Sections
Log in
Top News
U.S. News World News Featured Voices
Odd News
Entertainment
Movies Music TV
Sports
Soccer NFL NBA MLB
Photos
News Entertainment Sports Features
More...
Defense Featured Science Health Video Archive Almanac
About Feedback Privacy Policy
About Feedback Privacy Policy
Search
Trending
Vaping
Cowboy pigeons
Blue Origin
Gerrit Cole
Texas execution
Korea bases
Philip McKeon
Doctor slayings
Lisa Page
Migrants
Science News
April 21, 2017 / 3:17 PM

New digital map details shifting demographics in United States

"People don't realize that the United States is a diverse country but at the same time is still very segregated," said geographer Tomasz Stepinski.

By
Brooks Hays
The maps show racial diversity in the Chicago area in 1990, 2000, and 2010. Photo by Dmowska/Stepinski/Netzel/PLOS ONE
The maps show racial diversity in the Chicago area in 1990, 2000, and 2010. Photo by Dmowska/Stepinski/Netzel/PLOS ONE

April 21 (UPI) -- University of Cincinnati geographer Tomasz Stepinski has combined NASA maps and U.S. Census data to create a zoomable, interactive illustration of America's changing racial diversity.

Stepinski used 20 years of U.S. Census data to plot demographic changes neighborhood by neighborhood.

The end product, published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, is one of the most detailed racial-diversity maps created.

"People don't realize that the United States is a diverse country but at the same time is still very segregated," Stepinski said in a news release.

RELATED New map reveals Earth's magnetic field in high resolution

The mapping process was cumbersome and took several years to complete, but Stepinksi and his postdoctoral researcher, Anna Dmowska, believe the work will make important data more accessible to both laypersons and other scientists.

"The maps can tell us much more about racial composition and can be used by everyone," Dmowska said. "They don't require expert knowledge to understand the results, so I think maps can be used by a broader community."

By plotting the census data onto a more precise grid system derived from NASA satellite maps, the researchers were able to improve upon the precision of previous demographic visualization attempts.

RELATED Dark matter mapped in record detail by Yale astronomers

The new maps could be overlaid with maps of grocery stores, bus routes or medical facilities to identify food deserts and neighborhoods under-served by government services.

The maps can help tell stories of transforming cities, said Jeffrey Timberlake, an associate professor of sociology at Cincinnati. Timberlake's research focuses on urban inequality and residential segregation.

"If you put the population geography together with an understanding of the social meaning of that road," Timberlake said, "you can tell a pretty powerful story about what segregation means."

RELATED Scientists map effects of consumption on endangered species

Latest Headlines

Africa's tropics account for a third of rise in methane emissions
Science News // 14 minutes ago
Africa's tropics account for a third of rise in methane emissions
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Methane emissions are on the rise, and new satellite data suggests Africa's tropics are responsible for at least a third of the recent increase.

Underground fiber-optic cables help scientists record thunderquakes
Science News // 58 minutes ago
Underground fiber-optic cables help scientists record thunderquakes
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Loud thunderclaps can cause the ground to shake. The quakes are too subtle for humans to feel, but new research showed fiber optic cables can detect the thunderquakes.

Household dust hosts toxic chemicals from LCD screens
Science News // 3 hours ago
Household dust hosts toxic chemicals from LCD screens
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- New research suggests liquid crystal monomers contain a variety of toxic chemicals, which tests showed can leach into everyday environs.

Greenland is melting seven times faster than it was 20 years ago
Science News // 20 hours ago
Greenland is melting seven times faster than it was 20 years ago
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Greenland is losing seven times as much ice as it was during the 1990s, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature.

Healthy mangroves can protect against climate change
Science News // 21 hours ago
Healthy mangroves can protect against climate change
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Natural ecosystems like mangroves can play an important role in the fight against climate change. New research suggests the tropical coastal wetlands can serve as valuable carbon sinks.

Lice were infesting dinosaur feathers 100 million years ago
Science News // 22 hours ago
Lice were infesting dinosaur feathers 100 million years ago
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Paleontologists have discovered insects resembling modern lice on dinosaur feathers trapped inside 100-million-year-old amber fossils, the earliest evidence of lice-like parasites.

Narcissism changes during a person's life span
Science News // 1 day ago
Narcissism changes during a person's life span
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- New research suggests narcissism isn't static -- it changes over time, declining in most ways as people age.

Megadroughts forced Peruvian farmers into cloud forests 1,200 years ago
Science News // 1 day ago
Megadroughts forced Peruvian farmers into cloud forests 1,200 years ago
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- New research suggests cloud forests in the Peruvian Andes were cleared by native Andean farmers some 1,200 years ago.

Giant waves in the jet stream threaten global food production
Science News // 1 day ago
Giant waves in the jet stream threaten global food production
Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Unique atmospheric wave patterns in the jet stream increase the odds of multiple global heatwaves happening at once, threatening global food security, according to a new study.

Scientists figure out how accumulating dust particles become planets
Science News // 1 day ago
Scientists figure out how accumulating dust particles become planets
Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Scientists have developed a working theory for how small clumps of dust become big balls of debris and begin to form young planets.

Trending Stories

Lice were infesting dinosaur feathers 100 million years ago
Lice were infesting dinosaur feathers 100 million years ago
Greenland is melting seven times faster than it was 20 years ago
Greenland is melting seven times faster than it was 20 years ago
Healthy mangroves can protect against climate change
Healthy mangroves can protect against climate change
Narcissism changes during a person's life span
Narcissism changes during a person's life span
Household dust hosts toxic chemicals from LCD screens
Household dust hosts toxic chemicals from LCD screens

Photo Gallery

 
Sports Illustrated gala honors Megan Rapinoe as Sportsperson of the Year
Sports Illustrated gala honors Megan Rapinoe as Sportsperson of the Year

Latest News

Africa's tropics account for a third of rise in methane emissions
California woman the 53rd person charged in college cheating scandal
'Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik' renewed for Season 2
Turkey court: U.S. consulate worker will stay in jail pending trial
New Jersey shooters who killed 4 targeted Kosher store, officials say
 
Back to Article
/
Back to top
About UPI Contact Feedback Advertisements Submit News Tips
Copyright © 2019 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy