Accessing UK census aggregate data using InFuse

Richard WisemanUK Data Service

Census Applications: Using the UK population census dataManchester15 July 2015

Presentation contents• UK Data Service: Census Support

• Data work

• Benefits

• InFuse

• What’s next

What is the UK Data Service?

• a comprehensive resource funded

by the ESRC

• a single point of access to a wide range of secondary social science data

• support, training and guidance

What does the UK Data Service do?

• Put together a collection of the most valuable data and enhance that over time

• Preserve data in the long term for future research purposes

• Make the data and documentation available for reuse• Provide data management advice for data creators• Provide support for users of the service• Information about the use to which data are put• Easy access through a website - ukdataservice.ac.uk

What is the UK Data Service – Census Support?• 1971-2011 census outputs

• aggregate data• flow data• boundary data• microdata

• most data open

• census.ukdataservice.ac.uk

census.ukdataservice.ac.uk

Traditional tabular aggregate outputs

• Delivered as tables• Details of individual tables defined through consultation with

different user groups• Per-table categorisations and descriptions• Complex table universes and footnotes• Extended metadata unattached

• Complex process• Number of tables limited by resource available• Effectively separate datasets

Traditional tabular dissemination

Traditional tabular dissemination

• No global search• Data fragmented, inconsistencies

• Limited table-level search• Difficult to find specific categories• ‘No data’ difficult to prove

• Poor understanding• Universe and footnote information often overlooked• Extended metadata unattached

• Heavyweight and inflexible applications• All intelligence built in application

Development

• Deconstruct tables• Creation of a single dataset for InFuse• Challenges

• Lots and lots of tables• UK differences in topics / categories / definitions

/labelling (UK Harmonisation)• Universes, table titles, footnotes• UK differences in geography

• Opportunities• Topic based• New aggregations• Influence census agencies

UK administrative geographies

UK statistical geographies

Admin and statistical geography layers

infuse.mimas.ac.uk/help/definitions/2011geographies

Benefits of this work

• Data producers• Efficient data management• Flexible output production• Gaps identified• Best value

• Application developers• Easy access to self describing web services• Light weight generic applications

• End users• Quick and easy global search• Context along with data

Integrated dissemination

Variable combination selection

Variable combination selection

Category combination selection

Area selection

Data download

InFuse 2011 next release

• England and Wales• The rest of the Detailed and Local Characteristics• UK harmonised data down to Output Area• Workplace zones• Armed forces data

• Scotland• All of the data that was released up to (Release 3I)

• Northern Ireland• All Local and Detailed Characteristics

What’s next

• More data• Population estimates• Population projections• Previous censuses• More data work

• Public InFuse API• InFuseR (R module talks to InFuse

API)• More functionality• Improving the user experience

InFuse user analysis

• pop-up survey• helpdesk• focus groups

Feeback

• “If there was a preview button that would be great!”• “On the whole it's quite good. I'm coming at it as a new

user and I just can't work out how to find the total number of ‘lone parents’”

• “IF YES I am satisfied then why? -- Because I am able to define the data in a very specific manner AWESOME!!!!!!”

• “I read in a book about the Celts that the name Britain is a Roman mispronunciation of the Celtic word Pretani which designated the island of Britain.”

Next phase: user testing

New GeoConvert coming soon!

• Geography matching and conversion tool• Different underlying data

• 2011 postcode estimates

• Open to all• 2011 geographies• Additional data

• IMD, WIMD SIMD, NIMDM• Output Area classifications

• Aggregate component of census outputs

Census Support at Jisc, Manchester

Justin Hayes

Rob Dymond-Green

Richard Wiseman

Jamey Hart

Questions

ukdataservice.ac.ukinfuse.mimas.ac.uk

Follow us at:• UKDATASERVICE@JISCMAIL.AC.UK• twitter.com/UKDSCensus• twitter.com/UKDataService• www.facebook.com/UKDataService

Google+ Communities:•UK Data Service Census data users