Hi all,
One of the essential function of ArcGIS is the ability to analyze/visualize census data. However, as many of you have know that the ID number AND the shape of the census tracts are not exactly the same when the most recent census came out in 2012. Precisely, the "shape" doesn't change, but some of the 2000 census tracts are divided by two/three/four/five in the 2010 version, and some can be change the other way around. This created a major challenge when I tried to do a time series analysis.
For example, let's say I want to do a 2000 vs 2010 population change analysis of New York city. Since the size of the 2010 census tracts are not entirely the same when compared to the 2000 census tracts, I can't automatically generatel the statistics by joining the table and writing query to get the percentage changes.
I tried to get around with that by create centroids of the census tract and using spatial join. However, I guess there should be a easier way to get around with this. Anyone mind to share some thoughts on this issue?
Thanks!
Jason