Using PDQ Exlpore

The following is a link to the PDQ-Explore software that you used during the workshop. You will need to download the zip file to the C:\ drive on your PC.
PDQ-Explore

As a reminder of what you need to do to get started, here is the introduction to Using PDQ-Explore, which includes some technical notes.
Introduction to PDQ-Explore

Guides to PDQ Explore
There are about 10 guides that describe in quite a bit of detail how to do many of the procedures covered in the class. If you find you need a reminder, check these out. You will need to scroll down the page to see the guides.

Statistical links

Design and Methodology Report & Other Details

Design and Methodology Report
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/survey_methodology/acs_design_methodology.pdf
This document describes the basic ACS design and methodology as of the 2007 data collection year. The purpose of this document is to provide data users and other interested individuals with documentation of the methods used in the ACS. Future updates of this report are planned to reflect additional design and methodology changes. This document is organized into 15 chapters. Each chapter includes an overview, followed by detailed documentation, and a list of references.
Technical Appendix
Technical Appendix from the ACS Compass Products
Data Collection & Processing
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/survey_methodology/acs_design_methodology_ch13.pdf
Chapter 13 of the ACS Design and Methodology Report discusses how aggregated data products and PUMS are prepared. For more help, see the entire report, or other individual chapters, at this link:
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/methodology_main/
Group Quarters Definitions
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/documentation_main/
What the ACS can tell us about Mixed Mode Surveys
http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/workshop/references/ISRMixedMode.pdf
This is a presentation given by Deborah Griffin, Census Bureau, at a joint SRC/PSC brownbag. It has a great deal of information on the details of the different modes of data collection (mail, phone, in-person); differences in response across the country; mode effects, etc.

Posted by lisan at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2010

Statistical Links

Technical Issues (mostly statistical) Associated with the ACS
[PowerPoint presentation]
Appendices associated with each ACS Compass product
SAS code for using Replicate Weights
Statistical packages such as stata can handle replicate weights to produce standard errors and tests of significance. However, for the ACS and CPS, the replicate weights are based on a successive difference model rather than a jack-knife or generalized linear model. No statistical package handles successive difference models as an option.
Thus, one has to go through the actual algorithm to produce standard errors based on the successive difference replicate weights. The following program provides the code for this:

SAS code for using replicate weights
Replicate Weights
Garrett, B. Dale and Michael Starsinic. 2008. "ACS Public Use Microdata Samples of 2005 and 2006 - How to Use Replicate Weights." Presentation at AAPOR Conference, New Orleans, May 16, 2008.

Theoretical basis for successive difference model is:
Fay, R. and Train, G. 1995 "Aspects of Survey and Model-Based Postcensal Estimation of Income and Poverty Characteristics for States and Counties," Proceedings of the Section on Government Statistics, American Statistical Association, pp. 154-159.

IPUMS-USA

IPUMS-USA website
Guide to Variables
Selected variables from IPUMS with PUMS, ACS, and CPS equivalent names
Register to use IPUMS
(required for making an extract)
Instructions for using the IPUMS Data Extraction System
Instructions for opening data on PC
Making an Extract of the ACS 3-year data from IPUMS
[presentation]
Extract
(zipped)
Extract
(not zipped)

SAS program
FAQ on 3-year ACS data

Note about income items in 3-year data

Mapping Resources

Mapping from the Census Bureau website
This is a short description of how to make maps using the Census Bureau website. It requires no GIS skills or software. All of the tools reside on the Census Bureau site. The drawback is the limited flexibility on being able to find a table and/or geography that meets the users' needs.

Social Explorer
This site provides easy access to interactive maps based on census data. One is limited to the items they make available, particularly if you use the "free" version. Many universities have subscriptions to the full service.

CensusScope
CensusScope provides access to charts & trends, maps, rankings, and segregation scores based on Census 2000 data (and soon to be Census 2010 and ACS products). For the most part, the maps are at the state or county level, not lower levels of geography like census tracts.