Version: 0.1.0 | Published: 10 Dec 2025 | Updated: 93 days ago
Summary
Description:
This dataset provides harmonized small-area geography boundaries for the entire United Kingdom, combining MSOA-equivalent geographies from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The dataset includes Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) for England and Wales (2021 boundaries), Intermediate Zones for Scotland (2022 boundaries), and Super Data Zones for Northern Ireland (2021 boundaries). These geographies have been harmonized to provide consistent small-area boundaries across the UK for spatial analysis and data aggregation. All boundaries have the common coordinate reference system EPSG:27700, OSGB36/British National Grid.
**IMPORTANT** - This is a beta version of the data product. We have released it as a preview to allow users exploration and experimentation while we perform final quality assurance and additional checks. If you encounter any issue or have questions, please get in touch with us at [imago@liverpool.ac.uk](mailto:imago@liverpool.ac.uk) We will shortly be releasing a more stable version. Please check [https://imago.ac.uk](https://imago.ac.uk) for news and updates.
Contact Point:
Documentation
Documentation:
The dataset contains harmonized boundary geometries and identifiers for 9,448 small-area geographies across the UK. Each record includes: (1) data_zone_code: standardized zone code for all UK nations; (2) data_zone_name: standardized zone name; (3) country: nation identifier (england_wales, scotland, n_ireland); (4) nation-specific codes and names (MSOA21C/MSOA21N for England and Wales, IZCode/IZName for Scotland, DZ21C/DZ21N for Northern Ireland); (5) geometry: polygon boundaries in British National Grid projection. England and Wales contain 7,264 MSOAs with populations of 5,000-15,000 residents. Scotland contains 1,334 Intermediate Zones with populations of 2,500-6,000 residents. Northern Ireland contains 890 Super Data Zones with populations of approximately 2,000 residents.
Coverage
Spatial
Spatial Coverage:
United Kingdom
Geographical Levels:
MSOA
Temporal
Start Date:
2021
Frequency:
Static (boundary snapshot)
Date of Latest Release:
10 December 2025
Date of First Release:
10 December 2025
Provenance
Origin
Purpose:
Boundaries are from official statistical agencies and represent the most recent
MSOA-equivalent geographies available for each UK nation as of 2021. Population
ranges differ by nation: England and Wales MSOAs (5,000-15,000), Scottish
Intermediate Zones (2,500-6,000), and Northern Ireland Super Data Zones
(approximately 2,000), reflecting different design methodologies across UK
statistical agencies. These boundaries are suitable for small-area analysis and
aggregation of gridded datasets but users should be aware that the different
population sizes and geographic extents may affect cross-nation comparability.
**IMPORTANT** - This version is released as beta. This means that, although we
have applied our quality standard in its production, we are still assessing its
overall quality and identifying minor issues that need resolution before a more
stable version can be released. As soon as we are ready, we will issue a new
release. Please check https://imago.ac.uk for news and updates.
Source:
This harmonized boundary dataset combines three official statistical geography products: (1) Middle Layer Super Output Areas (December 2021) for England and Wales, produced by the Office for National Statistics, available at https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/middle-layer-super-output-areas-december-2021-boundaries-ew-bgc-v3-2/; (2) Intermediate Zone Boundaries (2022) for Scotland, produced by National Records of Scotland, using the Mainland, available at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/f11c9e6e-88ea-4a65-ba66-2ecb89cde175/intermediate-zone-boundaries-2022; (3) Super Data Zone Boundaries (2021) for Northern Ireland, produced by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, available at https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/super-data-zone-boundaries-gis-format. All three datasets were harmonized with consistent field naming conventions (dt_zn_c for zone code, dt_zn_n for zone name) to enable UK-wide spatial analysis. The harmonization was performed by the Imago Team.
Collection Status:
0.1.0
Author 1
Name Organisation:
Imago: Data Service for Imagery
Family Name Person:
Martina Pardy
Access and Governance
Usage
Data Use Requirements:
None
Access
Access Rights:
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Licence:
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Format and Standards
Vocabulary Encoding Scheme:
EPSG:27700, OSGB36/British National Grid