Case Study

 Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Creating a flexible table builder for the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Key outcomes

25,000

Tables built by users in first 6 months

2.5m

Rows of microdata

< 0.5s

Average query response time

The Challenge

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) conducts the Northern Ireland census every 10 years. Before 2021, census data dissemination involved the publication of a large set of tables that needed to be manually checked for quality and disclosure issues: this was a time-consuming process.

For 2021, the team at NISRA wanted to modernise their approach to publication. They needed:

  • A data publication platform that allows users to build cross-tabulations, with automated disclosure checks, on-demand.

  • An easy to use interface that allows users to get data quickly and to filter and pivot the results.

  • The system to be operational within a period of 8 months.

Approach

We set up a prototype system using representatively-sized synthetic data within a few weeks, and used an agile approach with joint prioritisation and fortnightly show and tells to iteratively build on this.

We customised Cantabular's user interface to meet NISRA's requirements for different branding, user interface wording and Excel templates.

We worked with NISRA staff and analysts to set up automations, integrate Cantabular into their environment, and to train them in proper use and configuration of the software.

The Solution

Cantabular was deployed with a customised version of Cantabular's user interface designed to fit with NISRA's brand guidelines and tie in with its existing website.

We extended the user interface with additional features including pivoting, bookmarking, cookie consent and web analytics.

We built data pipelines using Python scripts and GitHub Actions to transform metadata into Cantabular formats and build a synthetic dataset, while checking it for integrity issues and spelling mistakes. The same scripts were used internally to generate the real dataset for production deployment.

Cantabular's administration functionality was used within NISRA's firewall to test the census data and configuration before launch.

Outcomes

Powerful cross-tabulations

Cantabular provides a simple, powerful user interface to help users build safe cross-tabulations of NI census data on demand.

Rapid Adoption

Almost 25,000 tables were built by over 2,500 users in the first 6 months after launch.

On-Demand Outputs

All outputs, whether CSV, Excel or JSON are created on demand, combining data with metadata on the fly.

Application

We created a demonstration mapping application visualising the NI census results using Cantabular’s APIs.

The release of the Census 2021 Flexible Table Builder marks a watershed moment for the census in Northern Ireland. This is the first time the end-user can build their own tables online.

Dr David Marshall, Director of Census & Social Statistics

Director of Census & Social Statistics, NISRA

Example

We visualised the Northern Ireland census results with Cantabular

This map was the end result of delivering the 2021 Northern Ireland census View mapping application →

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