2.3 below).  Inspect the map and count the number of states that are in the darkest red (or most populous) category.  If you can't tell the darkest orange from the red, you may change the red in the category 5 to green to better see the difference (click in the red box to the right of the number 5 in the customize output window below). 

ANSWER QUESTION 6.

(Figure 2.3)

Question 6: When you make a map of population using the "quantile" (equal number) classification strategy, and divide the states in to 5 equal groups, how many states are in the highest category? 

            Answer 6:

Step 11: Change the way your data is displayed.  Sometimes mapping data by quantiles hides as much as it reveals.  Large variances in the data that may be important can be hidden.  The USA Today newspaper has been frequently criticized for misleading readers in this fashion.  To change the data classification stragegy, activate the Customize Output window and click on the radio button next to “Eq. intervals” and click on “5 equal intervals” ranges.  Inspect your map. 

ANSWER QUESTIONS 7 AND 8.

Question 7: In the map of the states' populations made with the 5 equal intervals, how many states appear in the most populous range ?

            Answer 7: (use a numeral)

Question 8:  If you were trying to demonstrate to your friend from Texas how much bigger California’s population is, which data classification strategy would suit your needs most?  (CHOOSE A or B)  A = Quantiles or equal number OR  B = Equal Intervals or (equal range)

            Answer 8:

Step 12: Return to your map window and click on select variable again.  This will activate the Variables dialog box.  Click on the button labeled “Clear All Selections”.  In the Variable Names dialog window, scroll down until you see the variable “black”.  Click on it.  Scroll down further until you see “pctblack” and click on it.  Your dialog window should look like figure 2.4 below. 

Figure 2.4

Step 13: Click on submit job and inspect the map.  ANSWER QUESTIONS 9 and 10.

Question 9: Which state has the greatest number of black persons?

            Answer 9:

Question 10:  Which state (state!) has the highest percentage of black persons?

            Answer 10:

Question 11:What do the states with over 20% of black have in common that may answer why they have such a high percentage of black residents?

            Answer 11:  A one or two word answer is OK.

Part B: Ghetto Typology

Now that you have a basic familiarity with the DDViewer program, you can turn your attention to the pattern of black residence in three metropolitan counties: Wayne County, Michigan (Detroit), Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (Charlotte) and Harris County, Texas (Houston).  Each county contains a ghetto that is representative of the type of black ghetto you are likely to find in other cities in the respective regions: the Industrial Midwest, the Deep South and the New West. 

Step 14: Make a new Map.  Click on the “Sel New Region” button in the mapping window.  This action will clear the map and allow you to select a single state that you can then map at a more local scale. 

Step 15: Select Wayne County.  Click on the state of Michigan.  Place your cursor on Michigan and click once.  This activates or highlights (changes from green to orange-ish) the selected state.  Make sure you have only selected Michigan.  If more than one state is selected, click any active states to un-highlight them.  You may also click the “Clear Map”  button to unselect all states. 

·          The name of the state may change as you move your cursor off the map, but as long as the outline of the selected state remains highlighted, the application will only produce data from that state.

Step 16: Click on “Get Counties” button on the bottom toolbar.  The map will change and you will see a map of the counties in Michigan (see figure 2.5 below)   Move your cursor over the southeastern counties of Michigan and look for “Wayne” to appear.  This is the county that contains much of metropolitan Detroit.  Click on Wayne County once, to activate it.

Figure 2.5

Step 17: Map the census tract in Wayne County.  Once you've selected Wayne County, click the “Get Tracts” button on the bottom toolbar.  This will change the map displayed and you will see now the census tracts in Wayne County (see figure 2.6 below).  Census tracts are the rough equivalents of big neighborhoods.  They are the second smallest scale the Census bureau recognizes.  The Bureau also has a designation known as “block groups” which are even smaller.

Figure 2.6

Step 18: Select Mapping Variables.  Click on the “Select Vars” (variables) button.  This will open a new “Select Variables” dialog box, from which you will chose the variables you are going to map (see figure 2.4 below). 

Step 19: Select percent white and percent black.  You should notice that the “Population” button on the top toolbar is activated by default, which means that the default variables in the Select Variable dialog window are demographic variables.  Place your cursor on the scroll bar to the right of the variable names and scroll down through the variables until you see “pctwhite” and “pctblack”.  These variable abbreviations stand for percent of population that identifying itself as white, non hispanic and the percent of population reporting itself to be of African descent.  Consider the difficulty many people must have placing themselves in either one category or the other.  Click on both variables so they are hihglighted and appearing in the right hand dialog window under the heading “Select Mapping Variable” (see figure 2.7 below).

