UK Data Service Census Support

Quick Reference Guide

UK Data Service Census Support provides access to digitised boundary datasets and geographic look up tables corresponding to the geography of the UK for teachers and researchers in the UK Higher and Further Education community to download and use in their work. Census, Administrative, Electoral and Historical geographies are available. See the website for a full description of what is available.

Access

To use UK Data Service Census Support you need to register with the ESRC Census Programme.

You will receive an email when your registration with the ESRC Census Programme is complete. Go to http://edina.ac.uk/census/ and click on login.

Choosing a Facility

The opening page of UK Data Service Census Support allows you to choose one of several options:

Digitised Boundaries

Digitised Boundaries represent geographical regions such as census zones or administrative counties as sets of geographical coordinates, normally viewed as a map.

Access to Digitised Boundary Datasets: Easy Download

Easy Download provides access to the most regularly requested UK Data Service Census Support boundaries as ready to-use national datasets (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) in SHAPE, MIF/MID and DXF format. If national datasets in Easy Download are too big, or if a national dataset is not what is required, then Boundary Data Selector should be used instead.

Screenshot of Easy Download

Access to Digitised Boundary Datasets: Boundary Data Selector

Boundary Data Selector provides you with access to the complete UK Data Service Census Support digitised boundary collection and lets you select the boundaries you want, for the area you want, in the format you want. Boundary Data Selector is made up from three tabs:

Screenshot of Boundary Data Selector

"What and Where?" tab

Specify which type of boundary to download and for where.

"Map View" tab

Specify which type of boundary to download and for where.

"Format" tab

Specify GIS data format in which selected boundaries are to be provided..

Postcode Directories

Postcode directories are files which provide details of current and historic postcodes along with details of other geographies in which that postcode is located.

Access to Postcode Directory Datasets: Postcode Directory Download

Postcode Directory Download allows you to download complete national postcode directories which have been released between 1980 and the present day.

Screenshot of Postcode Directory Download

Access to Postcode Directory Datasets: Postcode Data Selector

Postcode Data Selector tool provides you with more flexible access to postcode directories and allows you to select the postcodes and look-up fields required and the output format that the data is to be supplied in.

Screenshot of Postcode Data Selector

Information about UK Data Service Census Support Datasets: View Metadata

Geospatial metadata records provide information about datasets. Using the View Metadata facility you can view and download metadata records relating to UK Data Service Census Support datasets.

Learn about using UK Data Service Census Support service & datasets: Learning Resources

Access materials such as learning modules to improve your understanding of the use of the UK Data Service Census Support service, the contents of the datasets and how these datasets can be used.

Terms of Use

Datasets downloaded through UK Data Service Census Support come with a text file containing terms and conditions of use and appropriate copyright statements. All work (papers, maps, statistics etc) which uses these datasets must include a copyright statement. Note that the terms and conditions you agreed to when you registered to use the Census services, apply to all these datasets. There are also special conditions of use for some of the Census boundary datasets provided through UK Data Service Census Support. More information is available in UK Data Service Census Support Help: Census boundaries - special conditions of use and UK Data Service Census Support terms of use.

Help

Comprehensive help is available for all parts of the interface. The help option is located on the menu bar.

Logout

Please use the Logout link when you are finished using the service. You will be automatically logged out after a period of non-use of the interface.

Last updated August 2010