National Population Database: Point-Based GIS Data for Great Britain

Great Britain's National Population Database is a point-based GIS dataset combining Ordnance Survey location data with government population statistics. The Health & Safety Laboratory created it in 2004 to help the Health and Safety Executive assess risks from major hazard sites. It contains data split into five themes: residential, sensitive populations, transport, workplaces, and leisure.

Use Cases

• Modeling population exposure to industrial hazards based on the dataset's point-level building and population data.
• Identifying vulnerable 'sensitive' populations like schools and hospitals for emergency planning based on the described thematic split.
• Conducting detailed local demographic and land-use analysis based on the GIS point and polygon data representing individual buildings.

Strengths

• Provides point-level detail for individual buildings, enabling granular local analysis.
• Data is organized into five distinct thematic categories (residential, sensitive, transport, workplaces, leisure).
• Combines authoritative sources: Ordnance Survey locational data and UK Government population statistics.

Limitations

• Row count, file formats, and last update date are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is only available under license and for a fee, restricting open access.

Provenance

Source

Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) and Staffordshire University, for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Collection Method

Created by combining various UK Government datasets available under the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA).

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Great Britain