ABSTRACT

A very common initial task when population census data are released is to explore salient geographical patterns through exploratory spatial data analysis, most typically by generating sets of choropleth maps for attributes of interest. Such analysis tasks are repetitive and time consuming. However, the process can be automated in a way that creates attractive outputs in a useful format for immediate use. This chapter concerns the development of census open atlases for each local authority area in England and Wales using the open source statistical programing language R.