Census 2000: A Workshop on Maps in PDF Format

Introduction

This is a hands-on workshop in which you will learn how to access, view, and print out Census 2000 maps in PDF format. These beautiful color maps are freely available from the Census Bureau on the web. Using Adobe Acrobat Reader to display the maps, one can zoom or pan, copy, and search for text (except street names). When printed out, the map size, map extent, and zoom level are very flexible and controllable. However, these maps were designed to be printed out at their full, 36" x 33" size. One cannot print out an entire legible map on one sheet of letter, legal, or tabloid (11"x17") paper. In order to make these maps usable at other sizes, this workshop presents techniques for

• printing out an entire map across more than one piece of paper (and then taping the pieces together).
• printing out a subset of a map on a single sheet of paper.
• printing out a subset of a map across more than one piece of paper (and then taping the pieces together).

The techniques used in this workshop are based on the following guides.

• The Census Bureau's Printing From the PDF Map Files provides detailed instructions for how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to display and print Census 2000 maps.
• How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format provides techniques for printing out these maps on the paper of your choice, providing flexible control over map extent, display resolution, and map size.

Outline

• Preliminaries
• Exercise 1: How to read a print census map
• Exercise 2: How to view a PDF census map (using Adobe Acrobat Reader as a plug-in)
• Exercise 3: How to view a PDF census map (by first saving the file to the hard disk)
• Exercise 4: Adobe Acrobat Reader: the Basics
• Map size, map extent, and display resolution (zoom)
• Exercise 5: Simple cut, paste, and print
• Exercise 6: Customizing your map printout

Preliminaries

You will need:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader, freely available on the web. You should make sure that you are using version 4.0 or higher.
• Microsoft Paint, usually installed as a part of Windows installation.
• Microsoft Word.

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Exercise 1: How to read a print census map

An example of a legend from a County Block Map

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Exercise 2: How to view a PDF census map (using Adobe Acrobat Reader as a plug-in)

What we will do

Zoomed out too far on a PDF map

View (on the computer screen) a PDF map for census blocks in either (1) the downtown area of Chapel Hill, Orange County, NC; or (2) the downtown area of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC.

How we will do it

In this technique, we will invoke Adobe Acrobat Reader as a plug-in via the browser. In most installations, Reader is installed as a plug-in, which does not give us access to all of Reader's tools for manipulating the PDF file. Instructions for installing Reader as a helper application, often a preferable alternative, are included in Reader's help system.

1. Go to the page providing access to Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products in PDF format.
2. Click on "Link to Census 2000 Block Map State Folders." Choose North Carolina and then the county.
3. If there is more than one file in the list, then the first one should be an index file and it should end with "000.pdf". Click on that index file ending in "000.pdf".
4. If you are asked: "What do you want to do with this file?", choose "Open it".
5. Adobe Acrobat Reader should be invoked to view the file. Use the zoom tool (it looks like a magnifying glass) to zoom in on the downtown area. Figure out which other file you need as follows:
   "The county index map will show the county boundaries and the boundaries of any places within the county. It also will have an overlay of a grid of squares. Each square represents the area covered by one of the maps for that county. Using this grid, you can determine which map or maps cover the area of interest. At the center of each grid square you will find a map sheet number. This number is also a part of the file name for the PDF file of the map(s). It is in the last three positions before ".pdf"." For example, PB37135_015.pdf is sheet number 15, shown in grid number 15 for Orange county, North Carolina. PB37119_028.pdf is sheet number 28, shown in grid number 28 for Mecklenburg county, North Carolina. "With this information you can download or view the appropriate maps(s)."
6. There are two potential ways to return to the list of PDF files, depending on how the software is set up. If there is a "Back" button near the top left corner, click on that to return to the list of PDF files. If not, click on "Index of /pl..." at the bottom of the screen to return to the list of PDF files.
7. Then click on the file for the grid that you decided on. For our exercise, you can pick either of these files for Chapel Hill:
   PB37135_015.pdf
   PB37135_019.pdf
   or this file for Charlotte:
   PB37119_028.pdf
   
8. Again, if you are asked: "What do you want to do with this file?", choose "Open it".

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Exercise 3: How to view a PDF census map (by first saving the file to the hard disk)

What we will do

View (on the computer screen) a PDF map for census blocks in either (1) the downtown area of Chapel Hill, Orange County, NC; or (2) the downtown area of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC.

How we will do it

In this technique, we will save the PDF file to the hard disk and open it using Adobe Acrobat Reader. This will give us access to all of Reader's tools for manipulating the PDF file.

