Data Planet

If you do not want to browse datasets, you also have the option to search for different datasets using the search bar on the home page.  To conduct a search in Data Planet:

1. Type in your keywords or search terms and click "search."
2. Refine your results by using the filters on the left side of the page.  You can filter your results by the following:
   • Content type
   • Years
   • Database
   • Level of detail
   • Source
   • Subject
   • Term
3. View your results.  To view a dataset, click on the dataset title.

Data Planet Search Results Page

Once you find a data set that looks to meet your needs, you can view it three different ways:

• Map
  On the map, you have the ability to click on specific regions or to zoom in on regions.  It also contains a map legend.
• Table
  The table and chart options are ideal for comparing data in your viewing tools.  They also contain filters to view different portions of data.
• Chart
  The table and chart options are ideal for comparing data in your viewing tools.  It also contains a chart legend.  There are different types of charts that you select, which will organize your data differently:
  • Trend
  • Map
  • Pie
  • Rank

These views are available in the chart types and tools toolbar. The toolbars also ha​s a number of viewing tools to optimize the data for how you need to use it.

Before you can know for sure if this is the right data for you, you need to understand where the data came from in the first place.  Before the chart, graph, or map, there is text to explain the data. One important thing to note is that the last updated field is not when the data was recorded. It is the last time that Data Planet reviewed the data to see if there was new data to add to the database.

When viewing a statistic, you can connect datasets with other datasets by using the "Compare" feature on the left side of the page.  To use this feature:

1. Use the checkboxes to select the datasets you want to compare.  You can select up to two datasets at once.
2. Select a chart type to view the datasets.
3. Use the "options" dropdown menu to modify the formatting of the charts.

Some things that you can do with the data once you find it useful:

• Adjust the time frame of the data.  Many data sets span over a number of years and you can adjust what time frame you wish to see in the data toolbar.
• Cite the data and create a reference.  CiteNow!, the quotation marks symbol in the toolbar, forms your reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, and others.
• Calculate data by using the calculator feature in the data toolbar.
• Share the data via email with a friend.  If you're working together on a project, share the page with your peer so you can both view the source.
• Save the data to your account. Find the data again quickly when you sign into your Data Planet account and save.
• Export the data to use outside of Data Planet.  Export the image of your data manipulation to use within your research as a visual.

Data Planet provides an export feature that provides downloadable visualizations of data for specific data sets.  They can be downloaded in the following formats:

• Microsoft Excel
• URL (link)
• PDF
• SAS (text file)
• XML

To download a specific data set:

1. Click "Export" on your data set screen.
2. Select the format for your dataset.
3. Click "Export."  The file will download to your computer.

APA citations are provided under the "Cite" feature, so do not worry about locating citation information!