Transcript Why Use Government Information?

MADGIC is…
 MAPS and ATLASES
 DATA (NUMERIC and GEOSPATIAL) for use
with special software
 GOVERNMENT INFORMATION (parliamentary
and other official reports, statistics, etc.)
… a CENTRE offering Expert Assistance
@ Your Library
MADGIC is for you if you study…
Architecture /Art and Culture/Biology/Business/
Canadian Studies/Child Studies/Chemistry/Civil and
Environmental Engineering/Criminology and Criminal
Justice/Earth Sciences/Economics/ Environmental
Science/Geography, Geomatics and Environmental
Studies/History/Human Rights/Industrial
Design/International Affairs/Journalism and
Communication/Law/Mass Communication/Political
Science and Global Politics/Public Affairs and Policy
Management/Public Policy and Administration/Social
Work/Sociology/Women’s Studies … and more…
Where on the Web can I find MADGIC?
Click on the Library’s home page and choose our links:
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Government Information
Maps
GIS
Statistics
Numeric data sets
Don’t forget to look at Subject and Course pages where
you will find many topical Web guides as well
Get better Web searching results
Use MADGIC’s customized search engines for
government websites:
 Canadian federal, provincial and municipal online
information
 African government information
 Caribbean and Latin American governments
 Intergovernmental international organizations
And to find online maps
Why use Maps?
 Present information clearly in a
visual way
 Often the only source of
information, e.g. topographic maps
or land use maps
 Atlases gather together related
spatial information by topic and/or
by time period
 Augment your research from an
information source other than text
Where can I find the Map
Collection?
Find maps on the Web
What is ‘data’?
 Numeric data comprises highly detailed datasets in digital
file formats which usually require a statistical software
package to manipulate the results of a query
 Public opinion poll data provides the raw numbers for each
question asked by a poll
 GIS data is geographically situated information about
places that can be viewed through a GIS software and
combined with other data to create new maps
Why use numeric data?
 Numeric data is at a more detailed
level than available in printed or
online statistical sources
 Public opinion polls can support or
counter arguments based on
responses to questions
 You can manipulate data files to
produce new combinations of
information using statistical
software
 The <odesi> searching interface
makes data discovery easier
Where can I get help ?
Find our Data Centre on the Web
Why use geospatial (GIS) data?
 Spatially located information is best
viewed as a map or image
 Topographic data and air photos
support site planning for an
architectural project
 Numeric data (for example, census
data) can be combined with spatial
data to create new map views of
statistical information
 Create Google Earth mashups with
geographically referenced data and
GPS plots
Where can I get help with
GIS?
Find our GIS Collection on the Web
What is Government Information?
 Information found in publications or databases issued
under the authority of a government body or by an
intergovernmental international organization such as the
United Nations or the World Bank
 Government information is found in sources such as
parliamentary bills, hearings and reports, research reports
done for government agencies, commissions of inquiry,
statistics, etc.
 Government information can be either current or historical
Why use government information?
 Primary source material
 From an authentic source
 Often most current information on
an issue
 Best source for most statistics
 Documents on foreign relations
 Track changes in policies over time
Where do I find government
publications ?
Government Information on the Web
Sign up for our RSS feeds and stay up-todate with the MADGIC Weblog
MADGIC supports your courses
MADGIC also offers these services:
 Map Labs with course displays for assignments
 Course seminars that highlight relevant resources with
accompanying Web guides matched to course content
 Data sets and sub-sets extracted for course use
 Wall maps and transparencies that can be borrowed to
illustrate assignments and course themes
Enrich your studies with MADGIC!