Mapping the census: how one man produced a library for all

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/feb/08/census-data-mapped

Version 0 of 1.

The census is an amazing resource - so full of data it's hard to know where to begin. And increasingly where to begin is by putting together web-based interactives - like this one on language and this on transport patterns that we produced this month.

But one academic is taking everything back to basics - using some pretty sophisticated techniques. Alex Singleton, a lecturer in geographic information science (GIS) at Liverpool University has used R to create the open atlas project.

Singleton has basically produced a detailed mapping report - as a PDF and vectored images - on every one of the local authorities of England & Wales. He automated the process and has provided the code for readers to correct and do something with. In each report there are 391 pages, each with a map. That means, for the 354 local authorities in England & Wales, he has produced 127,466 maps.

Singleton says he's done it because:

1. To demonstrate the value of the 2011 census<br />2. Provide a free 2011 static Census atlas to anyone who wants one<br />3. Because I do not believe web maps should necessarily be the default way of distributing geographic data<br />4. To illustrate how open data and software can be used in creative ways to generate insight<br />5. An attempt to save local authorities money who might be thinking of doing these type of analyses themselves<br />6. To provide reproducible code that enable others to generate similar maps at Output Area level<br />7. For fun!<br />8. Because R is awesome!<br />9. Because R really is awesome!

You can read more about the project here

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