Fiedler, RobSchuurman, NadineHyndman, Jennifer2010-11-292010-11-292006Fiedler, Rob, Nadine Schuurman & Jennifer Hyndman. “Improving Census-Based Socioeconomic GIS for Public Policy,� ACME: An International e-Journal for Critical Geographies, 4.1 (2006): 145-171.http://hdl.handle.net/10315/6337There are a number of socioeconomic phenomena that are difficult to discern using only census data. We present an innovative approach developed to discern the spatial dimensions of risk for homelessness amongst recent immigrants in Vancouver, Canada. Dasymetric mapping and a postal survey are employed to improve the resolution and utility of census data. The results illustrate the potential for developing a more nuanced understanding of the spatial dimensions of complex socioeconomic phenomena using a combination of secondary data and primary data. It is argued that higher-resolution data aids in identifying and understanding socioeconomic phenomena that are highly localized and misrepresented by coarsely aggregated data. Finally, the potential for population surveillance is discussed and weighed against the benefits for policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, and researchers.enFrom volume 7(3), authors agree to publish their articles in ACME under the Creative Commons "Attribution/Non-Commercial/No Derivative Works" licence. Accordingly, authors retain both copyright and the right to be identified as the author of the work in perpetuity and their article can be shared freely (that is, it can be copied, distributed, transmitted and published freely) under the following conditions: 1. Attribution. The work must be attributed as originally published in ACME and for any reuse or distribution, the licence terms of this work must be made clear to others. 2. Noncommercial. The work may not be used for commercial purposes. 3. No Derivative Works. Except for fair dealing for scholarly or critical purposes, the work may not be altered, transformed, or built upon. With the exception of attribution of original publication in ACME, any of the above conditions can be waived with permission from the copyright holder. Note: from volume 1(1) to volume 7(2), authors assigned limited copyright of their manuscripts to ACME for publication of their work in the journal in perpetuity. Authors will retain copyright of their manuscripts for all other forms of publication but must give due acknowledgement of original publication in ACME if their work is published elsewhere.Articlehttp://www.acme-journal.org/