science

National Historical Geographic Information System

National Historical Geographic Information System is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand National Historical Geographic Information System rather than just read about it. In short: The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) is a historical GIS project to create and freely disseminate a database incorporating all available aggregate census information for the United States between 1790 and 2010. The project has created one of the largest collections in the world of statistical census information, much of which was not previously available to the research community because of…

Key takeaways

National Historical Geographic Information System belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect National Historical Geographic Information System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of National Historical Geographic Information System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) is a historical GIS project to create and freely disseminate a database incorporating all available aggregate census information for the United States between 1790 and 2010. The project has created one of the largest collections in the world of statistical census information, much of which was not previously available to the research community because of legacy data formats and differences between metadata formats. The statistical and geographic data are disseminated free of charge through a sophisticated online data access system. In addition, NHGIS has created historical and contemporary cartographic boundary shapefiles compatible with every census, and over 50 million lines of metadata describing the collection. Historical U.S. state and county boundaries are available 1790–present, with smaller geographies available as the U.S. Census Bureau created them. Census Tract boundaries are available 1910–present and Block Group and Block boundaries available 1990–present. The cartographic boundary files and the tabular data are formatted so as to be easily linked for use in Geographic Information System software. NHGIS was launched in 2007 and is maintained by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota and is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Much of the historical data are viewable as tables or interactive maps in Social Explorer, a small company which offers both free and professional licenses.

References

External links Official website National Historical Geographic Information Systems citations at Google Scholar National Historical Geographic Information Systems online Forum at Google Groups Social Explorer

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with National Historical Geographic Information System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what National Historical Geographic Information System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to National Historical Geographic Information System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about National Historical Geographic Information System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of National Historical Geographic Information System

In research: National Historical Geographic Information System appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses National Historical Geographic Information System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: National Historical Geographic Information System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Demographic history of the United States, Demographics of the United States, Geographic data and information in the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for National Historical Geographic Information System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study National Historical Geographic Information System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what National Historical Geographic Information System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain National Historical Geographic Information System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is National Historical Geographic Information System in simple terms?

Why does National Historical Geographic Information System matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study National Historical Geographic Information System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on National Historical Geographic Information System.