This page provides archived documentation for OnTheMap Version 2, which is no longer active. OnTheMap Version 3 is the current version of this application.

What is OnTheMap?

OnTheMap Version 2 is the second generation of OnTheMap, a web-based mapping and reporting application that shows where people work and where workers live. It also provides companion reports on age, earnings, industry distributions, and local workforce indicators.

The major enhancements of OnTheMap Version 2 include:

• 42 states available under the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) partnership;
• Addition of 2004 data to 2002-2003 data that were available in version 1;
• Cross-state patterns for all participating states, including the retrofitting of 2002-2003 data;
• Expansion of reports to include side-by-side 3-year comparisons of 2002-2004 data; and
• Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) regions and 110th Congressional Districts as additional selectable geographic layers.

OnTheMap provides an easy-to-use interface for creating, viewing, printing and downloading workforce related maps, profiles, and underlying data. Based on 2002, 2003, and 2004 LED worker origin and destination data and the Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) profile data files, OnTheMap is a unique resource for mapping the travel patterns of workers and identifying small-area workforce characteristics.

Use OnTheMap to get answers to these and other workforce, transportation, and economic development questions:

• Where do workers live who are employed in a particular geographic area?
• What are the workplace destinations for workers living in a particular community or neighborhood?
• How do specific employment areas compare in terms of worker origin patterns, worker ages, annual earnings, and industry-sector employment? How are these areas changing over time?
• How many jobs are located within five, ten, and twenty miles of a planned employment training center or transit stop?
• How many workers live along a transit corridor and work downtown or in some other area along the same corridor?

The employment data used in this application are derived from payroll tax (Unemployment Insurance) payment records maintained by each state. The states assign employer locations, while workers' home locations are assigned by the Census Bureau using data from multiple Federal agencies. Age, earnings, and industry profiles are compiled by the Census Bureau from a state's records and are supplemented with other Census Bureau source data. Final compilations and confidentiality modeling is performed by the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau and its state partners are committed to protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the underlying workforce and employment data files. Statistical techniques are employed by the Census Bureau to ensure that actual statistics are not shown if the numbers in a cell are small. Rather, the mapping displays and tabular reports show synthetic data that are statistically analogous to actual worker counts and locations but not exact.

Technically, the approach to avoid disclosure of individual information is to combine cell suppression methodology with statistical noise, controlling key measures to county employment levels as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Only Census Bureau employees or individuals who have Special Sworn Status are permitted to work with the data. Everyone who has access to U.S. Title 13 data must have an official security clearance based on a background check, including fingerprinting. The Census Bureau and state data custodians closely review all projects before release to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

The project is supported by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) at the U.S. Department of Labor.

top

System Requirements

For satisfactory performance, we recommend that you use:

• A computer with at least 512 MB RAM, a high performance graphics card, and a monitor with at least 1280x1024 resolution.
• Download access speed of at least 500Kb/s or high-speed broadband internet connection (e.g., DSL, Cable, T1 connection).
• An Internet browser such as Firefox version 1.0 or higher, Internet Explorer version 6.0 or higher, Netscape version 7.1 or higher, or their equivalent.
• Browser set to accept session cookies.
• Browser with JavaScript and style sheets enabled and "Popup Blocker" turned off.

top

Release Schedule and State Partners

04/15/2007 Version 2.0 (3 states) - Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina

05/31/2007 Version 2.1 (13 additional states) - Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

07/31/2007 Version 2.2 (17 additional states) - Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

09/30/2007 Version 2.3 (9 additional states) - California, Alaska, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wyoming.

12/18/2007 Version 2.3.1 - Final Maintenance Release for version 2

top

All States

1. The QWI Report is available only when performing a Labor Shed Analysis. Even if the user forces the selection in the 'Create/Change Overlay' entry box to read 'Commute Shed' and 'QWI Report,' the map overlay and report will produce Labor Shed results.

2. Cross-state commuting patterns are available only when performing a Labor Shed analysis. If a user selects regions in multiple states (such as WIRED regions 1, 2, or 3) for a Commute Shed Analysis, the overlay will result in two one-sided sheds, because each state will display only the worker locations within that state. A Labor Shed Analysis that involves regions in multiple states will produce an overlay showing cross-state patterns without regard to state boundaries. Click here [PDF, 1.7MB] for a sample Commute Shed that illustrates cross-state patterns.

3. The statistics generated in the QWI reports are based on block-level values that are subject to item suppression. Counts of jobs and measures of average earnings that have been suppressed at the block-level in order to protect confidentiality do not contribute to estimates for the selected area. A full synthesis model to eliminate the need for item suppression is being developed for possible inclusion in OnTheMap Version 3.

4. The algorithm for calculating job count totals in the 'Area Employment by Category' table in Shed and Area Profile reports can produce totals with a small discrepancy. Regardless of the how OnTheMap plots points and thermals, the Area Profile report produces complete job totals for the selected area. The job count totals produced by the Shed report, on the other hand, will include only jobs from blocks that can be plotted in the map overlay. This discrepancy is typically more pronounced when performing a Labor Shed Analysis, due to the addition of cross-state patterns and workers residing in U.S. Territories. Users are encouraged to use the job count totals displayed in the Area Profile report for a complete count of all jobs in the selection area.

