The 15th Annual New Mexico Data Users Conference will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:45 a.m. at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Conference Center located at 1634 University Blvd. NE. Registration will be located near Ballroom C. The annual event is presented by UNM's Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER).

This year's speakers are from the U.S. Census Bureau, New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS), Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), and three UNM groups – Earth Data Analysis Center, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) and BBER.

The conference will include a plenary session, nine breakout sessions and luncheon presentations. Plenary sessions will include information on new functions and features of American FactFinder; new products from the Census Bureau and the effects of government budgets on data; Data available through the clearinghouse and LoboVault.

Breakout sessions include several presentations from Census data experts on a range of topics. One session covers the basics of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the 2010 Census and an overview of data access through the American FactFinder (AFF) web site. Another session will cover using Census Bureau Products in locating tribal data, colonias, small towns, and rural areas. There will be a tutorial session about foreign-born/immigration “data.” A session aimed at using Census Economic data with hands on approach by doing a Case Study, Business Plan.  Finally, Commuting Patterns and the Census shed light on where people are commuting to and from, what modes they use, and how travel patterns are affected by demographics.
 
Other breakout sessions will cover broad range of topics. One session will address health data including important indicators for NM which are available from NM-IBIS. There will be an update on population projections from 2010 to 2040 including state and county level and a comparison to older projections. A session addressing housing issues with housing costs, income gaps, and Online Housing Library. Finally there is a session on New Mexico’s job market, covering occupations that are growing and how much.

Lee Reynis (Director of BBER) and Dr. Jack Baker (GPS) will be the luncheon speakers. Reynis will present a review of New Mexico's recent economic performance and a short-term economic outlook, while Baker will present proposed innovations in the way that the Census manages and updates spatial data resources and how this can impact both a successful 2020 Census as well as the quality of demographic estimates. It outlines the role of UNM-GPS in working toward an improved 2020 Census.

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 $55 per person and includes all conference materials, continental breakfast, beverage breaks and a luncheon buffet. For more information and a registration form, visit: Data Users Conference { http://bber.unm.edu/conference.htm } or call (505) 277-6626.

BBER Contacts
Larry Compton (505) 277-6626; e-mail: lcompton@unm.edu
Suzan Reagan (505) 277-3038; e-mail: sreagan@unm.edu
Bureau of Business and Economic Research
MSC06 3510
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001