Figure 2.7

Step 20: Make maps of Wayne County.  Once you have your variables selected, click the “Submit Job” button in the mapping window.  A choropleth map “pctwhite” by census tracts in Wayne County will appear (see figure 2.8 below).  You will also notice a legend in the upper-right corner of the map window.  This is not a good place for the legend, and the mapping strategy may not be appropriate for our variable, so you must change it.  Before you do, take a long look at the map.  Pay close attention to the ratio of census tracts colored light orange and dark orange (middle interval colors - suggestive of integrated neighborhoods) versus those colored light yellow or red (low and high percent interval colors - suggestive of mostly white or mostly black neighborhoods).  Answer Question 12

Figure 2.8

Question 12:  How does the map (pct white by quartiles) depict the pattern of racial segregation of white people in Wayne County?
            A: Moderate integration (there are about the same number of red, light orange, dark orange and yellow tracts)
            B: Minimal integration (there are very few orange tracts)
            C: Full integration (almost all the tracts are orange)
            D: No integration whatsoever (there are almost no orange tracts)

Answer 12:

Step 21: Customize the Map.  The next steps require you to change the way the data is categorized by color and changing the placement of the legend.  Click on the “Customize Map” button and a “Customize Output” dialog box will appear (see figure 2.9).

Step 22: Reclassify the Data. You need to remap (reclassify) the data by Equal Intervals.  Do this by selecting (clicking) the "Eq. Intervals" radio button found under “Data classified by: (see figure 2.9).  Reexamine your map of Wayne County.  You may want to compare it with the Figure 2.8 above, which is a map of percent white by Quantile.  ANSWER QUESTION 13

Figure 2.9

Question 13:  How does the map (percent white -equal intervals) depict the pattern of racial segregation in Wayne County?

            A: Moderate integration (there are about the same number of red, light orange, dark orange and yellow tracts)

            B: Minimal integration (there are very few orange tracts)

            C: Full integration (almost all the tracts are orange)

            D: No integration whatsoever (there are almost no orange tracts)

Answer 13:

Step 23: (optional) Since the legend is poorly placed, you should move the legend to the lower right hand corner.  Begin by clicking on the “Legend/Title” button on the top toolbar of the customize map window (see figure 2.9 above).  In this dialog box see figure 2.10 below), click on the rotary button to the left of the X.  Then move the sliding scroll bar to the right.  You’ll notice the numbers to the right of the X: getting higher.  Around 350 is a good X coordinate for the legend.  Repeat the procedure with the Y coordinate, this time moving the legend to Y= 200, or thereabouts.  You can type in a title like “Percent White” and a subtitle if you’d like (see figure 2.10 below).  Examine your new map.

Figure 2.10

Step 24: Map black neighborhoods.  Go back to your mapping window and change the variable you are mapping to “pctblack”.  Notice the changes.  This map is nearly the complete opposite of the “pctwhite” map.  You may want check to make sure your map is classified by “Equal Intervals”

Step 24B: Recall the Ford and Griffin article.  This graphic shows how one text depicted the 5 types of ghettos might look in a best case scenario. 

14.  Recalling the typology of ghettos discussed in the Ford & Griffin article, how would you characterize the ghetto you mapped in Wayne County Michigan? You may want to note that the CBD (Central Business District) of Detroit is near the two small census tracts with “missing data” displayed in white.

            A: Classic Northern

            B: Classic Southern

            C: Early Southern

            D: New City

Answer 14:

***If you would like to save a copy of this map, you can copy and paste it into a number of applications (like Microsoft Word or WordPerfect) by pressing <alt+shift+Print Screen> (3 buttons at the same time).  That action places the map (or any other active window in this application) into the clipboard.  After opening the destination program for your map, press <Ctrl+V> or Edit/Paste to put your map into that application!

Step 25: Record some statistics.  Click on the Statistical Info button in the map window and examine the results you see in the new window. 

Question 15:  What is the mean for percent white in Wayne County?

            Answer 15:

Question 16:  What is the standard deviation for the variable percent white (to the nearest 100ths e.g. 2 decimal places)?

            Answer 16:

Question 17:  What is the mean for percent black in Wayne County?

            Answer 17:

Question 18:  What is the standard deviation for the variable percent black (to the nearest 100ths e.g. 2 decimal places) ?

            Answer 18:

****Standard Deviation is sort of like the average of the average.  It is a measure of dispersion around the mean (statistical average).  It is useful.  Consider for example, if half our class was 200 lbs and the other half weighed 100 lbs, the mean (or average) would be 150 lbs BUT nobody actually weighs 150 lbs.  HOWEVER, if everyone in the class weighed between 148 and 152, the mean would probably still be around 150 lbs.  Standard deviation can help you say something more about the average class weight.  In the first scenario, there would be a large standard deviation and in the second scenario, the standard deviation would be much smaller.  

