White Papers and Podcasts

Methodology Papers

• ESRI Demographic Update Methodology: 2009/2014 [PDF]
  Current events, such as rising unemployment, lower home prices, stagnating income, and regional distinctions, such as the availability of jobs or affordable housing, affect the social and economic trends that are captured in the 2009/2014 demographic data updates.
• 2009 Methodology Statement: ESRI Data—Business Locations and Business Summary [PDF]
  This document describes how ESRI extracts its business data from a comprehensive list of businesses licensed from infoUSA.
• 2009 Methodology Statement: ESRI Data—Consumer Spending [PDF]
  This methodology white paper describes how ESRI integrates data from the latest Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CEX)—the Diary Survey and the Interview Survey—from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with Tapestry Segmentation data to provide a comprehensive database about all consumer expenditures.
• Methodology Statement: 2009 Diversity Index [PDF]
  This white paper defines the U.S. Diversity Index and discusses the features of the ESRI race and ethnic origin database that is supplemented by a diversity index.
• 2009 Methodology Statement: ESRI Data—Retail MarketPlace [PDF]
  This document explains how ESRI built the Retail MarketPlace database to provide a complete assessment of the retail marketplace including a measure of the difference between supply and demand by industry sector.
• 2009 Methodology Statement: ESRI Data—Market Potential [PDF]
  This document explains how ESRI calculates its Market Potential data by combining ESRI's Tapestry Segmentation data with consumer survey data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence LLC. Doublebase 2008.
• 2009 Methodology Statement: ESRI Data—Tapestry Segmentation for Block Groups and ZIP+4s [PDF]
  This document describes how ESRI uses the traditional statistical methodology of cluster analysis with the latest data mining techniques to create Tapestry Segmentation at smaller geographic levels.
• ESRI Demographic Update Methodology: 2008/2013 [PDF]
  Current events, such as rising inflation and interest rates, and regional distinctions, like the availability of jobs or affordable housing, affect the social and economic trends that are captured in the 2008 updates.
• ESRI Demographic Update Methodology: 2007/2012 [PDF]
  Current events, such as rising inflation and interest rates, and regional distinctions, like the availability of jobs or affordable housing, affect the social and economic trends that are captured in the 2007 updates.
• ESRI's Gulf Coast Updates Methodology: 2006/2011 [PDF]
  This white paper details how ESRI's data development team created a new methodology to reveal the demographic changes in the Gulf Coast region from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

White Papers

• Identifying Special Needs Populations in Hazard Zones: How to Use Tapestry Segmentation for Disaster Evacuation Planning [PDF]
  The marketing application of customer profiling was used to identify special needs populations before, during, and after a disaster evacuation. ESRI's Tapestry Segmentation system was used to analyze the population segments in the Virginia Beach, VA, surge zone for the Central Virginia Fire District. This white paper describes the steps used to perform the analysis.
• ESRI Trend Analysis: 2009/2014 [PDF]
  Recent changes in the U.S. economy are accurately identified by ESRI's 2009/2014 demographic data. Read more about demographic trends such as housing, employment, home value, and income.
• ESRI Trend Analysis: 2008/2013 [PDF]
  Demographic data trends, such as aging, housing, economy, employment, and income, are described based on ESRI's demographic data updates.
• Evaluating Population Projections: The Importance of Accurate Forecasting [PDF]
  This white paper explains the importance of accurate forecasting after each decennial census, and the methodology created and used by ESRI to develop its demographic data forecasts.
• A Break from the Past: ESRI's 2006 Demographic Updates [PDF]
  In 2006, ESRI implemented Address-Based Allocation (ABA), a new technique that measures population change by block group, and introduced a new data source to track residential construction.
• Trends in the U.S. Multiracial Population from 1990–2000 [PDF]
  This white paper presents a probabilistic approach to estimate the multiracial population in 1990. Assuming that the probability of reporting more than one race varies by race and geographic area (as shown by Census 2000 data), one can estimate the number of likely multiple race reporters from 1990 Census data.

Podcasts

• 2010 Census: How Changes Affect Data Users
  Lynn Wombold, Chief Demographer and Data Development Team Manager
  Listen or download [MP3]
  Published June 17, 2008
• 2008/2013 Demographic Update
  Lynn Wombold, Chief Demographer and Manager of ESRI's Data Development Team
  Listen or download [MP3]
  Published June 3, 2008
• 2007/2012 Geographic Changes and Demographic Trends
  Lynn Wombold, Chief Demographer and Manager of ESRI's Data Development Team
  Listen or download [MP3]
  Published June 15, 2007
• 2007/2012 Demographic Data Update Methodology
  Lynn Wombold, Chief Demographer and Manager of ESRI's Data Development Team
  Listen or download [MP3]
  Published June 14, 2007

Articles

• ESRI's New 2008/2013 Data Shows the 2008 Demographic State of the U.S.
  Households Are Aging, Changing, Struggling, and Retiring
  ArcNews, Summer 2008
• The Secret Life of Polygons
  Understanding the Relative Accuracy of User-Defined Areas
  ArcUser, Summer 2008
• Changes and Challenges
  Understanding American Community Survey Data
  ArcUser, October–December 2007
• Data Evaluation Tips
  Building More Accurate Demographic Databases
  ArcUser, October–December 2007

Brochures/Flyers

• 2009 ESRI Sourcebook Products [PDF]
• ESRI's 2009/2014 Demographic Trends [PDF]
• ESRI's 2008 Demographic Data View of the United States [PDF]
• ESRI's 2008/2013 Demographic Data Trends [PDF]
• ESRI's 2007/2012 Demographic Data Trends [PDF]
• ESRI Data Fact Sheet [PDF]
• Tapestry Segmentation Poster [PDF]
• Tapestry Segmentation Reference Guide [PDF]