Mapping and Visualising Census

DataKeith Cole Jackie Carter

Geo-data forum - 4/4/2001

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Overview of presentation

Existing barriers to use Providing integrated access to Census

Area Statistics and associated digital boundary data over the web (Casweb)

Exploring/visualising Census Area Statistics over the web (Descartes)

Future Developments Demonstration

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MIMAS and the Census Dissemination Unit

(CDU) Manchester InforMation and Associated Services

– http://www.mimas.ac.uk/

CDU - http://census.ac.uk/cdu/

JISC/ESRC funded CDU provides:

– Support and dissemination for 1981 and 1991 Census of Population data

– Development of custom software tools

– Derived datasets

– Specialist support and training

– Currently ~ 3000 registered users

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Census Area Statistics

The UK Census provides the most comprehensive socio-economic data source for evidence-based research

Main output is the Census Area Statistics (SAS/LBS)– aggregated data for a range of spatial units

– counts of persons and households

– pre-defined cross-tabulations

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SAS/LBS tables

24 questions asked in 1991, 20,000 counts produced for area statistics

SAS LBS

No. tables 86

(less detail)

99

(more detail)

Spatial unit

Enumeration district

Ward

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Barriers to Use

Requires knowledge of the structure of the Census Area Statistics tables and geographical units

Registration Use of specialist data retrieval software

(pre-Casweb) Data handling skills to combine Census

data with boundary data in mapping software

Counties/Regions

Census geography

Counties

Counties

Districts

Counties

Districts Wards

Counties

Districts Wards

EDs

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Pre-defined Cross TabulationsLBS table 6 – Ethnic Group

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Casweb

Census Area Statistics on the Web - http://census.ac.uk/casweb/

Features– Intuitive web interface with 3-step

selection process

– List and map based selection options

– Outputs boundaries integrated with the Census data

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Casweb’s 3 step selection process

1. Select area - from map or a list

2. Select tables

3. Select variables from tables

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Download data

Text format

Mappable format– ArcView

– MapInfo MIF/MID

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Census Area Statistics: text format

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Census Area Statistics: mappable format

Census data Crown copyright

Boundary data copyright Ed-Line Consortium

Unemployment – Tyne and Wear

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Combining Census Area Statistics and OS data

from Digimap

Byker

Pelaw

Heaton

Walker

Dunston

Felling

WALLSEND

Gosforth

LONGBENTON

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

Census data © Crown copyright

Boundary data © copyright Ed-Line Consortium

OS data © Crown Copyright Ordnance Survey. An EDINA Digimap/JISC supplied service

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Descartes

Web based data exploration tool written in Java

Supports visual exploration of spatially referenced datasets (such as the Census Area Statistics) – use the map as a ‘thinking tool’

Developed at the German National Research Centre for Information Technology (GMD) (Bonn)

Collaboration between GMD and MIMAS established in 1997

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Descartes developments

Descartes available online at http://www.mimas.ac.uk/descartes/

Demonstrator dataset (Leics) and county/region datasets for registered users

Casweb/Descartes Integration (CHCC Project)– Part of JISC 5/99 CHCC Project

– Simplified Interface to Descartes

– Temporal visualisation (1971 – 2001)

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Demonstration

Descartes best illustrated by demonstration

Online visualisation of unemployment data for Tyne and Wear

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Further information

CDU website http://census.ac.uk/cdu/ General census information Details of registration procedures Search facilities Glossary Census Learning and Teaching Project

http://www.chcc.ac.uk/