#Fusion Tables for Beginners

CAR Conference 2014
Baltimore, Md.
Daniel Lathrop
2014-02-28

Handout and data at: http://github.com/lathropd/talks

##A what? Fusion Tables are Google’s answer to a relational database in the cloud. It’s like an online version of Microsoft Access (or MySQL or Postgres or …) with minimal features but good visualization tools. And yes, it has SQL inside.

##Part A: Import some data

  1. Create one at google.com/drive/apps.html#fusiontables Fusion Tables is part of Google Drive
  2. Choose method of creating file (“From this computer”). select choose a file
  3. Select our sample data (Maryland Census Data from American Communities Survey 2012) from the IRE training folder. choose the 2012 census data
  4. Setup the import pull it in say ok
  5. Wait …

wait

##Part B: Examine it

  1. Look at your data look at your data
  2. Pick some columns to summarize select some variables
  3. OK, that’s ugly ick!
  4. Change some column names select modify columns

choose better names

  1. Try to map it make a map

that didn't work

  1. Make zipcodes into a location change the column

make it a location

  1. Wait again, then look at your map cool, dots!
  2. Now edit your map
    arrange colors

this could take a while

this could take a while

  1. Filter data and admire your work this could take a while

##Part C: Merge it!!!!!!

##Part D: More cool stuff

Shp Escape http://shpescape.org

Census TIGER Files http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/geo/shapefiles2013/main

Fusion Tables Layer Wizard http://fusion-tables-api-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/FusionTablesLayerWizard/src/index.html

ESRI Story Maps http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/

Tableau Desktop https://www.tableausoftware.com/products/desktop

Tableau Public https://www.tableausoftware.com/products/public