1. Go to the page providing access to Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products in PDF format.
2. Click on "Link to Census 2000 Block Map State Folders." Choose North Carolina and then the county.
3. If there is more than one file in the list, then the first one should be an index file and it should end with "000.pdf". Click on that index file ending in "000.pdf".
4. If you are asked: "What do you want to do with this file?", choose "Open it".
5. Adobe Acrobat Reader should be invoked to view the file. Use the zoom tool (it looks like a magnifying glass) to zoom in on the downtown area. Figure out which other file you need as follows:
   "The county index map will show the county boundaries and the boundaries of any places within the county. It also will have an overlay of a grid of squares. Each square represents the area covered by one of the maps for that county. Using this grid, you can determine which map or maps cover the area of interest. At the center of each grid square you will find a map sheet number. This number is also a part of the file name for the PDF file of the map(s). It is in the last three positions before ".pdf"." For example, PB37135_015.pdf is sheet number 15, shown in grid number 15 for Orange county, North Carolina. "With this information you can download or view the appropriate maps(s)."
6. There are two potential ways to return to the list of PDF files, depending on how the software is set up. If there is a "Back" button near the top left corner, click on that to return to the list of PDF files. If not, click on "Index of /pl..." at the bottom of the screen to return to the list of PDF files.
7. Then click on the file for the grid that you decided on. For our exercise, you can pick either of these files for Chapel Hill:
   PB37135_015.pdf
   PB37135_019.pdf
   or this file for Charlotte:
   PB37119_028.pdf
   Then right-click on the filename and choose "Save file as". Save the file in the c:\temp\ directory.
8. Start Adobe Acrobat Reader. Choose File/Open. Navigate to the c:\temp\ directory. Highlight the file you just saved and click "Open".

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Exercise 4: Adobe Acrobat Reader: the Basics

1. Zoom in and out using the magnifying glasses. Click on the magnifying glass with the plus sign in it. Click on the map and drag towards the bottom right corner to choose the area you want to zoom in on. To zoom out, click on the magnifying glass with the minus sign in it and then click on the map. Alternatively, choose View/Zoom in or View/Zoom out.
2. Use the pan tool (the hand) to find the legend (in the top right corner of the map). Click on the hand. Click and drag the map to pan.
3. Choose View/Fit visible to see the entire map again.
4. Choose View/Actual size to see the map at actual size.
5. Don't actually do this; it will probably take a very long time to print! Choose File/Print to print the entire map. If the image is bad, try choosing the "Print as image" option. Note that the map is not fully legible.
6. To search for numbers or names (but not street names) on the map, choose Edit/Find and type in a census tract number, block number, city name, etc. Choose "Find".

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Map size, map extent, and display resolution (zoom)

Refer to the definitions in How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format.

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Exercise 5: Simple cut, paste, and print

1. Open Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Word.
2. Within Reader, choose the Graphics Select Tool.
3. To select the area that you would like to copy, paste, and print, click on the map and drag towards the bottom right corner. Release the mouse button.
4. Press Control-C to copy.
5. Within Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Word, press Control-V to paste the selected image.
6. Within Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Word, choose File/Print Preview.
7. Think about whether you would be happy with the printout. Think about whether the printout could be improved and how it could be improved. Would you like to change the map size? The map extent? The display resolution (zoom)?
8. Think about how the map would look if you:
• customized the map extent and display resolution that you want, while allowing the map size to vary freely.
• customized the map extent and map size that you want, allowing the display resolution to vary freely.
• customized the display resolution and map size that you want, allowing the map extent to vary freely.
9. If you were happy with it, you could save or print the file within Paint or Word.

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Exercise 6: Customizing your map printout

Refer to the following instructions:

• How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want
• How to print out an entire map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want (across more than one sheet of paper)
• How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent that you want (on a sheet of paper)
• How to print out a subset of a map -- with the display resolution and map size that you want

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Some useful web pages

General

Census Bureau home page

Product Overview and Schedule

• Census 2000 Data Products At a Glance, including a short description of products and projected release dates

A Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000 census data

• Selected Sources of 2000 Census Data, links to a variety of sources for data
• 2000 Census Geography, hierarchy of Census 2000 geographies and links to more information about them
• Census Maps and TIGER/Line Data, links to maps for download and information about census maps
• Census Documentation, Guides, and History

American FactFinder

American FactFinder, the Census Bureau's primary vehicle for the dissemination of Census 2000 data and maps on the Internet

A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality, a description of the functionality of the portals for data and maps in American FactFinder

Data

Selected Sources of 2000 Census Data, links to a variety of sources for data

Maps

Census Maps and TIGER/Line Data, links to maps for download and information about census maps

Census Maps and Related Product Titles, maps for sale or download

Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products, links to PDF map files for download, organized by state and county

The Census Bureau's Printing From the PDF Map Files provides detailed instructions for how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to display and print Census 2000 maps. How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format provides techniques for printing out these maps on the paper of your choice, providing flexible control over map extent, display resolution, and map size.

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Where to go for help with Census 2000 data or maps

Davis Library, Reference Desk
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-962-1151
http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/

Ed Bachmann
Odum Institute for Research in Social Science (IRSS)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ed_bachmann@unc.edu
919-962-0512
http://www.irss.unc.edu/

State Library of North Carolina
109 E. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC
919-733-3270
http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ncslhome.htm

North Carolina State Data Center
20321 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0321
919-733-4131
http://sdc.state.nc.us/

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Contact:
Barbara Levergood
Former Electronic Documents Librarian
Updated March 27, 2002.