NEW REPRESENTATIONS: THE USE OF GEODEMOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATIONS IN RESEARCH AND PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY

Joint seminar ESRC/NERC/EPSRC Transdisciplinary Seminar Series and ESRC Research Methods Seminar Series:

CASA is hosting a 2 day trans-disciplinary Research Methods seminar sponsored by ESRC, NERC & EPSRC. The event is free and will take place at University College London. Places are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please see: http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/lectures/ResearchMethods.html

'[W]e have been struck by the extent to which commercial (e.g. lifestyle or economic) databases are now routinely used in commerce an how some of these are multi-national in scope. Whilst often not as fastidiously created as those for national statistics (they are designed to be 'fit for commercial purposes') some of them are extensive - covering tens of millions of individuals - and are updated continuously. We have seen examples of where - despite the obvious commercial and other confidentiality constraints - these have been used by academics on a pilot basis for research. We think there is considerable potential here and recommend that ESRC should begin discussions with appropriate major businesses such as Experian to make some commercial sector data more widely available to academic researchers, both in the UK and beyond.' 'Great Expectations : the Social Sciences in Britain'- Commission on the Social Sciences, March 2003: 116

The aim of the event is to set out how geodemographic classifications and other pertinent indicators can be created and used in public service delivery applications. It also seeks to make the research community aware of some new resources that are available for academic use; to clarify methods of access these resources; and to provide examples of uses of indicators and classifications in research applications.