Middle Layer Super Output Areas (December 2011) Super Generalised Clipped Boundaries in En

Office for National Statistics provides digital vector boundaries for Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in England and Wales as of 31 December 2011. The dataset contains four boundary variants, including full-resolution and generalised versions clipped to the coastline. It includes Ordnance Survey and ONS intellectual property rights.

Use Cases

• Create choropleth maps of census statistics based on the super generalised (200m) boundaries for web visualization.
• Perform spatial joins with other UK datasets using the full-resolution extent-of-the-realm boundaries.
• Analyze regional patterns in England and Wales using the standardized MSOA geography.
• Integrate administrative boundaries into GIS software for local government planning.

Strengths

• Offers four distinct boundary resolutions, including a 2 MB super generalised (200m) version for lightweight use.
• Provides specific file sizes for each variant, such as 191 MB for the full-resolution extent-of-the-realm.
• Contains boundaries as of a specific date (31 December 2011), providing a consistent snapshot.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from 2011; freshness should be verified for current analyses.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Office for National Statistics

Time Range

Snapshot as of 31 December 2011

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:33:27.158786; snapshot is from 2011.

Geography

England and Wales