[ABJ30-Friends] Announcement of meeting on Geography of Large Scale Population Surveys (e.g., ACS)

ABJ30 Members and Friends, The announcement below may have great value for the transportation community – ***MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT*** Measuring People in Place: The geography of large scale population surveys The NSF-Census Research Network and the Universities of Colorado and Tennessee invite applications to a specialist meeting focused on the use of large scale population surveys to engage spatial questions in the social sciences. Selected participants' expenses will be supported by NSF # 1132008. THE WORKSHOP IS OCTOBER 4-6, 2012. APPLICATION DEADLINE 8/6/2012. Large scale social surveys (such as the American Community Survey) provide excellent estimates of population characteristics for large geographic areas. There is a trade-off, however, between attribute precision and geographic precision; as one zooms in from large to small geographic areas the estimates become less precise. Recent changes to the federal statistical system have made this trade-off between geographic and attribute precision both more extreme and more explicit. These changes are occurring as place and space are becoming an increasingly salient in social sciences. The purpose of this meeting is to engage these challenges through research and cross-disciplinary relationships around the following broad themes: 1. Improving surveys: Is it possible to reduce uncertainty in small area estimates through improved sampling, population controls, and/or weighting strategies? Are there ways to improve the fidelity of probability based population surveys to both population characteristics and their spatial distribution? 2. Geographic Information Science and Survey Design: Is it possible to reduce uncertainty in small area population estimates by incorporating spatial methods, such as spatial sampling techniques, into traditional survey methods? Can large spatial data bases, VGI, and other forms of "big data" be used improve small area estimates? 3. Working with uncertainty: Are there effective ways to incorporate uncertainty in data from surveys into analyses? Visually communicating uncertainty in spatial information has been a longstanding challenge for cartography and information visualization, are the advances in this area? Can user-centered research improve survey design/dissemination? Application Procedure (DEADLINE August 6th): Applicants should submit: 1. A brief (300-500 word) position paper describing your interest in the spatial aspects of large scale population surveys and/or one or more of the above themes. 2. A one paragraph biographical statement and current CV. Application should be submitted via e-mail by August 6th 2012 to: seth.spielman@colorado.edu<mailto:seth.spielman@colorado.edu> and nnagle@utk.edu<mailto:nnagle@utk.edu>. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by August 10th 2012. ******************* Seth E. Spielman Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Colorado