Fall 2010 Workshops

The DRC slate of workshops are all set for the Fall semester. Check out the REG website for details: http://bit.ly/djUmaC

Getting Comfortable with Statistics

You just found the perfect table! It has all the information you were looking for and it was freely available on the web. You even found it using Google, really... what more could you ask for?

BUT - do you know where this table comes from? What are those statistics based on? Who created this table and why? What was the motivation behind creating these statistics? What do the columns represent? the rows? What are the units? Do they mesh with your research question?

Just when you think you've found your answer someone comes along and throws all these silly questions at you.

Answer these questions to help you understand your statistics

1. What is the source of these statistics?

• Do you see a citation on the web page you found your table on?
• Is the web page from a reputable association or organization?

2. Who funded or commissioned these statistics?

• If the table was generated by an association - is it a for profit organization? Could this lead to any biases in the table results?

3. How were these numbers collected and the statistics generated?

• A survey, government statistics?
• Who had contact with the respondents?
• How were the questions asked?

4. How were the individuals or objects studied and how were they selected?

• Who was surveyed?
• How was the survey conducted?
• Was the population surveyed inclusive?
• Was it a consumer survey conducted by a consultant or marketing agency?

5. How are the statistics arranged and what do they represent?

• What do the columns in your table represent?
• What do the rows in your table represent?
• What does each value in the cells represent?
• What are the units of measurement?

6. Do you need any additional information to help you determine the limitations of these statistics?

7. Will you use this table? Why or why not?

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ASSIGNMENT

1. Evaluate the following table using the 5 criteria Number of Family Medicine and Specialist Physicians by Province/Territory, Canada, 2008
2. Decide whether you would use these statistics in a report you have been asked to write for the Ministry of Health.
3. In D2L, complete the assignment quiz by stating whether you would use these statistics and why. The quiz will be open from Friday, July 9, 2010 through to midnight Friday, July 23, 2010.

Municipal Data

Municipalities in Canada are starting to make their geospatial data available for download from their websites. The Data Resource Centre now has access to geospatial data from the City of Toronto and the City of Vancouver.

Links are on our External Links web page.

Satellite Streetview Images from DMTI

Satellite StreetView (SSV) is a geospatial data product, which combines the spatial detail of high-resolution satellite imagery with the rich data content of a digital streetmap. This product is an integrated dataset of orthorectified and seamless mosaicked QuickBird Satellite pansharperned data combined with CanMap streets. It provides the highest commercially available spatial resolution satellite imagery at 60cm along with boundary and point data to ensure a full range of positionally accurate geospatial data products. SSV Data is available for: Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton, Halifax, Halton, Jonquiere, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Montreal, Niagara, Ottawa, Quebec City, Regina, Saskatoon, Sault-Ste-Marie, Sidney, Sooke, St-Johns, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Windsor-Detroit and Winnipeg.

File sizes are very large and not available for download from the DRC Geospatial Data Explorer site. For more information search "satellite streetview" on the Geospatial Data Explorer site - http://www.uoguelph.ca/gisdata/.

For access to these images contact the DRC - drc@listserv.uoguelph.ca.

Format: GeoTIFF
Resoution: 60 cm.

Digital Imagery Available in the Data Resource Centre

The University of Guelph Library has acquired a large collection of aerial images for Ontario through the OCUL [Ontario Council of University Libraries] partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Many of these images are available for download from the Data Resource Centre Data Geospatial Data Explorer [http://www.uoguelph.ca/gisdata/]. For images not available online contact the DRC at drc@listserv.uoguelph.ca.

Orthoimagery - Greater Toronto Area – 1 km tiles and 20 km Mosaiced Tiles, 2005; 2007 and 2008
15 and 20 cm resolution
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Orthoimagery includes 35 compressed georeferenced colour aerial photographic MrSID mosaiced images taken in the spring of 2005. Coverage includes: Region of Durham (Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge & Whitby); Region of York (Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Whitechurch-Stouffville); Region of Peel (Brampton, Caledon & Mississauga); Region of Halton (Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton & Oakville); City of Toronto; City of Hamilton.

Orthoimagery - South Central Ontario, 2002
Data collected in 2002
30 cm resolution
Coverage includes the Golden Horseshoe and Surrounding area. Additional area images were added in 2005.

SWOOP - Southwestern Ontario Orthophotography Project (2006) – 1 km tiles and 20 km mosaiced tiles
Data collected in the Spring of 2006
30 cm resolution
SWOOP encompasses the following municipal tiers: Bruce County, Brant County, Elgin County, Essex County, Grey County, Haldimand County, Huron County, Lambton County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Oxford County, Perth County and Wellington County, Dufferin County (west), Municipality of Chatham-Kent.


Orthoimagery 2006 - City of Guelph
Set of 4 images covering the City of Guelph and surrounding area. Images flown in the spring of 2006.
Resolution 10 cm.


County of Simcoe, Muskoka and Dufferin Orthophotography Project, 2008 - 1 km tiles and 20 km mosaiced tiles
Data collected in April 2008
30 cm resolution (10 cm resolution for urban areas)
The orthophotography encompasses the following municipal tiers: The District of Muskoka (Town of Bracebridege, Hunstville, Gravenhurst, Township of Georgian Bay, Township of Muskoka Lakes and Township of Lake of Bays), The County of Dufferin [not complete], The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, County of Simcoe, The City of Barrie, The City of Orillia in the Province of Ontario.


Digital Raster Acquisition Project Eastern Ontario (DRAPE), 2008
Data collected in April and Fall of 2008
30 cm resolution
Coverage includes City of Belleville, City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Kingston, City of Ottawa, City of Peterborough, City of Quinte West, City of Cornwall, County of Lanark, County of Peterborough, County of Renfrew, Crowe Valley Conservation Authority, Hastings County, Lower Trent Conservation Authority, Loyalist Township, Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Municipality of Trent Hills, Rideau Canal and St. Lawrence Parks, Prescott-Russell,Prince Edward County, Quinte Conservation Authority, Raison Region Conservation Authority, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, South Nation Conservation Authority, Township of Central Frontenac, Township of Lanark Highlands, Township of North Glengarry, Township of North Stormont, Township of South Dundas, Township of South Glengarry, Township of South Stormont and Untied Counties of Leeds and Grenville

City of Hamilton Orthophotos, 2005
Set of moasaiced images,
20 cm resolution

City of London Orthophotos, 2007, 2008
Single image for each year (each file is approx. 1 gb in size)
15 cm resolution

City of Ottawa Air Photos
2005
20 cm resolution

Canada Food Stats - Tips for 2008

If you are interested in looking for the recent consumption figures in the Canada Food Stats database don't panic, they are still there! Under the Reports tab select the Food Available button (previously listed as Food Consumption). In the older reports the column listed as "Consumed" has been renamed "Adjusted for Losses".

Just so you know...we double checked the figures :-) If you have questions come see us.

Lime Survey consulting

Lime Survey is web survey software that the University of Guelph is currently supporting. If you would like to meet with someone to find out more about this survey drop in to the Data Resource Centre on Tuesday afternoons between 2 and 4.