England and Wales Middle Layer Super Output Area Boundaries, December 2011

December 2011 digital vector boundaries for Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in England and Wales, provided by the Office for National Statistics. The dataset includes four boundary versions: full resolution (extent of the realm and clipped to coastline), and generalised (20m and 200m) versions clipped to the coastline. File sizes range from 2 MB for the super generalised version to 191 MB for the full resolution extent.

Use Cases

• Create thematic maps for census data based on the provided MSOA boundaries.
• Perform spatial joins to aggregate point data to MSOA units based on the vector polygons.
• Analyze geographic patterns and relationships using the generalised boundaries for faster processing.
• Integrate boundary data with other UK statistical releases for consistent area definitions.

Strengths

• Provides four specific boundary versions (full, full clipped, 20m generalised, 200m generalised) for different use cases.
• Includes direct file size information for each version, ranging from 2 MB to 191 MB.
• Contains intellectual property from both Ordnance Survey and the Office for National Statistics, indicating authoritative sources.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and column definitions require manual inspection after download.
• Temporal coverage is fixed to a single date (31 December 2011); freshness for current analysis should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Office for National Statistics

Collection Method

Digital vector boundaries produced for statistical reporting.

Time Range

As at 31 December 2011

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:33.897867; freshness should be verified

Geography

England and Wales