2022 Data Zone Boundaries

Intermediate zone centroids are point features that represent the population weighted centre of intermediate zones – the geography used for the dissemination of small area statistics in Scotland when results are unsuitable for release at data zone level. These centroids are used to link intermediate zones to other (higher level) geographies and produce a 'best-fit' match. Intermediate zones can then be aggregated to approximate this larger area of interest or higher level geography that statistics wouldn’t normally be available for. Intermediate zones represent a relatively stable geography that can be used to analyse change over time, with changes only occurring after a Census. This dataset represents the intermediate zones that were created following the 2022 Census, with 1,334 intermediate zones covering the whole of Scotland.

Intermediate zones are a statistical geography that sit between data zones and local authorities, created for use with the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (SNS) programme (now known as statistics.gov.scot) and the wider public sector. Intermediate zones are used for the dissemination of statistics that are not suitable for release at the data zone level because of the sensitive nature of the statistic, or for reasons of reliability. Intermediate Zones were designed to meet constraints on population thresholds (2,500 - 6,000 household residents), to nest within local authorities (at the time of the Census), and to be built up from aggregates of data zones. Intermediate zones represent a relatively stable geography that can be used to analyse change over time, with changes only occurring after a Census. This dataset represents the intermediate zones that were created following the 2022 Census, with 1,334 intermediate zones covering the whole of Scotland.

The OSNI Large-scale boundaries is a polygon dataset consisting of District Electoral Areas set in 2012. The data has been extracted from OSNI Largescale database and has been topologically cleansed and attributed to create a seamless dataset.

The Scottish Government's Urban Rural Classification provides a consistent way of defining urban and rural areas across Scotland. The classification is used to support policy development and the understanding of issues facing urban, rural and remote communities. It is based upon two main criteria: (i) population as defined by National Records of Scotland (NRS), and (ii) accessibility based on drive time analysis to differentiate between accessible and remote areas in Scotland. The classification can be analysed in a two, three, six or eight fold form. The two-fold classification simply distinguishes between urban and rural areas through two categories, urban and rural, while the three-fold classification splits the rural category between accessible and remote. Most commonly used is the 6-fold classification which distinguishes between urban, rural, and remote areas through six categories. The 8-fold classification further distinguishes between remote and very remote regions. The Classification is normally updated on a biennial basis, with the current dataset reflective of the year 2022. Data for previous versions are available for download in ESRI Shapefile format.

geoBoundaries ADM2 boundaries for United Kingdom: 216 units, representing 2019. Source: Office for National Statistics Open Geography Portal. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Denmark's administrative geographical divisions exhibited in generalised scales for presentation purposes are part of DAGI. Data should not be used for management purposes or where current data is needed.