Are you interested in creating maps that display 2010 Census Population and Housing data for use in reports, presentations, or general viewing?  If so, then the Census Data Mapper is an application you should explore.  The beta version of the application is now available for use at the following URL: www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/datamapper.html.

This web mapping application provides users with a simple interface to view, customize, save and print thematic maps of the United States, using data from the 2010 Census.  The beta version contains a set of 2010 Census data relating to age and sex, population and race, and family and housing in the United States by county or equivalent entity.  The map design and layout were created by Census Bureau cartographers and are similar to that used on standard Census Bureau map products.

Users can customize the map display by choosing the number of data classes, selecting from a series of predefined fill colors, and selecting the type of data classification.

The interface also allows users to explore the data sets by viewing information on the map and in tabular form.  Selecting a geographic unit on the map will result in the corresponding value in the data table being highlighted and vice versa.

Maps created within the application can be saved to your computer in PDF format and subsequently viewed and printed through Adobe Acrobat Reader.  The PDF will be a finished map product containing only the map image, and not the other graphics from the web page, and suitable for use in presentations and reports.

The current beta version of the software contains just over 20 data items from the 2010 Census, but future versions will include many more and may also include other data sets.  Future versions may also include data and maps for different levels of census geography.

For future software releases, we are exploring new ways to improve the quality of the map and reduce file size.

The Census Bureau is interested in getting feedback from users on the usefulness of the application and desired future enhancements. We hope you will provide us with your comments, suggestions, and future needs so we can improve the product in future releases.  Please email responses and feedback to geo.geography@census.gov.