Code History Database: UK Statistical Geography Codes and Relationships (June 2017)

United Kingdom's Code History Database (CHD) as of June 2017, provided by the Government Digital Service. The database contains GSS nine-character codes for current and new statistical geographies from 1 January 2009, detailing codes, relationships, hierarchies, and archived data. It was updated on 3rd July 2017 to correct missing records and update various geographies.

Use Cases

• Maintaining consistent geographic identifiers in statistical outputs based on the GSS coding and naming policy.
• Mapping hierarchical relationships between administrative areas based on the described code structure and relationships.
• Tracking historical changes to geographic boundaries and codes for longitudinal studies based on the archived data functionality.
• Integrating with the Register of Geographic Codes (RGC) for summarizing area instances within each geographic entity.

Strengths

• Contains GSS codes for statistical geographies from 1 January 2009, providing a multi-year history.
• Includes details on codes, relationships, hierarchies, and archived data, offering multiple functionalities.
• Specific update log details corrections and updates to geographies like LEPs, NHS regions, and wards.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Likely compiled and maintained by UK statistical authorities.

Time Range

Codes from 1 January 2009, snapshot as of June 2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2025-08-11 07:50:23; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom