This document provides an agenda for a workshop introducing Social Explorer, a tool for visualizing and analyzing historical US census and other demographic data. The agenda includes an overview of Social Explorer's mapping and reporting capabilities, a demonstration of how to visualize unemployment rates and the distribution of the slave population over time on interactive thematic maps, and a question and answer session on teaching applications.

1. Introduction to Social Explorer
City Lab @ CWE
Dr. Karen Gregory
Fall 2014

2. Workshop Agenda
•Susanna Schaller: Teaching with Social Explorer
•Overview: What is this, what can it do?
•Faculty Five Minute Writing:
How might you imagine using Social Explorer in a
class? Jot down any ideas or questions you have.
We will return to these at the end of the session.
•Accessing Social Explorer
•Touring Social Explorer, Understanding the Map
Basics: Visualizing Unemployment
•Telling a Story: Visualizing Slavery
•Q&A: Teaching Applications

3. Overview: Maps and Tables

4. Maps & Tables/Reports
Create and customize thematic and interactive maps that explore all
historical and modern US census data across the centuries and even
down to street level detail (where available).
Navigate current and historical demographic data and survey.
Create data reports at all geographic levels, including state, county,
census tract, block group, zip code, and census place (where the data
exist).
Export, save, and print reports for professional-looking reports,
presentations, and graphics. High-resolution images are available and
any presentation can be exported directly to PowerPoint.

5. US Census

6. American Community Survey

7. • The American Community Survey (ACS) is
conducted every year to provide up-to-date
information about the social and economic needs
of your community. The ACS shows how people
live--our education, housing, jobs and more. For
example, results may be used to decide where
new schools, hospitals, and emergency services
are needed.
• The census is conducted once every 10 years to
provide an official count of the entire U.S.
population to Congress.

8. Introduce Surveys and Tables
Before students use Social Explorer,
introduce them to the Data Dictionary in order
to explore different datasets:
http://www.socialexplorer.com/data/metadata

9. Faculty Five Minute Writing
How might you imagine using Social Explorer in
your class or in your research?
Jot down any ideas or questions you have.
We will return to these at the end of the
session.

10. Accessing & Logging In

14. Log In (or Use on Campus)

15. Sign Up for Social Explorer

17. Start Now & Take the Tour

18. Ready to Start
(Remember to Save)

19. Browse the Data

20. Explore the Data
• Take a look at data by Category
Notice that in Category, you will see data from
all surveys grouped. You may pick from list.
Here, use the “year” function to see over time.
• Take a look at data by Survey
Notice that in Survey, you will see data from a
single survey, with ability to select tables.

21. Creating a Map:
Visualizing Unemployment
• Go to Change Data (upper left hand corner)
• Select a year.
• Select a category (Unemployment)
• Scroll through tables
• Select: Population 16 years or older: Civilian:
Unemployed
• Your map will appear

22. Honing Your Map

23. Honing Your Map
• Save
• Title
• Show Data By (Automatic means it will adjust as you
zoom in or out. Turn off to reselect level)
• Visualization Type: Shaded, Bubbles, Dots
• How does each type affect representation of
unemployment?
• Set your map to Shaded Area, Return to Legend:
Percentages, Colors, Cut Points
• Annotate your map with Markers.
• Note Slide Views

24. Create a Report from Your Map

25. Report
• Select Your Survey
• Select a Topic
• Pick a Geographic Location
• Run Report

26. Export Your Map

27. • Save your map
• Then click on your name to return to your
map collection.
• Start a new map
• Give the map the title: Visualizing Slavery
• Save your map

28. Telling a Story
We will use SE to recreate the 1860 Census
showing the distribution of the population living
in slavery. We will recreate the map as a
slideshow from 1790 to 1860:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/
09/visualizing-slavery/

29. • With your new map, click “Change Data.”
• Click “Browse by Survey”
• Use Survey drop-down list to select “Census
1790”
• Then, select the topic and specific variable.
For this exercise, click Table 10:
– T10: Slave Status: Slave Population

30. • Change map color or annotate
• Then click “Tell a Story” (right hand corner)
• Click “Start Telling a Story”
• SAVE your work
• Click + Add
• Choose Type of Map (Single)
• Repeat step for Census 1800-1860
• Save after each map

31. • Use sidebar to edit slides: Title, description,
media content
• Preview your slides
• You can also run reports on any of your slides
• Export your work as Powerpoint