5 ms·

The Racial Dot Map: One Dot per Person for the Entire U.S.

61 points by draugadrotten 12y ago

DanAndersen 12y ago
When looking at data like this, I'm always reminded of Schelling's model of residential segregation, which suggests that even a small preference for living near like people leads to high segregation in the global system. Example: in this simulation, agents are willing to live in environments where only 30% of neighbors are like them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnffIS2EJ30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnffIS2EJ30 Another good explanation of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFl3Cfw12bo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFl3Cfw12bo I wonder if anyone has done a "reverse" model, taking in census data and trying to estimate a rough "Schelling threshold" -- like if all the dots started out randomly placed on the US, what percentage of "tolerance" would lead to the clustering we have in reality.
bradbatt 12y ago
Really interesting…and well done.
githulhu 12y ago
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6276296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6276296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8302548 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8302548
skywhopper 12y ago
Very nice. Unfortunately, color-perception-deficient visitors will have trouble with the map. I personally can't tell the difference between the "Black" and "Hispanic" dots unless two relatively big blobs of them are right next to each other. The "Asian" and "Other" colors are similarly indistinct, but not as bad.
- chuckledog 12y ago
  Agreed even for normal color perception :)
kzrdude 12y ago
Does everyone take part in the US Census? If so, why, is there an incentive?
- narrowrail 12y ago
  To add to what every other reply is telling you, I ignored the census form they mailed to my house. A month later, some guy stopped by and asked me the questions in person. People camping in semi-remote places and those living out of their cars/ blending into society are probably missed, but that is a small proportion of the population.
- rmc 12y ago
  I don't know about the USA, but in some countries it's legally required.
- jimueller 12y ago
  If you don't respond, a census taker stops by for a visit.
- dangrossman 12y ago
  Answering US Census surveys is legally required, though nobody's been prosecuted for failing to do so in decades. If you don't respond to a survey, the bureau will send someone to the house to ask the survey questions in person. If nobody there will respond, then the agent/representative will record their own estimates for that household.
- Shinkei 12y ago
  The incentive is that it determines your congressional representation and funding from federal gov't for all sorts of things such as education, welfare, etc. Not to mention, it is spelled out in the US consitition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census
th0ma5 12y ago
Also shows the correlation to slavery in the US as well http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/maps-reveal-slavery-expanded-across-united-states-180951452/?no-ist http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/maps-reveal-slavery-ex...
dEnigma 12y ago
I think this would be more intuitively understandable if they just took the skin color to represent the different races.
llamataboot 12y ago
If you are interested in why racial segregation persists to such a high level (especially in the de-industrialized midwestern and rust belt cities) and the persistence of intractable racial disparities, I highly recommend Massey and Denton's American Apartheid. A bit old now, but still a very clear and deep understanding of segregation and its effects http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674018214/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4161356325&ref=pd_sl_7szqbh44o9_b http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674018214/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4161... -- I spent about a decade working for racial justice think tanks doing research and policy work around racial segregation and its connection to racial disparities, and it was always my go to book to explain to people why the work I was doing was important for racial justice.
chrdlu 12y ago
Great map! I go to school in St. Louis and think that it really shows what the situation is like. Here is a map I just created: http://i.imgur.com/uz9Pbhx.jpg http://i.imgur.com/uz9Pbhx.jpg Red box - Forest Park (the big park in the middle of the city) Green shape - Lambert International Airport (Ferguson is about a mile to the east) Purple line - City limits -- you can clearly see that St. Louis County and St. Louis city have very different demographics. Blue line - Imaginary line of segregation. Its a few block north of Forest Park, its not as clear on Google maps, but its very distinct on the dot map.
pohl 12y ago
I would be very interested to see this overlayed with the boundaries of some of the more oddly-shaped, gerrymandered districts.

61 points by draugadrotten 12y ago

When looking at data like this, I'm always reminded of Schelling's model of residential segregation, which suggests that even a small preference for living near like people leads to high segregation in the global system. Example: in this simulation, agents are willing to live in environments where only 30% of neighbors are like them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnffIS2EJ30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnffIS2EJ30 Another good explanation of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFl3Cfw12bo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFl3Cfw12bo I wonder if anyone has done a "reverse" model, taking in census data and trying to estimate a rough "Schelling threshold" -- like if all the dots started out randomly placed on the US, what percentage of "tolerance" would lead to the clustering we have in reality.

bradbatt 12y ago

Really interesting…and well done.

githulhu 12y ago

Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6276296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6276296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8302548 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8302548

skywhopper 12y ago

Very nice. Unfortunately, color-perception-deficient visitors will have trouble with the map. I personally can't tell the difference between the "Black" and "Hispanic" dots unless two relatively big blobs of them are right next to each other. The "Asian" and "Other" colors are similarly indistinct, but not as bad.

chuckledog 12y ago
Agreed even for normal color perception :)

kzrdude 12y ago

Does everyone take part in the US Census? If so, why, is there an incentive?

narrowrail 12y ago
To add to what every other reply is telling you, I ignored the census form they mailed to my house. A month later, some guy stopped by and asked me the questions in person. People camping in semi-remote places and those living out of their cars/ blending into society are probably missed, but that is a small proportion of the population.
rmc 12y ago
I don't know about the USA, but in some countries it's legally required.
jimueller 12y ago
If you don't respond, a census taker stops by for a visit.
dangrossman 12y ago
Answering US Census surveys is legally required, though nobody's been prosecuted for failing to do so in decades. If you don't respond to a survey, the bureau will send someone to the house to ask the survey questions in person. If nobody there will respond, then the agent/representative will record their own estimates for that household.
Shinkei 12y ago
The incentive is that it determines your congressional representation and funding from federal gov't for all sorts of things such as education, welfare, etc. Not to mention, it is spelled out in the US consitition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census

th0ma5 12y ago

Also shows the correlation to slavery in the US as well http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/maps-reveal-slavery-expanded-across-united-states-180951452/?no-ist http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/maps-reveal-slavery-ex...

dEnigma 12y ago

I think this would be more intuitively understandable if they just took the skin color to represent the different races.

llamataboot 12y ago

If you are interested in why racial segregation persists to such a high level (especially in the de-industrialized midwestern and rust belt cities) and the persistence of intractable racial disparities, I highly recommend Massey and Denton's American Apartheid. A bit old now, but still a very clear and deep understanding of segregation and its effects http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674018214/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4161356325&ref=pd_sl_7szqbh44o9_b http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674018214/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4161... -- I spent about a decade working for racial justice think tanks doing research and policy work around racial segregation and its connection to racial disparities, and it was always my go to book to explain to people why the work I was doing was important for racial justice.

chrdlu 12y ago

Great map! I go to school in St. Louis and think that it really shows what the situation is like. Here is a map I just created: http://i.imgur.com/uz9Pbhx.jpg http://i.imgur.com/uz9Pbhx.jpg Red box - Forest Park (the big park in the middle of the city) Green shape - Lambert International Airport (Ferguson is about a mile to the east) Purple line - City limits -- you can clearly see that St. Louis County and St. Louis city have very different demographics. Blue line - Imaginary line of segregation. Its a few block north of Forest Park, its not as clear on Google maps, but its very distinct on the dot map.

pohl 12y ago

I would be very interested to see this overlayed with the boundaries of some of the more oddly-shaped, gerrymandered districts.