USER GUIDE
NINIS
for
Making Life Better
www.nisra.gov.uk/ninis
Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Introduction
Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) provides free access to
statistical and locational information relating to small areas across Northern Ireland.
Information is available across the 11 National Statistics themes as well as Census
2011, Census 2001, Deprivation, Making Life Better and Neighbourhood Renewal.
The NINIS website (www.nisra.gov.uk/ninis) contains datasets for statistical and
administrative geographies; area profiles providing statistical snapshots of your area;
and mapping facilities that enable statistics to be interpreted readily in a spatial
context as well as other data visualisation tools.
Since its launch in 2003, NINIS has focused on the improvement of the
dissemination and accessibility of small area statistics by adding functionality such
as interactive maps.
During 2012, and in conjunction with the release of the Census 2011 results, a new
and improved NINIS website was launched. The website contains a range of new
and improved features such as the advanced search option and interactive content.
This guide outlines the main features, functions and new developments to the NINIS
website for Making Life Better.
As we are committed to the ongoing development of the site, we welcome any
comments or suggestions that would help us to further improve Northern Ireland
Neighbourhood Statistics.
Neighbourhood Statistics, NISRA
March 2017
Suggestions can be sent via the contact us form on the NINIS website, by emailing
[email protected] or alternatively by phone on: +44 (0)28 90 388400.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
What is NINIS?
NINIS, the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service, is a dedicated site
providing statistics for various geographies across Northern Ireland. The site can be
accessed via www.nisra.gov.uk/ninis.
What is the purpose of NINIS?
NINIS provides a user-friendly tool for accessing local level information and for
monitoring socio-economic conditions and the impact of government policies. The
web-based service provides a central point from which users may access a large
range of statistical information; from statistical and locational based information to
static and interactive maps.
What can I use NINIS for?

Accessing statistical and mapping data

Finding key health statistics

Monitoring progress in relation to the key objectives of the Making Life Better
Strategy

