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Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the U.S. Coastal States based on the 2010 Census Tracts

Metadata Updated: March 15, 2024

The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) 2006-10 measures the social vulnerability of U.S. counties to environmental hazards. The index is a comparative metric that facilitates the examination of the differences in social vulnerability among counties. SoVI is a valuable tool for policy makers and practitioners. It graphically illustrates the geographic variation in social vulnerability. It shows where there is uneven capacity for preparedness and response and where resources might be used most effectively to reduce the pre-existing vulnerability. SoVI also is useful as an indicator in determining the differential recovery from disasters.The index synthesizes 27 socioeconomic variables, which the research literature suggests contribute to reduction in a community's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards. SoVI data sources include primarily those from the United States Census Bureau.The data are compiled and processed by the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. The data are standardized and placed into a principal components analysis to reduce the initial set of variables into a smaller set of statistically optimized components. Adjustments are made to the components' cardinality (positive (+) or negative (-)) to insure that positive component loadings are associated with increased vulnerability, and negative component loadings are associated with decreased vulnerability. Once the cardinalities of the components are determined, the components are added together to determine the numerical social vulnerability score for each county.SoVI 2006-10 marks a change in the formulation of the SoVI metric from earlier versions. New directions in the theory and practice of vulnerability science emphasize the constraints of family structure, language barriers, vehicle availability, medical disabilities, and healthcare access in the preparation for and response to disasters, thus necessitating the inclusion of such factors in SoVI. Extensive testing of earlier conceptualizations of SoVI, in addition to the introduction of the U.S. Census Bureau's five-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, warrants changes to the SoVI recipe, resulting in a more robust metric. These changes, pioneered with the ACS-based SoVI 2005-09 carry over to SoVI 2006-10, which combines the best data available from both the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census and five-year estimates from the 2006-2010 ACS.

Access & Use Information

License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
Metadata Updated Date March 15, 2024
Reference Date(s) January 15, 2014 (publication)
Frequency Of Update asNeeded

Metadata Source

Harvested from NOS OCM

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
Metadata Updated Date March 15, 2024
Reference Date(s) January 15, 2014 (publication)
Responsible Party NOAA Office for Coastal Management (Point of Contact, Custodian)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:48239
Category Tag 16E15F51 D96E 4051 9124 75665Abdc6Ff ["Coastal Flooding","Human Health"]
Access Constraints Cite As: Office for Coastal Management, [Date of Access]: Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the U.S. Coastal States based on the 2010 Census Tracts [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48239., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: None, Distribution Liability: Any conclusions drawn from the analysis of this information are not the responsibility of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management or its partners.
Bbox East Long 180
Bbox North Lat 75.541342
Bbox South Lat 41.398627
Bbox West Long -180
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update asNeeded
Harvest Object Id 998cb911-92d3-4ff9-bb06-e75799fb685d
Harvest Source Id c0121fd9-df15-4168-ac04-42f6e36a794d
Harvest Source Title NOS OCM
Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
Lineage
Metadata Language eng
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, 41.398627], [180.0, 41.398627], [180.0, 75.541342], [-180.0, 75.541342], [-180.0, 41.398627]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 2006-01-01
Temporal Extent End 2010-12-31

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