02. Social Explorer--Visualizing and Exploring Census and other Social Data Social Explorer, Inc.

• In Event: 265 - Research Funding Opportunities and Data Resources (part of the Research Support Forum)

Abstract

Social Explorer is a powerful online research and visualization tool. It allows users to explore local and national census data from 1790 to the present, as well as election data, crime data, economic data, the Irish Census from 1863 to near the present, and soon the General Social Survey and the American National Election Survey, as well as other new data sources. Based on decades of demographic and programming expertise, Social Explorer enables users to conduct research related to the social sciences, history, business and more with ease. Working with the Census Bureau several visualizations tool were developed http://census.gov/censusexplorer that has been visited by over 500,000 users who have made over 1 million maps. Last year over 850,000 Social Explorer users created more than 16 million maps and 300,0000 reports. Social Explorer is used at hundreds of universities and by instructors in thousands of classes.
Social Explorer was named an “Outstanding Reference Source” by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) in 2010 a division of the American Library Association. Social Explorer was the only online-only research tool featured among that year’s awardees. Social Explorer was named an Outstanding Website by the Webmarketing Association in 2012, and by the Interactive Media Association in 2013., was a Webby Honoree in 2014, and was recently named at Modern Library Award gold level winner. Social Explorer and the University of Illinois at Chicago have been awarded several collaborative NSF grants.

Social Explorer comes as a Free Edition, which has a limited set of variables, maps and features; A Student Edition, which has a wider array of data and is licensed to Pearson Publishing for use in over two dozen Sociology texts, including the best sellers by Henslin and Macionis, and Manza's Sociology Project, and a Professional Edition and all the data and more features, which is licensed to colleges, universities and other institutions. The Professional Edition is distributed by Oxford University Press On-line.

Author

• Andrew A. Beveridge, City University of New York-Queens College and Graduate Center