The scenario for this lesson's optional assignment is to map the results of the 2012 presidential election at the county level for a state of your choice. You can use the classification scheme I used in my voter registration map or come up with your own. Here are the data you'll need to complete the project:
Note that the data for some states appear to be unreliable (e.g., Colorado, Utah, Wyoming). The data were downloaded from The Guardian [3] in the UK, which unfortunately was the only place I could find free nationwide county-level results. Be sure the state you select passes the "smell" test.
Here's a basic outline of the major steps to complete:
If this election brings up bad memories for you, you're welcome to map a different election. You may also feel free to map the election results at the voting district level rather than at the county level.
When selecting a state/county to map, beware of multi-part and donut polygons. These types of polygons require a different kind of storage in the database, different methods of retrieval from the database and different methods for turning them into Google Maps Polygon objects.
If you're very comfortable with the material from this lesson, you may want to try mapping a place that has some of these special polygons for an extra challenge. Otherwise, I'd recommend sticking with a place that's comprised of all simple polygons. If you're unsure whether your place of interest includes any special polygons, go ahead and export its coordinates to CSV. The tool's dialog box will warn you if any were encountered.
This project is optional and is not graded. However, it can be submitted to the instructor for feedback and/or to earn up to 5 points added to your overall course grade (on a 100-point scale).
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog863_gmaps/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog863_gmaps/files//file/us_counties.zip
[2] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog863_gmaps/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog863_gmaps/files/counties_election_2012.xlsx
[3] http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2012/11/14/US_elect_county.xls
[4] https://phpdb.aset.psu.edu/phpjed124/get_cities.php
[5] https://phpdb.aset.psu.edu/phpjed124/candidate_cities.html