The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
scarr@unm.edu

September 19, 2008

The 10th annual New Mexico Data Users Conference will be held on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 a.m. at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd., N.E. Sessions will begin in Ballroom C. The annual event is presented by UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER).

This year’s speakers are from a variety of organizations including the U.S. Census Bureau, the New Mexico Higher Education Department, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and BBER.

The conference will feature a plenary session, nine breakout sessions and a luncheon presentation. Included are various topics related to Census Bureau data and programs—2010 Census planning in New Mexico; the American FactFinder web site; the use of census data for grant writing; and information about the Participant Statistical Areas Program, which allows participants to determine boundaries for various 2010 Census statistical areas.

Census Bureau speakers will also provide a session on governments data (federal, state and local) produced by the Bureau and, with the NM Dept. of Workforce Solutions, will jointly conduct an in-depth session about On The Map. OTM combines GIS technology, employment and wage information, industry data, and commuting patterns to create a powerful economic analysis tool.

Additional sessions will address research and data applications, including BBER’s use of data to answer questions on the feasibility of South Valley incorporation. NM Higher Education Dept. (HED) speakers will discuss databases from their agency and research efforts between HED and other state agencies.

In one of the breakout sessions, BBER presenters will scrutinize regional economic impact analysis to educate consumers about this common exercise in applied economics, and provide a detailed look at the underlying assumptions.

There will be an update on products from the BBER Population Estimates Program, a breakout session on population estimation methods, and a short presentation by BBER’s senior demographer on the use of off-the-shelf data in the analysis of poverty, education and migration.

Dr. Larry Waldman, BBER senior economist, will be the luncheon speaker, presenting a review of New Mexico’s recent economic performance and a short-term economic outlook.

The conference will provide information about complex socioeconomic databases and a sense of how these data are applied in practical situations. Over the years, the Data Users Conference has become a valued learning experience for businesses, government agencies, service organizations, information providers and students.

Registration is $50 per person and includes all conference materials, continental breakfast, beverage breaks and a luncheon buffet. For more information and a registration form go to BBER’s web site at: http://www.unm.edu/~bber/conference.htm , or call Karma Shore at (505) 277-8300 or via e-mail at, kshore@unm.edu .