SO...in other words, the standard deviation is a measure of how average the average is.  The smaller the standard deviation, the more you can be sure that the average is actually average.   Very large standard deviations suggest that the average is not that common....just in the middle.  Get it?  If you don't, be sure to ask in class. 

Mapping Mecklenburg County North Carolina

You will now map the percent white and percent black in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The point is to compare pattern of racial segregation in Charlotte with those found in a typical industrial city like Detroit.

Step 26: Make a new map of North Carolina.  Click on the “Sel New Region” button return to the counties map of Michigan.  Click next on the US Map button, to return to the base map of the US states.  Select the state of North Carolina and then click on “Get Counties”.  Select Mecklenburg County.  It is in the south central portion of the state (see figure 2.11 below). 

Figure 2.11

Step 27: Make a map of Mecklenburg County.  Click on Get Tracts button and after the Census tract base map of Mecklenburg County has appeared, click the submit job button.  Customize the map by selecting equal intervals.  ANSWER QUESTIONS 19 and 20.

Question 19: How would you characterize the pattern of racial segregation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?  Make sure your map is displaying your data by equal intervals.

            A: Moderate integration (there are about the same number of red, light orange, dark orange and yellow tracts)

            B: Minimal integration (there are very few orange tracts)

            C: Full integration (almost all the tracts are orange)

            D: No integration whatsoever (there are almost no orange tracts)

            Answer 19:

Question 20: Recalling the typology of ghettos presented in class lecture, what type of segregation pattern do you think best describes the pattern of racial segregation in Mecklenburg County?   The pattern here is most visible if you ignore the large (mostly white) rural census tracts on the outside border of the county.

            A: Early Southern

            B: Classic Southern

            C: Classic Northern

            D: "New City"

            Answer 20:

Step 28: In the map window, click on Statistical Info and record the standard deviations you see.  ANSWER QUESTIONS 21-23.

Question 21:  What is the standard deviation for the variable percent white (to the nearest 100ths e.g. 2 decimal places)?

            Answer 21:

Question 22:  What is the standard deviation for the variable percent black (to the nearest 100ths e.g. 2 decimal places)?

            Answer 22:

Question 23: Since the standard deviations for percent white and percent black in Mecklenburg County is smaller than they are in Wayne County, Michigan, what conclusions can you draw about racial segregation in these two counties?

            A: Wayne County is more segregated than Mecklenburg County

            B: Wayne County is less segregated than Mecklenburg County

            C: No conclusions can be drawn from standard deviation for this statistic.

            Answer 23:

Step 29: Map Harris County, Texas.  Repeat the procedure again, but this time map Harris County, Texas.  This is the county that houses much of Houston.  Harris County is in the Southeastern Part of Texas (see figure 2.12 below). ANSWER QUESTIONS 24-26.

Figure 2.9

Question 24: Which of the ghetto typologies does Harris County Texas most resemble?

            A: Early Southern

            B: Classic Southern

            C: Tradtional Northern

            D: "New City"

            Answer 24:

Question 25: Which of the following variables, in addition to percent black and white, would be logical to map in Harris County, Texas?

            A: Percent Asian

            B: Percent Hispanic

            C: Percent Pacific Islander

            D: Percent Other.

            Answer 25:

Question 26: What is the standard deviation for percent black in Harris County (to the 100th place)?.

            Answer 26:

Step 30: Repeat the process one final time, but this time with Los Angeles County, California. 

Question 27: What is the standard deviation for percent Black in Los Angeles County, California?

            Answer 27:

Question 28:  What is the standard deviation for percent Hispanic in Los Angeles County?

            Answer 28:

Question 29:  What is the standard deviation for percent Asian in Los Angeles County?

            Answer 29:

Question 30: Which of the following counties does Los Angeles County most resemble in terms of the pattern of black residence?

A.      Wayne County, Michigan

B.     Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

C.     Harris County, Texas

            Answer 30:

Question 31:  Assuming these patterns are relatively constant among cities in the regions they represent (and I think they are) Answer this question: If you were seeking a city with ethnically integrated schools and neighborhoods, to what part of the country would you most likely want to move?   Which region/city has the lowest standard deviation? 

            A: New England (like Boston)

            B: Midwest (like Detroit)

            C: South (like Charlotte)

            D: West or Southwest (like Houston or Los Angeles or San Diego)

            Answer 31:

Be sure to submit both the quiz component and the this mapping component of this lab NO LATER THAN the deadline posted on the course schedule.

Name (first name first)        

  email.   

four digit student ID code