2011 Census Outputs

Dissemination Plans

Working in Partnership

Chris Ashford – ONS Census Outputs

Agenda

• 2011 E&W Census Dissemination Strategy

• Dataset Structures

• Metadata

• Data Feeds

Part 1

2011 Census (E&W)

Dissemination Strategy

2011 Census (E&W)Dissemination Strategy

Key Drivers:

• Direction of government policy

• ONS Web Strategy

• Aspirations for a ‘re-use’ community

Direction of Government Policy

• Transparency Board and Public Data principles• User demand, machine readable, open, re-usable

• Open Government Licence• Free to publish and exploit legally • Acknowledge source• Do not mislead

• Linked Data : 5 star data ratings 1★ On the web (whatever format), with an open licence2★ Plus machine-readable structured data (e.g. excel)3★ Plus non-proprietary format (e.g. CSV instead of excel)4★ Plus, open standards to identify published objects5★ Plus, link your data to other people’s data to provide context

1. Enabling re-use of our content by others

2. A single ONS website

3. Integration of back office systems

4. To fit within a wider official statistics strategy

5. User focus

6. New ways of presenting and communicating our statistics

7. Automating data take-on

8. Open data standards and metadata

9. Focusing on core requirements and using partnerships

10. Keep it simple

ONS Web Strategy

ONS API(read)

ONS Content

Repository

ONS website Bulk

User

Bulk User

(e.g. Eurostat)

Partner(e.g. CASWEB,

SASPAC)

External systems

External systems

External systems

(mash-up)e.g. Local Authority

External systems

(mash-up)

Data Supplier

Data Supplier

Data Supplier

(e.g. DWP)

Partner (e.g. DirectGov)

ONS API(write)

Bulk User

(e.g. Bank, HMT)

Specific audience

group

Specific audience

group

Other data sources

Users of ONS website

Users in this organisation

Users in this organisation

Users of ONS data on other

systemsCommunity

forum

(e.g. students, local authorities)

(e.g. citizen)

Bulksupply

A “Re-use” Community

• Open• Sharing• Encouraging• Enabling

[Don’t have to behave in this way to re-use our data, but we are keen to encourage this type of use]

• Ordnance Survey example

OS Openspace Model

Aspiration of Community – Sharing Ideas & Work

• Forum

• Galleries

• Blogs

• Example code / interactions

• Enablement tools

Part 2

2011 Census Datasets

• UK Harmonised Datasets

• No post tabular disclosure control

• Potential at UALA and above:• Greater detail than 2001• Themed Multi-dimensional Datasets

• Below UALA:• Cross classifications generally contain the same

level of detail as 2001. • Same Table types (Univariate/CAS/Standard)

2011 Census Datasets

Key Statistics

· Tables of indicators. · Concatenated tables.· Include multiple variables,

and often multiple dimension items , but all data is in ‘univariate’ form.

· Multiple stats and measurement units

TimeTimeTimeTimeTimeTimeTime

JSEV JSEB JTUGETRG

Univariate

· Single variables· Most detailed breakdown

of classification· No concatenation· Single table population,

stats unit and measurement unit

GeogGeogGeogGeogGeogGeogGeog

Age

Aged 1 Aged 2 Aged 3 Aged n

KEY STATISTICS & UNIVARIATE

Cross Tabulations

· Multi-variate· Single Statistical and

Measurement Unit· Single ‘Table Population’· No concatenation· Hard to present as cross-

tab by geography on-line· Some but limited

customisation opportunity

Males

Hat No Hat

Females

Age 1

Age 2Age 3Age n

Age 1

Age 2Age 3Age n

Good Health Bad Health

Hat No HatGeog 1

Concatenated limited relationships (Theme)

· Grouping of simple cross-tabulations for a particular population/theme

· Concatenated simple cross-tabulations

· In this case ‘age’ not cross-classifiable by ‘health’

Geog 1

Method of Travel to work

Car Bus Train Bicycle

Males

Females

Age 1

Age 2Age 3Age n

Good Health

Bad Health

Multivariate

Part 3

Metadata

2011 Census Metadata

• Structural :• Needed to make & use datasets

• Reference/supporting information:• needed to understand the data in the datasets

Metadata

About the Census•Legislation and Policy documentation•Programme/Project documentation•Operational and Statistical Processing documentation•Documentation of Statistical Methodology•Quality Management documentation•Timeliness and Punctuality•Relevance

About the Data•Product and Service documentation•Statistical Population•Accuracy and Reliability•Comparability•Confidentiality•Coherence•Comments

Index of Variables•Definition•Associated Variables•Source Questions

Glossary•Definition

Mandatory Optional

Structural Metadata Reference Metadata

About the Census•Legislation and Policy documentation•Programme/Project documentation•Operational and Statistical Processing documentation•Documentation of Statistical Methodology•Quality Management documentation•Timeliness and Punctuality•Relevance

About the Data•Product and Service documentation•Statistical Population•Accuracy and Reliability•Comparability•Confidentiality•Coherence•Comments

Glossary•Definition

Index of Variables•Definition•Associated Variables•Source Questions

Dataset Details•Dimension•Dimension Item•Target Classification•Target Classification Item

Linked Metadata:

Part 4

Data Feeds Development

ONS Data Feeds Development

• ESRC funded group started in 2007• ONS established Census Web Services Working

Group in 2008• Membership / Participants

• ONS/GROS/NISRA/WAG• ESRC/JISC• SASPAC/Local Gvt• NOMIS• Ordnance Survey• BBC / Home Office / DOH

Data Feeds: Work To Date

• Working in partnership with Manchester University to create test datasets; using 2001 data from InFuse.

• Launched an “Alpha” API (clone of the API behind the new website) in December 2010.

• SASPAC, Manchester University, and NOMIS rapidly built applications to access the test data via the API

Data Feeds:Application Development

• Three Applications developed December 2010

• NOMIS: Data Picker and Report

• SASPAC: Integrating data into desktop software

• CDU: Visualisation application

Live Links

• NOMIS live: http://nmtest.dur.ac.uk/Default.aspx and http://nmtest.dur.ac.uk/scenario3.aspx

• NOMIS video https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Projects/ONS/WDP/FR3/demo.htm

• CDU video

http://cdu.mimas.ac.uk/projects/3dapp/demo.htm

• SASPAC video:

http://www.saspac.org/dev/SASPAC-API-demo-Jan2011.swf

Work To Do

• More datasets from Manchester University; based on the indicative table layouts.

• Working towards a “Beta” API in early 2012; with more data, metadata, and partners.

• Working with the ONS Web Strategy Implementation team to develop a fully operating Data Feeds Service prior to release of 2012 Census data in September 2012.

‘Call to action’

• If you think you may be interested in accessing ONS data through the API service – we want to hear from you

• Census.outputs@ons.gov.uk

2011 Census Dissemination

• Any Questions?