Resolve population questions from a Slack DM
Capture a quick population research question without letting it become another tab to revisit later.
Trigger
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Action
Get Population Estimates
Tool to retrieve population estimates program (pep) data for a specified vintage and dataset. use when you need population or demographic estimates for specific geographies.
Why this helps
A useful question sent privately can disappear from view before someone follows up with the relevant figures.
- Converts a DM question into a defined lookup
- Keeps population research attached to the original request
- Reports which vintage and dataset were used
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Slack and Census bureau to Notis once.
- 2Create an automation in the portal, or ask Notis conversationally to create it.
- 3Write one plain-language instruction to retrieve population estimates for the named geography, vintage, and dataset, and report missing inputs.
- 4Select Direct Message Received and choose where run reports should appear.
- 5Test by sending a DM with a real US geography and requested population measure.
Questions about this workflow
Does the DM trigger include group messages?
The listed trigger catches direct messages across Slack DM channels. It does not match channel messages.
Can it infer a vintage and dataset if omitted?
The prompt should define how to handle missing details, such as reporting the needed vintage and dataset before a useful retrieval can be made.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Census bureau. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Slack triggers
Census bureau actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Get ACS 1-Year Estimates
Tool to retrieve 1-year american community survey (acs) estimates for a specified geography. use when you need the most recent annual acs data for a given area.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Get ACS 5-Year Estimates
Tool to retrieve 5-year american community survey estimates for a specified year. use when detailed acs data by geography and variables is required.
New Channel Created Trigger
Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.
Get American Business Survey
Tool to retrieve annual business survey (abs) data for a specified year and endpoint.
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Get Community Resilience Estimates
Tool to retrieve community resilience estimates for a specified year. use after selecting variables and geography to get cre data for analysis.
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Get County Business Patterns
Tool to retrieve county business patterns (cbp) data for a specified year. use when you need county-level business establishment and employment statistics filtered by industry and geography.
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Get Decennial Census Data
Tool to retrieve decennial census data for a specified vintage and dataset. use when you need census variables for a given geography.
Message Reaction Removed
Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Get Population Estimates
Tool to retrieve population estimates program (pep) data for a specified vintage and dataset. use when you need population or demographic estimates for specific geographies.
Reaction Added Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.
Get Variable Details
Tool to retrieve metadata for a specific variable in a census dataset for a given year. use when you need the label, concept, data type, attribute codes, and valid-value constraints.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Slack and Census bureau, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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No card. Works with personal or business Census bureau.