A NEW method of categorising census and other Government data is expected to significantly improve the ability of policy-makers to “pinpoint” the social, health and economic needs of neighbourhoods around the country.
By allowing for population “clusters” within some 3,400 existing electoral districts (EDs) nationwide to be identified in detail for the first time, it is also expected to be of major interest to commercial companies when it is made available on the national geodirectory – the database of buildings in the State.
The new method, which has been developed by the National Centre for Geocomputation at NUI Maynooth on behalf of Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI), replaces the current electoral district-based system of reporting data. Instead, some 17,000 “small areas” with an average population of around 235 – which fit into the existing EDs – have been developed.
A spokesman for OSI, who described the research as having “huge significance”, said the Central Statistics Office hoped to break down information contained in the most recent census, conducted in 2006, into the new small areas. This would be subject to the necessary resources being available.
It is also intended to make the small areas data available on the national geodirectory within six months, he said.
Another key aspect of the new system will be the in-depth evaluation of the success or otherwise of local or national Government initiatives that it will facilitate.
The new method does this by allowing policy-makers to identify the areas of greatest need within existing electoral districts, according to the researchers who developed it.
Until now, it has not been possible to break this information down in any greater detail than by EDs, which can range in size from fewer than 50 people to more than 30,000.
For example, it will be possible to identify which areas have low levels of car ownership, meaning targeted bus routes could be introduced there.
According to Prof Stewart Fotheringham, director of the centre, “we currently have little idea of where these areas are in cities”.
“Government programmes tackle issues such as long-term unemployment, deprivation, poverty, etc, but these policies and programmes can only be effective if the areas of greatest need are known,” he told The Irish Times.
“At the moment we are limited to examining data for quite large spatial units – once data are disseminated at small area level, we will have a much better idea of where to target limited resources. This will lead to a much more effective use of taxpayers’ money.
“Once small areas become the de facto unit of census data reporting, other statistics will be reported at this same level. It will then be possible to link issues such as “health” and “wealth”: to what extent are some health problems such as heart disease related to areas of social deprivation?”
All location decisions, such as where to put a new clinic or hospital or school, will be greatly assisted by small area data, he added.
Commercial companies will also avail of the new method as it will provide detailed information about the socio-economic profile of areas, he said.