Constructing data zones for Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics

This paper outlines the construction of a new zone system for Scotland to be used for the publication of Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics. After a discussion of the background to the project, the criteria for the construction of zones are described in detail. A brief review of the zone construction programs currently available is presented to demonstrate why it was necessary for a specific aggregation program to be written for this project. The need for human intervention in the aggregation process is also highlighted in the context of the subjective nature of the data zones presented here. The results are analysed to discuss some of the issues faced in the construction of a set of zones to present neighbourhood statistics.