What is OnTheMap?

About OnTheMap

OnTheMap Version 3 is the third generation of OnTheMap, a web-based mapping and reporting application that shows where workers are employed and where they live. It also provides companion reports on age, earnings, industry distributions, and local workforce indicators.

The major enhancements of OnTheMap Version 3 include:

• 46 states available under the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) partnership;
• Addition of 2005 and 2006 data to 2002-2004 data already available in version 2;
• Cross-state patterns for all participating states in both Commute and Labor Shed Analyses, including the retrofitting of 2002-2004 data;
• Addition of Area Profile Map Overlays, which display work/home locations within the user's selection area;
• Ability to perform analyses on specific Labor Market segments (age, earnings, and industry), giving users the ability to control the locality and segment of the workforce displayed in map overlays and reports.
• Expansion of reports to include age, earnings, and industry profiles for Paired Area Analyses;
• An all-new interface with improved map navigation (including panning) and a simplified map overlay creation process that allows users greater flexibility and ease of use;
• Base map has been updated with TIGER 2006 geographies, an enhanced cartographic display with additional reference layers, and the addition of State Legislative Districts (Upper and Lower House), Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ), School Districts (Unified/Elementary and Secondary), Tribal Subdivisions, and Alaska Native Regional Corp. (ANRC) as selectable layers;
• Animation of points and thermals for up to three years of map overlay data.

OnTheMap provides an easy-to-use interface for creating, viewing, printing and downloading workforce related maps, profiles, and underlying data. Based on 2002-2006 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.

OnTheMap: An Innovative Mapping and Reporting Tool [PDF, 788KB] by Wu, Jeremy S. and Graham, Matthew R (2009). The United Nations Statistical Commission recognized OnTheMap as one of the major U.S. statistical innovations in February 2009 based on the submission of this paper.

OnTheMap Version 4 - A Preview [PDF, 156KB]

Uses of OnTheMap

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?
• How many potential customers/employees live or work near a potential site location?

New! OnTheMap Version 3 can now answer the following workforce, transportation, and economic development questions:

• Where do workers aged 30 and younger live who are employed in a particular geographic area?
• What are the age, earnings, and industry characteristics of workers who commute between two neighboring counties?
• How many jobs in the 'Goods Producing' industry grouping are located within five, ten, and twenty miles of a planned employment training center or transit stop?
• In a Workforce Investment Area, what are the age and earnings characteristics of workers employed in the 'Trade, Transportation, and Utilities' industry grouping?
• What percentage of high-income earners live and work within a certain city, versus those who commute to a rival city?

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

top

Data Sources/Confidentiality Protection

Employment/Workforce Data

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 are 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 raw 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 underlying confidential data used to create OnTheMap Version 3 were protected using synthetic data methods that offer formal privacy guarantees. The peer-reviewed paper describing these methods is available from the International Conference on Data Engineering as:

Machanavajjhala, Ashwin, Daniel Kifer, John Abowd, Johannes Gehrke, and Lars Vilhuber, "Privacy: Theory Meets Practice On the Map," International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE) 2008, pp. 277-286.

A preprint version can be downloaded here [PDF, 204KB].
How Synthetic Data Work to Protect Confidentiality [PDF, 56KB]
Diagram on OnTheMap Synthetic Data Modeling [PDF, 96KB]

Geographic Data

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/Line files. Additional information about TIGER geography may be found at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor 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 Board Areas from the partner states. For more information on individual layers, see the Table of Contacts for Geographic Sources.

03/31/2008 - Version 3 (Alpha) - Internal release, with updated user interface, application architecture, and design improvements. (Selected states and 2002-2004 data.)

06/02/2008 - Version 3 (Beta) - Improved points/thermals and selection tools, expanded Place Name Lookup, new points/thermals time-series animation, and improved Text Only tool (expanded set of states and 2002-2004 data.)

07/21/2008 - Beta testing of Version 3 closed in preparation for the full release of OnTheMap Version 3.0.

