[CTPP] Re: AFF2 and its well-known faults

I know you're frustrated with AFF2. I no longer recommend it to anyone. So if you need Census 2010 summary tabulations, here are best online alternatives to AFF2 (my picks): * http://mcdc.missouri.edu/pub/data/sf12010/Datasets.html if you need many tables for a large number of locations (for example, all Census Tracts in Minnesota). User interface looks complex the first time - but you'll see it's easy - and allows output in SAS, or flat-file or other formats. * http://nhgis.org if you need a few tables (a few topics) for a large number of locations + you want ArcGIS shapefile too. * http://census.ire.org/data/bulkdata.html if you just need one table (1 at a time) for a large number of locations. This is the quickest to navigate. The drawback is: this site does not provide descriptive column headings/labels. You'll need SF1 documentation to decipher and re-label the column headings it provides. ________________________ Todd Graham Principal Forecaster and Project Manager Metropolitan Council 390 Robert Street North Saint Paul, MN 55101 ph: 651/602-1322 email: todd.graham@metc.state.mn.us<mailto:todd.graham@metc.state.mn.us> in: www.linkedin.com/in/toddgraham web: http://www.metrocouncil.org/data/ ________________________ From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Jonathan Lupton Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 2:42 PM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: [CTPP] BEA data vs AFF2 and its well-known faults I know it's a lost cause to expect the Census Bureau to see reason and dump AFF2, which sometime this fall will become their only portal for census and ACS data. But anyone who believes a data searching and downloading product has to require tutorials and special training, or has to be clunky, needlessly complex, visually confusing, and counter-intuitive should visit the BEA's new web site, and try downloading economic data for his/her local area. The steps are quick, the icons are clear and intuitive, and you can get to some pretty complex stuff in a series of steps that leaves you feeling smart. By comparison, speaking only for myself, I always come away from AFF2 either feeling dumb, or like a shoplifter who actually got away with something useful, despite the risks I had to take and the danger of complete failure. However, I do appreciate the efforts of Elaine and others to provide tips and data-downloading alternatives to AFF2 - thanks! Jonathan Lupton AICP Research Planner Metroplan Little Rock AR 501-372-3300