Website of the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO)
Don’t be surprised if campaigns in this month’s general election start to feature maps about issues in individual constituencies.
A cross-border project between third-level colleges is giving candidates and parties free access to its interactive socio-economic mapping tools.
The powerful, easy-to-use online tools generate detailed maps – down to electoral division level. They draw on data from organisations such as Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Central Statistics Office, particularly demographic data such as economic and marital status, education, housing and social class.
The mapping tools can also throw plenty of other data into the mix, such as how people voted in the last election, Live Register figures, planning permissions, unfinished housing estates and deprivation indices.
How to register
The tools have been developed by the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO), based at NUI Maynooth. AIRO says a point-and-click interface means no mapping expertise is required.
To sign up for the mapping tools and data, would-be politicians and party organisers need to register online at AIRO.ie.
Its website also gives access to data on 12 different themes and hundreds of pre-prepared maps for the island of Ireland.
More about AIRO
AIRO was initially established as a research observatory for the cross border region (Northern Ireland plus six border counties in the Republic). The aim was to provide reliable cross-border information through the collection, analysis and mapping of data relevant to the region.
Following funding from the Higher Education Authority, AIRO now focuses on the entire island of Ireland from a local and regional perspective. It aims to act as a spatial, social and economic databank resource for community, public and private bodies.
Besides NUI Maynooth, other partners in the project include Queen’s University Belfast and Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Read our post about how public sector organisations are putting their databases online for the public to use.