09/04/2008 - Version 3.0 - Addition of 2005 and 2006 data, 45 states available for analysis, origin and destination data improvements, expanded reporting and data output options (Labor Market Segments), updated cartography and base map vintage (TIGER 2006), and full cross-state analyses.

09/11/2008 - Version 3.1 - Activates Job and Private Primary Job types; enhances the dynamic text throughout in the Analysis, Results, and Report tabs, and corrects a bug in the reporting of Quarterly Workforce Indicator statistics.

10/24/2008 - Version 3.1.1 - Addition of School Districts (Unified/Elementary and Secondary), State Legislative Districts (Upper and Lower), Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ), Tribal Subdivisions, and Alaska Native Regional Corp. (ANRC) to the set of reference and selectable geographic layers. Added an Automatic Map Precision setting and Tool Tip icons for quick access to defintions of key terms. Version 3.1.1 also includes improvements to the OnTheMap interface, dynamic text, report output options, OnTheMap Text-Only tool, and some minor bug fixes.

10/28/2008 - Version 3.1.2 - Corrects some minor bugs and improves interface consistency.

12/15/2008 - Version 3.2 - Addition of New York to the OnTheMap database, as well as additional rollup layers for the Shed Report.

12/16/2008 - Version 3.2.1 - Releases OnTheMap Direct prototype for the state of Iowa.

05/08/2009 - Version 3.3 - Corrects a bug in the Paired Shed Analysis dynamic text and partially corrects the Shed Report for 5 out of 6 Rollup Layers with a duplicate naming bug. Layers completely corrected: Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and State Legislative Districts (Upper and Lower). Layers partially corrected: County Subdivisions and Unified/Elementary School Districts. Layers to be fully correct in an upcoming patch: Cities/Towns, County Subdivisions, and Unified/Elementary School Districts.

05/28/2009 - Version 3.3.1 - Corrects a bug that caused users to receive an error when performing a Shed Analysis with only one rollup layer selected.

top

1. For satisfactory performance, please adhere to the following System Requirements:

• A computer with at least 1 GB 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.

2. Unlike in OnTheMap Version 2, Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) appear in the report for an Area Profile Analysis, but only for work areas.

3. The QWI statistics generated in the Work Area Profile report 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 a later version of OnTheMap.

4. OnTheMap Version 3 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 Version 3 text-based tool is accessible by selecting "Text-Only Mode" from the "Map or Text-Only:" drop-down box in the OnTheMap Version 3 entry page.

5. The geographic layer "Cities/Towns" contains both Incorporated Cities and Census Designated Places (CDP), and has been developed from TIGER/Line features known as "Places." For most users, the features shown in this layer correspond to locally known places such as cities and towns. But in New England states (and to a lesser extent the Upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions), towns and townships are classified as "County Subdivisions" in the TIGER/Line geography hierarchy. Users in these states are advised to confirm the layer type of their area of interest in OnTheMap by viewing both the "County Subdivisions" and "Cities/Towns" Place Name Search results. For more information about the TIGER/Line classification system, please see http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tiger2006se/TGR06SE.pdf [PDF; File Size: 4.53MB].

top

Significant bugs will be posted in this section as they are discovered and resolved. Users are encouraged to submit suspected bugs to CES.Local.Employment.Dynamics@census.gov with subject heading 'OnTheMap Version 3'. When submitting potential bugs, please include as much detail as possible including: web browser (and version), internet connection speed, description of suggestion/problem, steps taken leading to problem, etc. Additionally, please click the Link to Me button in the top right of the application's map viewer, and paste the resulting URL into the body of the email.

1. When using Internet Explorer, complex Freehand selection areas drawn in Step 2 or 3 of the Analysis tab will not appear outlined in blue as expected (in the map viewer or Area Shape preview box). The drawn selection area will register with OnTheMap, and users should continue their analysis as normal. Confirmation of the selected area will appear in the selection outline overlay in the Results tab.

top

Lookup terms and data definitions from the OnTheMap Version 3 application and its companion reports. The glossary is in two parts: terms and definitions from the reports and from the mapping application itself.

Mapping Terms
Report Terms

top

View archived documentation of OnTheMap Version 2 here.

top