The construction of Minor Statistical Output Areas in Iceland

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Har\dharson, Ómar S.^{a; *} | Hreinsson, Einar Örn^b

Affiliations: [a] Statistics Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland | [b] Icelandic Regional Development Institute, Sauárkrókur, Iceland

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Ómar S. Har\dharson, Leading Statistician, Statistics Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland. Tel.: +354 528 1031; Fax. +354 5280 1099; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: This paper describes the construction of Minor Statistical Output Areas (MSOAs) in Iceland in preparation for the 2021 Population and Housing Census. It explains how these areas were generated by a partitioning algorithm in the densely populated areas, using pre-existing planning zones as the building blocks or source zones. Approximately a fifth of the MSOAs were constructed manually in the sparsely populated areas by grouping together smaller municipalities and splitting larger localities from the surrounding rural areas.

Keywords: Small areas, Census 2021, partitioning

DOI: 10.3233/SJI-200775

Journal: Statistical Journal of the IAOS, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 663-672, 2021