CAIRD2

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: MIMAS

Abstract

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Description CAIRD2 developed new approaches for access to Census aggregate data, moving from the traditional tables-based view to a multi-dimensional dataset. This is a significant advance in approaches to organising and accessing large and complex datasets, such as the UK Census aggregate outputs.

This facilitated our creation of a new web interface - InFuse - to access the data, where researchers are able to select which variables they are interested in finding data for, without any prior knowledge of the hundreds of aggregate tables published by the UK Census agencies. InFuse has been available as an online service to UK academics since its launch on 6 May 2011.
Exploitation Route A major impact of CAIRD2 has been our relationship with the Office for National Statistics. Using our work on the 2001 Census as an exemplar, we have worked with them at senior levels to influence how they will produce, manage and disseminate aggregate data from the 2011 Census. Our partnership with ONS has also had an impact on the other UK census agencies' approaches to disseminating the 2011 Census, through improvements in describing the data in both table frameworks and classifications, leading to greater harmonisation between the agencies' outputs.
Sectors Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Pharmace
URL http://infuse.mimas.ac.uk/
 
Description A major impact of CAIRD2 has been our relationship with the Office for National Statistics. Using our work on the 2001 Census as an exemplar, we have worked with them at senior levels to influence how they will produce, manage and disseminate aggregate data from the 2011 Census. This, in turn, has fed into continued collaboration and activity co-funded with the ESRC through the CAIRD3 project (October 2011 to September 2012). Our partnership with ONS has also had an impact on the other UK census agencies' approaches to disseminating the 2011 Census, through improvements in describing the data in both table frameworks and classifications, leading to greater harmonisation between the agencies' outputs. ONS has doubled their financial contribution to the follow-on CAIRD3 project compared to its contribution to CAIRD2, indicating the high regard in which this work and its impact on their thinking around data organisation and dissemination issues is held. The variable-based rather than table-based approach to organising and accessing Census is also supporting broader census data users by simplifying access to it. This is reflected by the comments of Keith Dugmore of consultancy Demographic Decisions: "It's vital to help users of the Census to express their needs in simple terms ("I want to see the population classified by Age, Ethnicity, & Education.....") and so swiftly find what they want, without specialist knowledge: the Infuse project has already made great progress towards removing barriers to access."
First Year Of Impact 2011
Sector Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Pharmaceu
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services
 
Description Impact of CAIRD2 project on ONS 2011 census data organisation and dissemination policies and methods
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact A major impact of CAIRD2 has been our relationship with the Office for National Statistics. Using our work on the 2001 Census as an exemplar, we have worked with them at senior levels to influence how they will produce, manage and disseminate aggregate data from the 2011 Census. This, in turn, has fed into continued collaboration and activity co-funded with the ESRC through the CAIRD3 project (October 2011 to September 2012). Our partnership with ONS has also had an impact on the other UK census agencies' approaches to disseminating the 2011 Census, through improvements in describing the data in both table frameworks and classifications, leading to greater harmonisation between the agencies' outputs. ONS has doubled their financial contribution to the follow-on CAIRD3 project compared to its contribution to CAIRD2, indicating the high regard in which this work and its impact on their thinking around data organisation and dissemination issues is held. 2011 Census Output Production Project Manager, Chris Ashford, has stated that 'The project performed pioneering research using existing aggregate outputs from the 2001 census. This demonstrated the feasibility of applying a combination of emerging Open technologies to the management and dissemination of census data. The research outcomes were particularly valuable in signposting some of the challenges of this approach, and providing some solutions to them. The CAIRD2 project had a significant influence on ONS 2011 Census policy decisions concerning management and dissemination of outputs from the 2011 Census, and provided substantial technical support and advice in the development of a web delivery capability for the 2011 Census via a Web service and Application Programming Interface (API)'.
 
Title Semantically restructured 2001 Census Aggregate Statistics dataset 
Description A dataset containing a semantically restructured version of the 2001 Census Aggregate Statistics. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2011 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title dataset 
Description dataset 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2011 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Description CAIRD2 ESRC/ONS Collaboration 
Organisation Office for National Statistics
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Details of the collaboration between the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the CAIRD2 project.
Start Year 2010
 
Description Analysis of usage for new InFuse web interface (census aggregate data) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Analysis of usage of new web interface for serving up Census aggregate data (InFuse) over 16 months since the launch of InFuse on 6 May 2011.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
URL http://infuse.mimas.ac.uk
 
Description Demo of ONS API application 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation including a demo of the ONS API, 10/01/2011
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description Screencast : downloading census data using InFuse 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Screencast showing how to download census data
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity