IGGI news
Headlines
Functional Economic Market Areas
New GSS Coding and Naming Policy for Statistical Geographies
Natural England's GI Data Download website survey
AGI Environmental SIG Annual Conference
Spatial Analysis Survey
Spatial Analysis is part of all Civil Service professions. The government's recent white paper Smarter Government: Putting the Frontline First stated that, 'in a modern democracy citizens rightly expect government to show where money has been spent and what the results have been'. Location and place is therefore fundamental to policy, prioritisation, efficiency and transparency - it has been said that information about location underpins over 80% of our public sector services.
The Spatial Analysis Unit (SpAU) at Communities and Local Government (CLG) is therefore assessing current use and knowledge of spatial analysis and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) across Government. SpAU will use the results of this to improve how we can share best practice and techniques, and promote greater data sharing, tools and ideas.
If you use spatial analysis, or any GIS packages in your job, please click the link below and take 2 minutes of your time to complete the survey. Please forward this link to any of your colleagues who use, or have an interest in, spatial analysis and/or GIS.
To take part in the online surevy, please follow this link, the link will be live until the end of March 2010.
Published: 05-03-2010
Functional Economic Market Areas
An economic note on functional economic market areas (FEMAs). The note provides an overview of the types of issues to consider when trying to identify and analyse these areas.
There is no universal approach to defining FEMAs. The paper presents a case for analysing Census commuting or migration data, as the most reliable flow data, and supplementing this with data from other key markets: such as housing markets; supply chains in industry and commerce; and service markets for consumers.
A copy of this docuemnt can be downloaded from the CLG web site.
Published: 25-02-2010
CASA Seminars
The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is an initiative within University College London (UCL) to develop emerging computer technologies in several disciplines which deal with geography, space, location, and the built environment. As an interdisciplinary research centre expertise is drawn from archaeology, architecture, cartography, computer science, environmental science, geography, planning, remote sensing, geomatic engineering, and transport studies. This generates a unique blend of personnel who operate from CASA and associated departments within UCL.
During the first and second terms of each academic year, CASA hosts a weekly seminar in which PhD students and Research Fellows present their latest work. The lectures vary in length between half an hour (where there are 2 speakers) to one hour and, because they take place between 5 - 6 pm, a trip to the pub usually follows.
To see the list of lectures, please visit the CASA web site.
Published: 22-02-2010
New GSS Coding and Naming Policy for Statistical Geographies
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will implement the new GSS Coding and Naming policy for statistical geographies in January 2011. In preparation, ONS Geography are using the new coding methodology in parallel running with the old codes throughout 2010.
To assist users and to enable a greater understanding of the new coding system, documents and products are now available on the ONS website.
ONS Geography will provide support, demonstrate the tools and discuss the new policy with any areas that produce, publish or access geography-based statistical data. If you would like access to the Change History Database or require further information please email ONS Geography.
If you are interested in having a bilateral meeting or demonstration of the Change History Database please email Gill Redgwell.
Published: 15-02-2010
Natural England's GI Data Download website survey
Natural England's GI Dataset Download site currently offers over 60 different datasets. These include designated sites, agri-environment schemes and land cover types; they can be downloaded in either ESRI Shapefile or MapInfo TAB format. The site is well established and proves popular, with an average of over 200 downloads each day. We are considering how we might develop the site in the future.
If you have used the facility we would like to offer you the opportunity to give us some feedback. Please let us know what you think of the site and how we might make it better for you, via our user survey which will be online until 17th March.
Published: 08-02-2010
AGI Environmental SIG Annual Conference
The annual conference of AGI's Environmental Special Interest Group (SIG) will take place on 23 March 2010.
The event is supported by British Geological Survey and will take place at their headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. Topics on the agenda include:
- Meeting European public sector information environmental reporting requirements
- Data visualisation
- Flood management
The full agenda and booking information can be found on the AGI's web site.
Published: 25-01-2010
ONS consultation: Census output geographies
The Office for National Statistics has launched a consultation on geography policy for the 2011 Census outputs. The consultation will run until 26th March 2010 and invites users to comment on any aspect of the policy, but particularly on three key areas of it. These are:
- the creation of a new geography for business statistics,
- the need for an upper layer of Super Output Areas,
- and to raise any exceptional instances where 2001 census geographies do not perform as they should.
This consultation represents a last opportunity to provide feedback on geographies before the 2011 Census and to support the development of Census geography policy.
Further details can be found here.
Published: 07-01-2010
Ordnance Survey consultation underway
The Consultation paper on the Government's proposal to open up Ordnance Survey's data relating to electoral and local authority boundaries, postcode areas and mid scale mapping information was published on 23 December 2009.
A period of consultation runs until 17 March 2010, and comments are invited from all interested parties who wish to be involved in this consultation process.
To download the consultation documents (the Proposal and associated Impact Assessment), please visit the consultations page on the 'Communities and Local Government' web site.
Published: 25-12-2009
