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Simplifying Neighborhood Data Access: A GIS Approach with Google Maps

Users often struggle to access local area information, particularly from the Census Bureau's complex website. By implementing a GIS solution that utilizes free Google Maps, we can enable users to select neighborhoods visually with ease and see vital data alongside street names and landmarks. This approach eliminates the need for cumbersome back-and-forth navigation between geographical data and information selection. Learn how to set up a user-friendly interface that combines mapping and census data, enhancing the experience of information retrieval for library patrons and community members.

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Simplifying Neighborhood Data Access: A GIS Approach with Google Maps

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Got Data? Google Map It! Paul H. Bern Numeric Data Services Librarian Syracuse University

  2. The Problem: • Users want information for an area such as a neighborhood • The Census Bureau website is not easy to use – even for us! • Geolytics CDs are easy to use, but you need to know the tract, block group, etc. numbers

  3. What’s Needed? • Users need a way to select an area or areas using a map that makes sense to them. • Need street names and other landmarks • It would be very helpful if they could see that map as they select what information they want. • Not have to flip back and forth between geography and information selection

  4. It’s Easy! • Buy a server • Buy GIS software (with web capability) • Get the mapping data • Get the census data • Load both into GIS/database • Write web pages and programs to make it work

  5. Or, You Could “Google It” • Google Maps allow users to write their own applications using their maps. • It’s Free! • End-users are more likely to have used Google Maps than Census maps • At minimum, you need to know JavaScript and XML • Fancier applications require Perl/PHP and a database

  6. For Example: • Census Data from Google Maps • http://libsites.syr.edu/mgi/gmap/Iassist_gmap.php • Resolution at wide zoom level is not great • Some markers end up in the lake! • Boundaries of adjoining geographies get written twice • There is a way to fix this • Google Maps lat/long codes may not exactly match those from other sources • Good enough for government work • Address geocoding is done by a different service (http://rpc.geocoder.us)

  7. How to: • Sample Code • http://libsites.syr.edu/mgi/gmap/Iassist_gmap.txt • Only about 50 of the 556 lines of code are specifically required by Google Maps • The first 10 of which remain the same for every application you develop • It’s all JavaScript! • The rest is PHP, HTML and text • Be careful of how different browsers render the code! • FireFox is more forgiving about “violations” of “proper” code.

  8. Further Work • Get better geocodes for markers • Pull from DB based on geocode or radius • Change icon for selected tracts • Don’t “double write” tract boundaries • Add layers for other geographies

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