Postcode trail - Kay's AS & A2 Geography for the WJEC specification

Kay's

Click on the globe to return to my homepage

Web postcode trail

Postcodes are a useful way of locating small areas and these websites offer maps or data linked to postcode areas. Just feed in the postcode of your choice and go!

Multimap’s Interactive map - Type in a postcode or placename to get a map - you will be able to zoom in and out. This site also has air photos for selected areas (urban better than rural - Tyne Valley now available). http://uk8.multimap.com/map/places.cgi

Streetmap An alternative to Multimap which has air photos for some areas (eg Edinburgh which Multimap doesn't have). Maps are OS in origin. Search by postcode, place or OS grid reference. http://www.streetmap.co.uk

Office of National Statistics’ Neighbourhood statistics service - Postcodes do not precisely match administrative boundaries (ie wards) and results should be used for guidance. For England each postcode has been linked to one ward. Data is also available for Scotland and Wales - check the exact details. Once you have found out your ward you are ready to select some data by clicking on the 'go' button to get data for wards within the indicated local authority (LA). The screen you go to will have your LA /ward pre-selected.

You can choose from key stats (pre-selected data in a table for England only); ward profile (a report including data for the ward); tabulate (slightly more complicated, but allows you to choose from a wider range of data). Maps have been added to this site, although they do take some time to load. This lets you see where wards boundaries are and allows you to compare wards across boundaries more easily. Look for 'Live/GIS maps' on the horizontal menu bar. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/home.asp

Up My Street - This site will yield a variety of information including a map and house price data. Property price data is calculated at the postcode 'sector' level (eg. if you type in the postcode N5 2PL, which is called the postcode 'unit', the property price you see will refer to the properties sold in N5 2, the postcode 'sector'). Each postcode 'sector' contains around 2,500 properties. Information about a single property, or single street is not available. It can be worth looking up properties advertised in the classified adverts on this site. http://www.upmystreet.com/

ACORN Profiles Also available from 'Up My Street'. These descriptions used by marketing and advertising executives can give an indication of likely lifestyle (consumer preferences and behaviour). However, the profile does not describe a specific locality or its residents. For example, Type 11 are said to be "...affluent working couples with mortgages in new homes in suburban, family neighbourhoods (1.3 per cent of the population). Comments on likely 2plus car ownership, ITV viewing, children and mortgages. Can be used alongside Census data (and fieldwork) to assess the relative affluence of residential areas. http://www.upmystreet.com

Environment Agency - This government agency for England and Wales incorporates the pollution inspectorate and the national rivers authority (the Floodline people). The site seems to undergo frequent revamps, so apologies if the instructions are in error. Click on Your Environment and look for the What's in your backyard? feature (the link is quite small). You should be able to type in a postcode and get a map for the general area showing environmental information (eg landfill sites, pollution inventory, floodplain maps). Pick pollution inventory, use the Q tool and select query layer to get detailed information on local polluters. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Home envirosearch An alternative to the 'backyard' feature above intended for homebuyers, but no Environment Agency style map. Covers pollution, flooding and landfill. Beware - you'll be presented with a frightening list of potential hazards, but no specific information other than advice to see a lawyer. http://www.home-envirosearch.com/