Completing funding applications

Community profiling and planning

Development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and strategies

Spatial research and analysis
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Data Available
NINIS currently houses a vast number of datasets and maps which we update on a
regular basis. Datasets are available across many years, and can be downloaded for
a range of geographic levels from Small Areas up to Northern Ireland level.
In the vast majority of cases, the information hosted on the website has been
sourced from NISRA branches within government departments and has been quality
assured prior to issue. The datasets are classified under a variety of statistical
themes as outlined below:
11 National Statistics themes. The majority of
datasets available on the website are held
within one of these sections.
Contains all datasets relating to the 2001 and
2011 Northern Ireland Censuses.
Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure.
Statistics for Neighbourhood Renewal Areas.
Health and wellbeing indicators for MLB.
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Colleagues leading on the ‘Making Life Better’ and ‘Neighbourhood Renewal’
strategies are key users of the NINIS website and as such, information is available in
a format tailored specifically to their needs. This is public information however and
available to all users of the website.
Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010
The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010
(NIMDM 2010) identifies small area concentrations of
deprivation
across
Northern
Ireland.
It
further
develops
previous measures published in 2001 and 2005 and allows more effective targeting
of policies and resources on deprived areas.
The NINIS website provides information on the latest deprivation measures and
users can search by postcode, address or area name to obtain an area profile based
on NIMDM 2010, download all datasets of information and also thematically map the
data.
Census 2011
NINIS is the home of the Census 2011 results. The most recent
Census took place on 27th March 2011. This was the same date as
the rest of the United Kingdom to help produce consistent results for
the UK as a whole as well as for each country.
The census is unique as it provides important information on the population and
nature of Northern Ireland as well as small areas and population groups.
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Each phase of the census release was disseminated via the NINIS website and each
dataset is available to download individually or all datasets are available in bulk
download files.
Customised NINIS
The Neighbourhood Renewal and Making Life Better areas of the NINIS website
have been customised to suit the needs of NINIS customers.
NINIS provides statistical data for each of the
Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRAs) across
Northern Ireland. Under the Governments People and
Place Strategy, 36 neighbourhoods across Northern
Ireland have been designated as areas that are experiencing the highest levels of
deprivation.
Area profile, datasets, interactive content and geographical maps have been
developed specifically for each of these 36 NRAs.
Making Life Better is a ten year strategic
framework for public health launched in
2014. It provides direction for policies and
actions to improve the health and wellbeing
of the people of Northern Ireland and reduce inequalities in health. Further
information can be found within the Making Life Better strategic framework document
and the Key Indicators and Baseline Report. NINIS provides information on key
health and wellbeing indicators relating to the Making Life Better strategy. Area
profiles, interactive maps and datasets containing information specific to the Making
Life Better strategy are available for areas within Northern Ireland. This guide
outlines how to access each of these functions.
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NINIS Homepage
The NINIS website can be accessed at: www.nisra.gov.uk/ninis. Below is an
overview of some the functionality available from the NINIS home page directly.
The navigation bar is
Quick search for area
available from every
profiles and datasets
page within NINIS. Use
using postcodes, street
it to quickly navigate
names, keywords (e.g.
between different
births) or your own
sections of the website.
search term.
The help menu gives
access to user guides
and Frequently Asked
Questions.
Find NINIS contact details
View a list of all current
or the FAQ section with
datasets
no fuss by using the quick
maps
links supplied.
and
interactive
View the most
recent news items
by clicking on each
link or view all news
items recorded.
Keep abreast of the latest developments with the
website by following us on facebook or Twitter, sign up
for the monthly E-Zine or set up an RSS feed. You can
also register for one of our workshops.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
NINIS Making Life Better Information
All Area Profiles information, datasets and Interactive Content are grouped by the
Making Life Better Themes:
Key Overarching Indicators
To facilitate high-level monitoring of progress a set of key indicators has been
agreed. These include data on deaths and life expectancy.
Theme 1 – Giving Every Child the Best Start
The key long term outcomes of this theme are:
Good quality parenting and family support;
Healthy and confident children and young people; and
Children and young people skilled for life.
Datasets hosted under this theme include births, smoking during pregnancy, breast
feeding on discharge, childhood vaccination rates, infant mortality and school leavers
information.
Theme 2 – Equipped Throughout Life
The key long term outcomes of this theme are:
Ready for adult life;
Employment, life-long learning and participation; and
Healthy active ageing.
This theme includes datasets on further and higher education and on patients
registered with GPs.
Theme 3 – Empowering Healthy Living
The key long term outcomes of this theme are:
Improved health and reduction in harm;
Improved mental health and wellbeing, and reduction in self harm and suicide;
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
People are better informed about health matters; and
Prevention embedded in services.
Datasets available under this theme include information on people’s lifestyle choices
from the Health Survey, teenage births, mental wellbeing, hospital admissions and
deaths.
Theme 4 – Creating the Conditions
The key long term outcomes of this theme are:
A decent standard of living;
Making the most of the physical environment; and
Safe and healthy homes.
This theme includes a range of information on benefits as well as datasets on
deprivation and Excess Winter Mortality.
Theme 5 – Empowering Communities
The key long term outcomes of this theme are:
Thriving communities;
Safe communities; and
Safe and healthy workplaces.
This theme includes datasets on crime, road traffic collisions and accidents/illnesses
at work.
Theme 6 – Developing Collaboration
The key long term outcomes of this theme are: A
Strategic Approach to Public Health; and
Strengthened collaboration for health and wellbeing.
There are currently no datasets hosted under this theme.
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NINIS Area Profiles
Area Profiles can be accessed by selecting ‘Area Profile’ on the navigation bar which
opens an ‘Area Profile’ search page.
In the Area Profiles search page, enter a postcode, street or area name in the search
box and select the geography (e.g. HSCT) in the geography drop down. View a
profile for the relevant area by clicking on the search results.
Below is an example of an Area Profile. It provides a statistical snapshot of the area
you have selected. You can navigate between geographies and themes by clicking
on the tabs at the top of the area profile. Making Life Better Area Profiles are
currently available at NI, Health & Social Care Trust, Assembly Area and LGD2014
areas.
Themes
Bookmarks
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NINIS Datasets
You can search for data by entering a key word in the search box which is found at the
top of all web pages. This will return a list of datasets with this key word in the title or
which has been mentioned in the metadata.
If you were to enter ‘Health’ for example the website returns 250 datasets (as at March
2017). You can use the advanced search option which can be accessed by selecting
data search in the above search box or by clicking on ‘go to advanced search’ in the top
right hand corner of the search results page below.
In the advanced search you can specify the theme (if known), year of data and
