All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), at National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) Justin Gleeson InstantAtlas 2012 UK User Conference

Outline What is the All-Island Research Observatory? Main Data Tools InstantAtlas and AIRO –How do we embed InstantAtlas in our site? –What modules do we have? Census example for the Greater Dublin Area InstantAtlas Case Study from Ireland –Ireland’s Housing Boom and Bust What next for AIRO and IA?

What is the All-Island Research Observatory? Data is not as readily available in RoI as it is in the UK –No postcode system, high proportion of non-unique address information Unemployment, Crime rates, house prices etc –Census is the main dataset, every 5 years AIRO is a research unit and spatial data portal focused on improving evidence informed planning in Ireland –Collects, analyses and provides evidence and tools to support better planning and decision making Maps, data, policy advice, research and training –Maximise the usage and benefit of publically funded and readily available datasets Who do we work with? –Government Departments, Semi-State bodies –Regional Authorities, Local Authorities, Local Partnerships etc –Academics, Researchers, Public

Main data and tools?

InstantAtlas and AIRO In the beginning –MapInfo, ArcGIS etc –No public dissemination tool 1 st Desktop version of Instant Atlas was purchased in 2008 following review of mapping systems in place in UK regional observatories –Main interest was in the visualisation of census datasets –Provide access to a full set of census variables in one mapping system –Easy to use, no GIS experience required In 2010, we built the AIRO website with a specific section for hosting the IA mapping modules –1 day advanced IA course in Cambridge –All mapping modules are Single Maps histograms, time-series animation, GoogleMaps etc –IA modules are displayed in an ‘i-frame’ sitting on the AIRO website and therefore are designed using a common specification –Each new IA package is loaded to the AIRO server, the user interface then executes the atlas.html

InstantAtlas and AIRO

What IA Modules are on AIRO? 60+ IA Modules on the site Census Modules –2002, 2006, 2011 –Every Local Authority (34) and Regional Authority (8) in IrelandRegional Authority –Cross-Border - RoI and NI Census datasets –Local Partnerships (54) European Indicators (Eurostat) Unemployment Census of Agriculture Housing Children’s Health Transport Housing Crime Mapping Toolkit Mapping modules are available at a variety of spatial scales: International, National, Regional and Local

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland May January 2010

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland House completions in Ireland, Housing completions per 1,000 of population 2007

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland Irish land values (€ per hectare) European land values by country (€ per hectare)

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland In Q the average second-hand house price was 4.1 times the average industrial wage of €18,152, by Q second-hand house prices had risen to 11.9 times the average industrial wage of €32,616 The total value of mortgage debt increased from €47.2 billion in 2002 to over €139.8 billion at the end of 2007, with the average size of a new mortgage €266,000 (nearly double the 2002 figure) In 2006 the property market accounted for 17% of total tax revenue, up from 5% in 1998 Local authorities were benefiting through development levies, rising from €0.11bn in 2000 to €0.55bn in 2005, representing 13.6% of local government expenditure

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland then POP! Average house prices in 2012 are 45-50% below peak prices

IA Case Study: the Housing Boom and Bust in Ireland NIRSA produced a report titles “A Haunted Landscape” on the rise and fall of the housing sector in Ireland A key output from the report was the first publically available housing monitoring tool in Ireland –RoI Housing Monitoring Tool Survey of Unfinished Estates in Ireland by the Department of the Environment –Unfinished Estates Mapping Module

What next for AIRO and InstantAtlas InstantAtlas will continue to be a main data tool for AIRO –Getting lots of exposure to a wide variety of clients –Need to develop Help files Some common issues/complaints –GoogleMaps Our users need to export images –OSi background mapping in Ireland Requires a token to use Needs some development between IA and OSi to get this working This would be attractive to Irish clients –Flash v Apple Lots of our users have i-pads, i-phones and can’t use the IA modules –Limitations on the number of spatial boundaries and size of file We have moved to using ArcGIS Viewer for Flex to handle large datasets

Thanks Questions?