Mark Nepf

Accessing Census Data

A practical introduction to accessing U.S. Census Bureau data directly through R using the tidycensus package. This guide covers how to obtain and install a Census API key, find appropriate Census variables and datasets, and download Decennial Census and American Community Survey data. It also introduces basic strategies for cleaning and reshaping Census data, as well as automating downloads across multiple years and states.

Introduction to Spatial Data

An introduction to working with vector spatial data in R using the sf package. This guide explains the fundamentals of spatial data and introduces Coordinate Reference Systems, common spatial data file formats, and practical approaches for importing spatial data. Examples are provided using King County, Washington transit and parks.