geography to narrow your search results.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Making Life Better datasets can be accessed directly by selecting ‘Making Life Better’ on
the Statistics dropdown from the navigation bar or selecting the logo on the homepage.
A link to all Making Life Better datasets available on NINIS is provided in the FAQs
section.
Each Making Life Better theme can be selected on the list on the left hand side of the
page. When a theme is selected the relevant datasets, geography and years available
are displayed.
Making
Life
Better Themes
Click on icon
to open
The datasets can be viewed in grid or excel by clicking on the relevant icon.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
You can filter the datasets for a specific geography or year.
The dataset shown below is shown at LGD2014 geography. To change the geography
use the dropdown for available geographies.
The filters on the dataset within the grid view (e.g. Geography, Year, Variables, Age
Group and Gender below) can be changed to allow a selection of specific Geographies,
Years, Variable, etc.
Change Geography Displayed
Filters
Also in the grid view, additional chart and map features are available via the tabs in
the top right hand corner.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Below is an example of a bar chart and line chart. The filters at the top can be used
to change the year of data, selected geography and variable. Chart type can be
changed to line or pie chart. If you change the chart type, select ‘create chart’ button
to action the change.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
The map tab displays a thematic map of Northern Ireland. Again year and variable
can be changed if required.
The Metadata tab contains important background information about each dataset
including the source of the data. It is important to read the metadata before using a
dataset. For further information on metadata click here.
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NINIS Interactive Content
To access Making Life Better interactive content, hover over ‘Interactive Content’ on
the navigation bar and select ‘Making Life Better. Interactive Content is classified
under the same themes used for the datasets.
When a theme is selected the relevant interactive content, geography and years
available are displayed. The interactive content can be viewed by clicking on the
relevant icon.
Videos are available at the top of the interactive content page. These give a general
overview of how to use interactive maps.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Videos
Click on icon
to open
Themes
Below is an example of a Making Life Better Interactive Map. Within the interactive
maps, you can change data, apply filters and change geographies by using the
buttons at the top of the screen.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Data
The data button allows you to change the variable or year of data displayed in the
map. When you click on the data button a drop down appears showing available
variables and years. When an option is selected the map and other features are
automatically updated.
Geography
The geography button allows you to change the geography displayed in the
interactive map.
Filter
The filter button allows you to filter for a specific geography while the
clear filter button, allows you to remove the filter applied.
Table
The table shows the data displayed on the map. You can click on the column
headers (name and indicator) to rank the data ascending/descending. If you hold
down the ‘ctrl’ key you can select more than one geography – the selection will be
reflected in the bar chart and the time series chart (see above).
Time Series chart
If one or more geography is selected the time series chart will show the data over a
number of year for those geographies.
Bar Chart
The bar chart shows the data in the table. If you hover over a bar the geography
name and value will be shown.
Time Animation
This allows you to view how the data changes over time. Click on play to watch the
whole animation to navigate through the years available.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Print Report
The map and related content can be printed as a report (subject to terms and
conditions).
A list of all Making Life Better Interactive Content available on NINIS is provided in
the FAQs section.
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NINIS Map Catalogue
Geographical maps can be accessed by selecting ‘Maps’ on the navigation bar.
In the Maps search page, enter a postcode, street or area name in the search box
and select the geography (e.g. Ward) in the geography drop down. View a map for
the relevant area by clicking on the search results. You can also search for ‘all
wards’ for example.
An example of a map for Shaftesbury Small Area and Mid & East Antrim LGD2014 is
given below.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
These maps can be easily printed or saved as an image to use in a report (subject to
terms and conditions).
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NINIS FAQs
A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is available on NINIS to assist users
under ‘Help’ on the right hand side of the navigation bar or via the quick links on the
bottom menu bar.
Within the FAQs there is a section specific to Making Life Better. Selecting the
question will expand to show the relevant answer.
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Keeping up to date with NINIS
You can keep up to date with NINIS developments and latest data available by
signing up to our E-Zines, following us on twitter or liking us on facebook. These can
all be accessed via the buttons on the bottom menu bar.
Monthly E-Zine
Sign up to receive our monthly E-Zine which includes information on new and
updated data available on NINIS. We also send out ad-hoc Making Life Better EZines. If you would like to be included on the Making Life Better mailing list email
[email protected].
Twitter
We send regular tweets about statistical information available on NINIS. You can
follow our twitter account (@NISRA).
Facebook
The ‘Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency’ facebook page keeps you up
to date with releases of statistical bulletins in Northern Ireland.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
NINIS Workshops
Workshops and/or information seminars on NINIS are regularly provided by NISRA
staff. The workshops provide information on accessing the Making Life Better
information and other key statistics on the NINIS website.
NINIS workshops incorporate PC-based style training. This involves practical
exercises on PCs where participants learn how to access data on the NINIS website
and create area profiles and customised maps.
Registration is essential as places are limited for each workshop. To register for a
workshop tailored for Making Life Better content you should contact us:
Telephone: 028 90 388400
Email:
[email protected]
Once you sign up for a Making Life Better/NINIS workshop it is important to attend
as the number of tailored sessions is limited.
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Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
Confidentiality
Data on NINIS has, where necessary, been subjected to statistical disclosure control
protocols to protect the confidentiality of personal information. Details of the
statistical disclosure control applied to individual datasets are included in the
metadata tab in the data grid. Further information is available in the NINIS Disclosure
Control Policy.
Copyright Legislation
Maps are provided by Land & Property Services:

Users may print copy of the maps for personal use.

If using maps other than for personal use, printing more than one copy or
publishing in a report, users require Copyright Authorisation – please contact
Land and Property Services Customer Services on: 0300 200 7804

The Northern Ireland Mapping Agreement has granted free access to Land
and Property Services data for all Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments,
Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
NINIS material:

All data should be referenced as follows:
Source: Neighbourhood Statistics (NISRA)
Website: www.nisra.gov.uk/ninis
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller
of HMSO

If data is used other than for personal interest, users require an online ‘ClickUse’ Licence (further details can be accessed from the Terms section on the
NINIS website) and material must be accredited as above.
Full terms and conditions are available on the NINIS website.
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