#Seeking CDROM Phonebook
9 messages in this thread
Can anyone out there provide some pointers toward a publisher of CDROM
telephone directories. What I'm looking for is something that would provide
some limited demographic information as well, such as income ranges, years
at an address, or similar data.
Thanks in advance,
– Larry
Larry,
I've read somewhere that 1990 census data is beginning to be available. A
small fraction of it with access software is available on the CDx disk from
Helgerson Associates in Falls Church, VA, but only enough to demo the
software. I believe that the census data used for the demo is of Alaska.
Lots of help, huh?
Travis Hardin
Travis,
I thought that the census was once every ten years, which would make the
data somewhat dated. Thanks for the lead anyway; I'll give Helgerson a call
and see what they have to offer.
Thanks,
-Larry
You are correct: the census is done every 10 years. The most recent one is
1990. HOWEVER, the Federal "Right to Privacy" acts insure that data on
individuals will not be released for 72 years. That means that you can get
the 1990 data in the year 2062. The 1920 census data is scheduled to be
released in March, 1992. Lots of help, right? <smile>
The government DOES sell extracts of 1990 data, some of it is on CD-ROM. If
you want demographics data (population counts of a town/city, percentage of
population that is minority race and/or ethnic group, average household
income, average number of bathrooms, etc.) of the 1990 census you can get
it now. However, not one individual's name or address will be available
until 2062.
Phonebook CD-ROMs are available from non-governmental sources for about
$2,000. It seems to be cheaper to use Phone*File here on CompuServe.
– Dick Eastman
Genealogy Forum Sysop
(we do censuses)
Dick,
2 grand sounds steep, but the alternative source is considerably more
expensive, and considerably less convenient than cdrom. Do you have any
pointers to a source?
I've seen several ads for the phonebook CD-ROMs, but can't find one at the
moment. Contact the Bureau of Electronic Publishing (they're on this forum
often) or almost any other major CD-ROM vendor. If they don't sell it they
probably can tell you who does. Another idea is to search the Computer
Library in ZiffNet (GO ZNT or GO ZIFFNET, I think), it would definately
find an address.
I dunno, I use Phone*File for $27.50 per hour ($12.50 for CompuServe plus a
$15 surcharge). I rarely use it more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time. I'd
have to use it a lot to spend the $2,000 that a CD-ROM would cost. <smile>
– Dick
Try Nelson Ford (Public Software Lib). He hangs out in the forum. I think
I saw that he sold some phonebook/CD products, and since he sells them
practically at his cost, his prices will almost always be the best.
There are some national CD-ROM directories of business addresses that
include some data about the companies. Individual listings are available
from some telephone companies. New York (NYNEX) is one of the areas that is
covered, but no demographic data is provided because it is not collected or
is confidential credit data. Credit bureaus can provide data, but access
is controlled by legislation intended to protect consumers from people like
you <g>.
Bruce,
>credit data. Credit bureaus can provide data, but access is controlled by
>legislation intended to protect consumers from people like you <g>.
I'm not looking for top secret or private information, just the same
information that is found the Coles directory (available in many public
libraries), but in machine-readable form. Coles wants megabucks for it in
the convenient form of 9-track tape, so I'm exploring the alternatives.
FWIW, the Coles record includes only name, address, phone number, year the
phone was installed, and a letter code that supposedly corresponds to the
range [poverty] – – – – [Trump]. Usually, its the same for everyone on the
block.
This may be a borderline violation of privacy, but its really not that
different from what you can find out by driving past the house and seeing
if the car in the driveway is a Pinto or a Porsche
Thanks for the information re: NYNEX, etc.
-Larry