Frequently Asked Questions
2. How do I find out about recent additions to the Community Accounts?
3. What about the sources of data?
4. I printed a page but it does not print correctly. Is there anything I can do?
5. The community I choose is included under another community. Why?
6. I am not able to find anything with the search. Am I doing something wrong?
7. A table displayed a message that the information was not available for my geography. Why?
8. What does ".." represent in the tables in Community Accounts?
9. What is the meaning of "data, information, and knowledge" in the Community Accounts logo?
10. How can I take a picture of the current page? (Screen Capturing)
11. How do I save images?
12. I cannot find my community. What should I do?
13. Is the data for the latest year available?
1. I am not an experienced data user. Where should I begin?
Community Accounts tutorials are available on the left of your screen throughout Community Accounts. These tutorials take users through the process of navigating the Community Accounts discussing the options available and how to use them. As well, tutorials are presented covering the Accounts Diagram, the Well-Being Account, the Demographics Account and a focus on a very powerful feature - the Multi Variable Regional Comparison Feature. These tutorials are ideal for new users to the Community Accounts. As an experienced user, the tutorials may help you better navigate the site or teach you about features that you didn't know were available.
Many users of Community Accounts are not experienced with using data. As a result of this, the Community and Regional Profile sections were developed. These sections give you an overview of some of the types of information available. Graphics are displayed for a number of sections to help in your understanding of the information.
The profile is available under the profile tab after completing step 1 (selecting a geography).
2. How do I find out about recent additions to the Community Accounts?
There are two main ways to do this:
One is to click on the Releases section found on the menu bar which is located on the left side of most pages on the Community Accounts site. This area lists the most recent additions to the site, a brief description of the additions, and the date when the items were released.
The second way is to become a member of our mailing list. This option is also available from the main page. Every few weeks an e-mail is sent out listing the most recent additions to the site.
3. What about the sources of data?
We have a Data Sources section which lists all sources by Account name. This is available from the menu bar on the left side of most pages on the Community Accounts site.
As well, the source for a specific table is also available at the bottom of the table.
4. I printed a page but it does not print correctly. Is there anything I can do?
To print a page correctly, use the "File" then "Print Preview" options within the Internet Explorer menu. Be mindful of the page's orientation as this may need to be changed to print the page correctly.
Also, look in the upper right hand corner and see if there is a printer icon displayed. This is available on many pages within Community Accounts and displays a version which will print correctly. When viewing a table, you will always have the view print version graphic available in the upper right hand corner.
To print, click the printer icon or print version graphic. Next, use the "File" then "Print Preview" options within the Internet Explorer menu. If you use the printer icon but the page still does not print correctly or you wish to print a page without a printer icon, please e-mail: gtucker@gov.nl.ca
5. The community I choose is included under another community. Why?
Communities in Community Accounts are based on areas serviced by postal codes. This is done because the widest variety of data is available by postal codes.
As a result of using postal codes, certain issues arise. For example, if one postal code services two or more communities, then it is not possible to differentiate between the residents of the different communities. When this happens, the residents of all communities involved are listed under one community, the largest one. This community will include the same group of residents across all data sources. This is noted in each table.
6. I am not able to find anything with the search. Am I doing something wrong?
When this happens, try simplifying your search. For example, if you are interested in cancer rates among 20 to 34 year old individuals, simply type cancer. Then view the table and see if age groups are available.
Another helpful tip is to not look for a topic and geography at the same time. For example, instead of searching for population of Gander, search for either population or Gander.
7. A table displayed a message that the information was not available for my geography. Why?
The Community Accounts has information from a number of surveys such as Canadian Community Health Survey, Adult Health Survey 2001 and the Adult Health Survey 1995. In the case of surveys, the number of people surveyed determines at what geographic level the information can be shown and still protect confidentiality.
For the Canadian Community Health Survey, approximately 3,700 people were surveyed throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador. With this size of a survey, information cannot be shown for communities or for Local Areas but can be shown for larger regions such as Economic Zones (although even for Economic Zones certain questions cannot be shown).
For the Adult Health Survey 2001, approximately 8,000 were surveyed which prevents information from being shown for communities; however, information will be available for Economic Zones and larger regions.
For the Adult Health Survey 1995, approximately 12,000 people were surveyed which enables the information to be shown for communities. However, some communities have a low number of people surveyed and as a result, the numbers for the surrounding local area will be displayed. This is noted at the bottom of the tables for the Adult Health Survey 1995.
8. What does ".." represent in the tables in Community Accounts?
The ".." denotes a data suppression. The suppression can be due to a number of factors such as breach of confidentiality related to small counts or residual disclosure, data quality issues identified through quality checks, or actual zero values. Users should be aware of such values and take caution when interpreting the data.
As an example, a note is included in the municipal section of Community Accounts which states that ".." indicates data is not available, suppressed due to confidentiality, rounds to less than 1,000, or is incorrectly categorized in the municipality's financial statements. So depending upon the source of the data, there may be different reasons for showing the ".." in the tables.
9. What is the meaning of "data, information, and knowledge" in the Community Accounts logo?
The data are the unorganized facts. Information is the data that is formulated in a more meaningful way. Knowledge is created when information is used along with personal experiences and beliefs to build a better understanding of a community or region.
10. How can I take a picture of the current page? (Screen Capturing)
Screen capturing simply means taking a picture of what appears on your screen. After doing so, users can paste the picture into a program for personal use. In order to capture the screen click the Print Screen button located on your computer keyboard. This will take a picture of the current screen. Open the program into which you wish to paste the picture. Click on the desired location within the document and then click the right mouse button and select the Paste option. A picture of the screen has now been pasted into your document. You likely won't require the entire picture in your document. Programs such as Excel have cropping features which enable the user to select a portion of a picture for further use. The cropping feature is located on the Pictures toolbar in Excel. However, the user will need to investigate each program individually since different programs will have different cropping features.
11. How do I save images?
Images displayed on the Community Accounts can be easily downloaded for personal use. Within the Community Accounts place the mouse cursor on top of the image and click the right mouse button. Select the Save picture (or image) as... option. A window will appear with a directory on your hard drive selected. If you wish to save the image to the selected directory, then click the save button located in the bottom right hand corner of the popup window. If your desired directory is not shown then click the down arrow button located at the top of the popup window and select the directory you wish to save the image under. The user must remember the chosen directory since it will be needed in order to insert the image into a chosen program. In addition, the name that the image will be saved under is also highlighted under File name: at the bottom of the popup window. By clicking the name, the user may select a different one.
Now that the image has been saved under a directory on your hard drive, the file can be pasted into a program for personal use. For example, if you wish to paste the image into Excel then first load the Excel program. Using the mouse, select the Insert menu located at the top of the Excel window. Select Picture and then From file. A selected directory will be shown in the popup window. Use the down arrow button located at the top of the popup window, and select the directory that the image was saved under. Then select the image and click the Insert button. The image should now be inserted at your chosen location within the Excel program.
12. I cannot find my community. What should I do?
If you cannot find a community, then use the Community Finder. The Community Finder is available from a number of pages in the Community Accounts including the additional features section or on the community selection page (look for the magnifying glass).
The Community Finder will tell you whether the community is included under another community or if the community is not available due to confidentiality.
13. Is the data for the latest year available?
The information presented in Community Accounts will be the latest year available for communities unless otherwise stated.
Community Account strives to update its data in a timely fashion. Depending upon the source, it may take a couple of years before the data is available (as is the case with the data from income tax records). Then there is a process of preparing the data for Community Accounts which can take up to 3 to 4 months, again depending upon the source.