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Arcgis Normalize Data

The document discusses how to normalize census data in ArcMap by dividing attributes by other fields to create ratios and proportions. It provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate ways to normalize fields and stresses the importance of understanding the data and relationships before normalizing. Key factors like the attribute, universe, and levels of aggregation must be properly matched.

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25 views

Arcgis Normalize Data

The document discusses how to normalize census data in ArcMap by dividing attributes by other fields to create ratios and proportions. It provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate ways to normalize fields and stresses the importance of understanding the data and relationships before normalizing. Key factors like the attribute, universe, and levels of aggregation must be properly matched.

Uploaded by

fbutte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Normalizing Census Data

Using ArcMap
By George Dailey, ESRI K12 Education Program Manager
Editors note: A common mistake made by people new to mapping
is comparing areas based on a count statistic such as the number of
people who fall into a particular category (e.g., marital status, age,
ethnicity). This is not a very meaningful analysis because areas are
usually arbitrary in size, and larger areas typically will have more
people. Normalizing data factors out the size of areas by transforming
counts (measures of magnitude) into ratios (measures of intensity).
Ratio maps can be quickly designed in ArcMap. To normalize data
in ArcMap, select a field to map (numerator) and a field to standardize
against (denominator). ArcMap creates a proportion by performing
simple division and maps that proportion.
An attribute can be normalized in ArcMap using two methods. In
the first method, the attribute value for one feature is divided by the sum
of that attribute value for all features, turning the resulting ratio values
into a percent of the total. See Figure 1 for the formula and an example
of this method.
Attribute value for feature x

Percent of total contained in feature x

0.333 = 3.33 percent of total

Sum of attribute values in all features


15 persons of Hispanic origin (in x)
450 persons of Hispanic origin (in total)

Figure 1: Normalize an attribute as a percent of the total.


In the second method, the values for an attribute are normalized by
the values in another attribute that is the universe upon which the first
attribute is based or is a member. See Figure 2 for the formula and an
example.
15 persons of Hispanic origin (in x)

0.05 = 5 percent of the population in x is Hispanic

300 total persons (in x)


Attribute value for feature x

Proportion (percentage) of universe that is the attribute

Universe value for feature x

Figure 2: One attribute normalized by another attribute


Data can also be normalized using an attribute that associates with other
attributes. The demographic concept of sex ratio (i.e., number of males per
100 females) is an example of this method and illustrated in Figure 3.
135 males (in x)

.818 or about 82 men for every 100 women

165 females (in x)

Figure 3: Normalizing an attribute that associates with other


attributes
Adding a Time Element
Attributes can combine to show influence or change over time, such
as population at one time versus population at another time. When
the numerator and denominator are the same, the result is one, which
indicates there is no change over time. Values above one indicate
positive change, and values below one indicate negative change. The
example in Figure 4 shows both types of change.

300 persons in x (in 1990)

1990 population is 1.2 times that of 1980, or a 20 percent change

1980 population is 0.625 that of 1970, or a -37.5 percent change

250 persons in x (in 1980)

250 persons in x (in 1980)


400 persons in x (in 1970)

Figure 4: Positive and negative change over time


Normalizing Data in ArcMap
Data can be more normalized directly from the ArcMap standard
interface. In an ArcMap document, right-click on the layer with the
attribute data that will be normalized and choose Properties from the
context menu.
1. In the Layer Properties dialog box, click on the Symbology tab and
select Quantities.
2. In the Field section, choose the field that will be used as the
numerator from the Value drop down. Using the previous example, this
would be the Hispanic population.
3. From the Normalization drop down, choose the field that will be
used as the denominatorin this case, Total Population.
Apples and Oranges
Know data before normalizing it. Normalizing unrelated data is like
mixing apples and oranges. It makes fruit salad, not good analysis.
Normalizing data is a powerful tool for map display. However,
normalizing can be inappropriately applied if the data being mapped
isnt well understood. It is easy to build compellingly accurate but
completely false ratio maps using the sociodemographic data compiled
from the United States decennial census of population and housing.
While the construction of a ratio map based on the percent of
total is fairly difficult to misapply, creating a map around a median,
average, or statistical value would not be appropriate. The application
of one attribute value against another has many possible erroneous
associations. See Figure 5 for an example using data on people of
Hispanic origin that illustrates an appropriate ratio that uses an attribute
and its universe.
Hispanic pop.
=
Total pop.

