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Case study:
Using OS Meridian data as a spatial framework in the construction of a GIS of the built environment

Details of the case study

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this project, students will have demonstrated how they can use OS Meridian Data and data from various websites to construct a simple GIS of a built-up area. In particular:

• they will have shown how they can use OS Meridian Data to form the basic spatial framework for a GIS of the built environment.

• they will have shown how they can use postcodes to access a variety of socio-economic and environmental data relating to the built environment.

• they will have shown how they can attach the socio-economic and environmental data to OS Meridian data using postcodes as the linking mechanism.

• they will have identified common problems and errors associated with the building a GIS from several different sources of data.

Source of OS data used: Digimap

Other data sources used: Data from the following WWW sites:

• Royal Mail Information on Home Address and Postcodes: http://www.royalmail.com [opens in a new window]

• Friends of the Earth for postcode sectors
  http://www.foe.co.uk/ [opens in a new window]

• HM Land Registry House price data for postcode sectors: http://www.landreg.gov.uk/ [opens in a new window]

• Leeds Geocomputation unit Social class profile for unit postcode: http://www.ccg.leeds.ac.uk/linda/geodem/gd_reg.html [opens in a new window]

OS Datasets: Meridian™2

Software: MapInfo (or ArcView)

Viewers/plugins required: None

Other requirements: Basic understanding of a GIS package and how to read data into it and link attribute data to map data. Basic understanding of a spreadsheet / database package such as Excel may also be useful.

Other materials: A detailed handout that will describe the project in detail, including how to access the WWW sites, extract the necessary data, read this into the GIS and integrate with Land-Line Plus data.

Support: Students will have to have a reasonable knowledge of the WWW, a GIS package and some of the theory behind undertaking a GIS project and the use of postcodes in the UK as the basic georeferencing unit for socio-economic data etc.

Quality Assurance: Students fill in evaluation forms of both the content of the module that the case study will be part of (including how it was assesseds such as practicals and workshopss and their relevance to the lecture material) and also the quality of the teaching (including innovations in teaching).

Last updated: December 4, 2003