Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Georgia 2000 Information System?Put simply, the Georgia 2000 Information System provides access to geographic and demographic information in the form of maps and reports. Created primarily as a planning tool for education and economic development, Georgia 2000 uses GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology to allow users to define their own study areas: by state, county, zip code, political district, census tract or block group, metro area, service delivery region, user-defined radius, and so forth.Within these study areas, various kinds of reports may be generated, delimited according to relevant variables such as age, race, gender, occupation, and housing. Multi-layer maps can also be generated, showing transportation routes, political and geographical regions, schools, and industry, all connected to an expandable pool of information from which reports may be created. In fact, by selecting more than one target area, statistics from multiple areas can be easily compiled for comparison. Why use the Georgia 2000 Information System?The Georgia 2000 information system is designed to make public information access and data-sharing more efficient, by eliminating the need for duplicate processing efforts, and by allowing information from various sources to be tabulated online. Anyone with an up-to-date browser can get specific answers to specific questions without having to download files and dissect them using costly software applications. Reports can be produced at the computer, usually in less than a minute.As a flexible system for storing, relating, and retrieving data, Georgia 2000 has, quite literally, the potential to benefit every person in the state of Georgia, and many in other states as well. With the right data partnerships, agencies fielding frequent inquiries may rely on Georgia 2000 to free up more time for mission-critical tasks, with obvious collateral benefits for the populations they serve. Public administrators, students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and legislators can remain focused on the information they need, rather than on the technology needed to get that information. Georgia 2000 is quick desktop access to information that is current, accurate, and easy to read and to use. What can Georgia 2000 tell me?Georgia 2000 offers data from a multitude of sources, and you will possibly find more information here every time you visit. The best way to discover what's there is to try the system out for yourself. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of additions to the site. Here are some sample questions you can use to get started.
I've been using Georgia 100 and the Geographic Reporter. What's new in Georgia 2000?Georgia 2000 employs all the functionality of Georgia 100 (demographic reporting, creating custom study areas, and map making) and transfers that capability to the Web. Whereas the Georgia 100 system requires extensive training and was limited to 19 stand-alone Unix workstations, Georgia 2000 is available free to anyone with a Web browser, and can be learned within an hour. Furthermore, unlike the Geographic Reporter, Georgia 2000 allows the user to create custom study areas and delivers mapmaking capability "on the fly." Although Georgia 100 is a quality application, especially for the time in which it was created (1993), changes in technology, particularly the explosion of the Internet, demand that we deliver our product to a much larger population of users.Why do I have to register to run reports?Registration, which is completely free, is optional for Georgia 2000: you can use the map in Map-based Reporting without logging in. To run reports, though, you are required to register and log in. We aggregate usage information to determine what kinds of users we have, how many users use the Georgia 2000 site and what types of data they are interested in. Keeping tabs on our usage helps us to justify funding for maintaining and expanding this site.What browsers are compatible with Georgia 2000?All data from Georgia 2000 is available to any user with any web browser. Map-based Reporting, however, uses a plug-in called MapGuide Viewer. The viewer requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or higher.You can click below to download and install the latest browsers and the corresponding plug-in: Microsoft Internet Explorer and MapGuide Viewer What are the technical requirements for using Georgia 2000?The minimum requirements for Georgia 2000 to work correctly are:
Because Map-based Reporting uses the MapGuide Viewer the requirements to make this section work are:
Go to the Technical Requirements page to see if your browser meets the requirements for using Georgia 2000. This page checks information on your browser and will notify you if any requirement is not met. Do I have to have the plug-in to use this website?No. Menu-based Reporting allows you to generate reports without downloading and installing a plug-in. To generate reports by choosing areas on the map in Map-based Reporting, however, you will need to download and install the MapGuide Viewer plug-in.Why should I install the MapGuide Viewer?MapGuide maps are dynamic, as opposed to static GIF and JPEG map images. The MapGuide Viewer, which is completely free, allows you to
I downloaded the MapGuide Viewer, but when I returned to Map-based Reporting, I was sent back to the Technical Requirements page, which said I needed the viewer. What is going on?There are a few possibilities.
Why does it sometimes take so long to view a map?Each map is information-rich and graphics-intensive; consequently, it takes a little longer to load than less sophisticated Web pages. Sometimes the delay in transfer may be caused by traffic on our network or other networks; other times, sections of a network may be "down." Although download time isn't under our complete control, work is always being done to make this Web site more usable.Does Georgia 2000 work with the Macintosh operating system?Everything on the Georgia 2000 website is available to Macintosh users except Map-based Reporting, which uses a MapGuide Viewer. Menu-based Reporting offers the same data and allows users to select geographic areas and reports through a series of menus.How can I get the map print-out to fill the entire page?See the help on printing. There are detailed instructions for doing this.How do I view the reports?In Map-based Reporting, you can access reports by selecting features on the map. You do this by pointing your mouse over an area and clicking on the map. For multiple areas, hold down your shift key and point and click on the additional areas. Make sure that your specific geographic area map layer is highlighted; and it would probably be best if you had a minimal amount of other map layers drawn. For instance, if you were interested in reporting county information, and that layer is drawn, you probably would want to undraw zip codes, school districts, tracts or other polygonal layers so that counties are easily chosen and in focus.Then, you can click on the reports button, the second to last button from the right in the menu bar at the top of the map. A list of available reports should appear. You may also choose Menu-based Reporting from the website navigation menu, where you can select an area and data subject from lists and then choose available reports. How do I save a report as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet?See the help on reports. There are detailed instructions for doing this. |
Georgia 2000 Information System
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