ATHENS, Ohio -- Finding and using the latest 2000 Census statistics for Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties is easier than ever. Data Services at Ohio University's Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD) recently upgraded its Web site to include comprehensive 2000 Census data from the latest released (SF-3) Census data.
Several improvements to the site's format accompany the new information and will make it simpler for users to find the new statistics and other Census data already on the site. Click on www.ilgard.ohiou.edu/data/index.asp to see the enhanced Web site.
One update, says Sara Lichtin Boyd, senior research associate at ILGARD who headed up the project, is the way the statistics are delivered on the site. Each county's profile is available in Microsoft Excel format, which makes the information straightforward and usable. The Excel format allows users to copy information right off the site into their own Excel documents. From there they can create charts and graphs, blend it with other information or otherwise tailor it to their needs.
"Before the statistics were in what is called a PDF format, which doesn't easily allow you to import and use the information in any other type of software program," Boyd says.
Another improvement allows counties to benchmark themselves against the Appalachian Ohio region in general. Data Services developed a profile for the 29 Appalachian Ohio counties that contains totals and percentages for the region as a whole in the profiled data categories.
The U.S. Bureau of Census does not group statistics at this level of geography. Boyd said each profile also includes a hyper-linked table of contents that allows users simply to click directly into a specific data category and go right to the data table.
"The Census data are so dense it is hard to navigate, so we developed a live table of contents to get you where you're going fast," Boyd says.
The improvements to the Web site will help users make use of the considerable data bank for this region, which now includes population information, educational attainment, housing, income, poverty, employment, occupations and other in-demand social information.
Although the data is available online from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Boyd realized that most users would have trouble navigating the massive, complex site to find local statistics. "We wanted to develop a very straight-forward site where people could access data on their own," Boyd says.
ILGARD Data Services provides governments, public agencies and nonprofit organizations with a range of data and research services, including customized data, original surveys and more detailed Census data.
ILGARD has been making knowledge work for Ohio's communities since 1981. Through applied research and technical assistance, ILGARD helps improve the performance and efficiency of government and other organizations, examines public policy issues, provides information and technology services that increase regional competitiveness and involves Ohio University students in important public service projects. ILGARD is part of Ohio University's Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs.
