L3: Oral Presentation C Thursday, 4:30 – 5:00 pm C French River Room

Dakota County Census CD Project

Todd Lusk, Scott Laursen
Dakota County Survey and Land Information Department
14955 Galaxie Avenue Suite 355
Apple Valley, MN  55124
todd.lusk@co.dakota.mn.us

The Dakota County Survey and Land Information Department has created a CD-ROM containing maps and tables that exhibit the 2000 Census data and other related information at various boundary levels within Dakota County. This CD utilizes an easy to use web-based interface to a collection of maps, links, documents, and data. This collection includes both new information created by Dakota County and existing information available on the Internet from a variety of sources including the Census Bureau. 

This CD was created because the Department recognized the interest in the 2000 Census data by both internal County users and external users such as local cities and school districts within the County. Prior to the initial release of redistricting data from the Census Bureau, a Census Data Users Group and a Redistricting Workgroup were formed. Each group contains representatives from the County, cities, and school districts. The input from these groups, along with requests for specific maps and analysis of the data from several departments and individuals, showed the Department that a strong desire existed for access to the 2000 Census data as quickly as possible.

To create the CD, data were extracted from the Census 2000 Redistricting File and converted into a more useable format. The data were analyzed and a series of thematic maps and data tables were created. In conjunction with this work, the Department undertook an effort to improve the usability of the census data by adjusting the original TIGER lines to coincide with the corresponding lines in the County GIS. The resulting CD allows users at the County, cities, and school districts to have easy access to census-related information by making it available from a single location. The CD will continue to be revised and redistributed as more data becomes available.