Variables

Tip

For a list of all variables currently in the registry, see variables.csv on Github.

A single file, variable.json, serves as a central lookup for all variables, each one being defined as a Frictionless Field Descriptor, with some extra properties that we have added for our own needs. The key for each item in the lookup must be the same as its name property.

Fields are defined by a JSON object that adheres to the field descriptors portion of the table schema standard, though not all possible attributes are required or implemented.

The following additional attributes are also supported and in some cases required:

Property Format Description Comment
name Primary identifier Same as key for this item, must be CamelCase and <= 10 characters long.
title Human-readable title Appears in data dictionaries and OEPS Explorer interfaces
type Datatype of this variable See Frictionless Data field descriptor types
example Varies An example value for the field
description A description for the field
constraints A constraints descriptor
construct Construct this variable fits within
source Abbreviated data source This information appears in OEPS Explorer interfaces
source_long Long-form data source info
oeps_v1_table Table that held this variable in OEPS v1 Not always applicable
comments Extra notes if needed
metadata_doc_url Markdown metadata URL Metadata documents store further information about the provenance of each variable
longitudinal N/A N/A
analysis N/A N/A
table_sources List of all table sources this variable appears in Table source names are in this list

Example variable entry

"TotPop": {
    "title": "Total Population",
    "name": "TotPop",
    "type": "integer",
    "example": "1632480",
    "description": "Total population",
    "constraints": "1980-2000 historic data was acquired from NHGIS and then interpolated to modern county boundaries through a population weighted interpolation using the tidycensus `interpolate_pw` function. For 1980, the underlying population weighting was county subdivisions, while for 1990 and 200 the underlying population weighting was tracts.",
    "construct": "Population",
    "source": "ACS 2018, 5-Year; Census 2010; IPUMS NHGIS",
    "source_long": "American Community Survey 2014-2018 5 Year Estimate; 2010 Decennial Census; Integrated Public Use Microdata Series National Historic Geographic Information System",
    "oeps_v1_table": null,
    "comments": "For more information about how these data have been used in homelessness and housing stability research, please refer to https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/special-operations-homelessness.html or https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/reports/2020/10/05/491122/count-people-where-they-are/.",
    "metadata_doc_url": "https://github.com/GeoDaCenter/opioid-policy-scan/blob/main/data_final/metadata/Demographics.md",
    "longitudinal": true,
    "analysis": false,
    "table_sources": [
      "county-1980",
      "county-1990",
      "county-2000",
      "county-2010",
      "county-2018",
      "county-2020",
      "county-2023",
      "state-1980",
      "state-1990",
      "state-2010",
      "state-2000",
      "state-2018",
      "tract-1980",
      "tract-1990",
      "tract-2010",
      "tract-2000",
      "tract-2020",
      "tract-2018",
      "tract-2023",
      "zcta-2018",
      "zcta-2020",
      "zcta-2023"
    ]
  },
}