5. OnTheMap Version 2 was developed in compliance with US Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines. This is a requirement of all Internet-based applications accessible through federal agency websites. The OnTheMap text-based look-up tool is provided here - Text-Only Tool

6. OnTheMap makes use of existing geographic data sources and definitions for all layers shown in the mapping application. In particular, the standard geographies are derived from the Census Bureau's TIGER files. Additional information about TIGER geography may be found at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html. Additionally, DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) provides the definitions of workforce and economic development resources, such as the definitions of Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Regions. LED collects the definitions of the Workforce Investment Boards from the partner states. For more information on individual layers, see the Table of Contacts for Geographic Sources.

7. When exporting a Shed, Area Profile, or Concentric Ring report for a Labor Shed analysis, users are advised that the "Total Employers" count does not distribute into the year columns correctly when exporting to Excel or TAB Delimited report formats. Because "Total Employers" does not have a percent share value, the report export tool incorrectly assigns the count for 2003 to the 2002 share column and the 2002 count to the 2003 count column. Users are advised to manually correct the "Total Employers" count when exporting to Excel or TAB delimited formats.

8. Notes on downloading and exporting the OnTheMap reports. Two options are available from the default HTML report: A) Right click on the report type link desired ("PDF", "Excel - XLS", "Formatted Text", or "TAB Delimited"). Select "Save Target As..." (or in Firefox: "Save Link As..."). Choose a location and name for the report on the local computer using the "Save As" dialog window. Users may need to add one of the following extensions to the end of their report name based on the selected filetype: PDF - use <.pdf>, Excel - use <.xls>, Formatted Text and TAB Delimited - use <.txt>. To complete, click the "Save" button. B) Left click on the link to the type of report desired. If the browser opens the report an existing window, select File:"Save As" from the Menu Bar. Choose a location and name for the report on the local computer using the "Save As" dialog window. Click the "Save" button. If the browser offers to save the file, follow the browser's instructions for saving the file on the local computer. As with above, users may need to add the correct file extension to the end of the report name to have the file save correctly. Exact procedures on an individual's computer may be different depending on the operating system and web browser in use.

top

9. A significant shortfall in public sector data, notably NAICS61/ Educational Services and NAICS 92/Public Administration, exists in California's 2002 job counts. Private sector counts, as well as 2003 and 2004 data, remain unaffected. The missing public sector data have been recovered and are being processed for inclusion in OnTheMap Version 3.

10. A larger than expected number of long-distance commutes to the Hacienda Business Park in Pleasanton, California have been reported and appear to stem from improper allocation of workers to establishments. We are investigating this issue.

top

11. Mississippi has only 2004 data available and Arkansas has only 2003 and 2004 data available in OnTheMap at this time. Users are advised to perform cross-state flow analyses involving Arkansas or Mississippi and 2002 data (and 2003 data in Mississippi) with caution. In-state reports from these two states should reveal a blank data column for the missing data years, while multi-state analyses involving Arkansas and/or Mississippi will reveal only the adjacent state's 2002 (and/or 2003) data in the Shed and Area Profile reports.

top

As of version 2.3 (September 30, 2007), the known and unresolved bugs are:

2. Users are advised that the 'Overlay Key,' which classifies the point and thermal symbols and their associated ranges (after creating a map overlay), does not display appropriate worker ranges when performing a Paired Area Analysis. During this type of analysis, the 'Overlay Key' correctly symbolizes the points and thermals displayed for the first selection, but fails to refresh after the second region is selected. This bug does not affect the distribution of points and thermals nor the accuracy of reports. A fix is being developed.

3. Users are advised that the 'Overlay Key,' which classifies the point and thermal symbols and their associated ranges (after creating a map overlay), does not update automatically if the map extent is changed, e.g. re-centered or zoomed in/out. The work around for this bug is to re-perform the create/change overlay analysis after any change in map extent. The distribution of these points and thermals, as well as the accuracy of reports, is not affected by this bug. A fix is being developed.

As of version 2.2 (July 31, 2007), the known and unresolved bugs are:

6. The Text Only tool requires that a user return to the Place Name Lookup (Step 1) in order to change the analysis type from Labor Shed to Commute Shed (or vice versa) for the same place. Changing the analysis type without first returning to the Place Name Lookup will generate an error and a report will not be created.

Additionally, access to the Text Only tool is possible only while in the Place Name Lookup/OnTheMap Version 2 homepage. The Text Only tool link fails when selected from inside the mapping application. (This portion was resolved in version 2.2.1 on 8/28/07.)

Previous Resolved Bugs

top

05/12/2008    OnTheMap Version 3 Update [PDF;File Size: 108KB]

01/31/2008    OnTheMap Version 3 - A Preview [PDF;File Size: 108KB]

06/01/2007    Revised Release Schedule for OnTheMap Version 2 [PDF;File Size: 16KB]

04/09/2007    OnTheMap Version 2 Begins Roll Out on April 15 [PDF;File Size: 168KB]

03/28/2007    Release Schedule for OnTheMap Version 2 [PDF;File Size: 96KB]

top

View archived documentation of OnTheMap Version 1 here

top