Attribute
Universe

Numerator

Classification field

=
Denominator

Normalize by

Figure 5: An appropriate ratio using an attribute and its universe


Universes and Units
It is easy to look at an attribute table and see all kinds of potential
associations, but these associations may not be valid. For instance,
looking at the single-family houses (one unit) field in data on Hispanic
populations might lead to the creation of a map intended to show the ratio
of Hispanics living in single-family homes. Unfortunately, because the
wrong universe was used, the resulting set of values is meaningless.
Hispanic population
Single-family homes

Attribute

Nonsense

Wrong universe

Figure 6: Inappropriate normalizing field

52 ArcUser JanuaryMarch 2006

www.esri.com

Hands On

While normalizing data is conceptually easy, it can prove challenging


to apply correctly and ArcMap will not stop a user from creating
inappropriate equations. It is important to become familiar with a data
items universe. The universe is the value or population that forms the
base from which the data item in question is a subset. For example,
when creating the proportion of persons aged five to nine years old
across various geographic entities, the universe is the total population.

Know data before normalizing it. Normalizing


unrelated data is like mixing apples and oranges. It
makes fruit salad, not good analysis.
Intelligent Analysis
While it may seem possible, even reasonable, to create a ratio of
anything simply because the data is present in an attribute table, without
considering what is being mapped, the result will likely be garbage if
the data does not warrant the association.
Mapping Hispanic Americans who live in single-family homes, the
example previously cited, illustrates the concepts of unit of analysis
and levels of summarization associated with the data. Generally, data
available from the Census Bureau has been summarized or blended to
some level of geographycensus block, census tract, city, county, state,
or other geographic unitremoving access to individual responses
from individual households or persons. With aggregated data, the unit
of analysis is the county, state, or other geographic unit. This protects
the confidentiality of individual responses. When attempting to create
a cross tabulation of aggregated data using the ArcMap normalizing
function, the math will work but the answer will not be what was
intended.
A proper cross tabulation requires data at the atomic (i.e., nonaggregated) level. With census data, this means working with data for
individual households and persons. The only Census Bureau source for
data at this level is the Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS). PUMS
does not include name and specific location information but does
allow for state, county, and other higher-order geographic and crosstabulation analyses. Only bureau employees have access to specific
data on individuals for small geographic areas such as census blocks.
PUMS data would allow analysis of Hispanic Americans who live in
single-family houses but not at very low levels of geography.

Classification Field

Normalize by

Age, gender, national origin

Total population (persons)

Marital status

Population over age 15

Household composition
(e.g., one-person households)

Total households

Contract rent

Renter-occupied housing units

Housing value

Owner-occupied housing units

Household income

Total households

Labor force

Population over age 16

Figure 7: Field-normalizing field pairs for census data

Sources

URL

Gateway to Census
2000

www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html

Introduction to
Census 2000 Data

www.census.gov/dmd/www/products.html

Population and
Housing Definitions

factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_a.html

PowerPoint
Presentations

www.census.gov/mso/www/pres_lib/index2.html

Census 2000
Information

www.esribis.com/data/census2000.html

Unlocking the
Census with GIS

www.esri.com/esripress

Figure 8: Resources for learning more information about using


census data.

What Fields Are Reasonable?


What census data fields are reasonable to use in normalization?
Using summarized data from the Census Bureau, there are numerous
normalizing associations that can be made. The accompanying table
lists classification field-normalizing field pairs for a range of census
data items. It also represents many standard data items found in data
products available directly from the Census Bureau and those available
from ESRI and ESRI Business Information Solutions (ESRI BIS). The
normalizing pairs are presented with common names. These may or may
not match up with field names in individual data tables. It is important
to become familiar with the composition of the data table being used by
investigating its data documentation (also known as metadata).

www.esri.com

ArcUser JanuaryMarch 2006 53

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