This product, Output Area boundary CD4, contains vector (re-usable) boundaries for all 175,434 Output Areas in England and Wales. It allow users to set up the boundaries in their own Geographical Information Systems.

The boundaries are in MID/MIF file format (see Boundary formats below). There are high resolution versions which contain all Output Areas in each individual local authority in England and Wales in a separate file, and low resolution versions which contain all Output Areas in England and Wales in a single file.

The CD also includes unique identifiers for Output Areas, population weighted and geometric centroids for Output Areas, and area measurements for Output Areas, together with a lookup table of Output Areas by unit postcodes.

Three further Output Area boundary CDs are available which contain the boundaries in alternative formats and resolutions. Full descriptions of the content of each of these CDs is available using the links in the related products box to the right, which also includes a link to a description of the single DVD which includes the full content of all four discs.

Boundary formats
The boundaries are available in two file formats - Shape format and MID/MIF format, each of which is available in either a high or low resolution version. There are high and low resolution files in each format containing all Output Areas in England and Wales in a single file. Additionally there are high resolution versions in each format containing separate files with all Output Areas in each single local authority.

Release date: January 2004

Media, availability and cost:

A CD was first released in January 2004 and formed part of the full 4 CD set. It was discontinued in August 2006. The full contents of this and the other 3 discs in the set are still available on the single DVD release first issued in January 2004, which is available from ONS Geography. Further information about how to order this and other Census products can be found using the ordering information box to the top right of this page.

Product notes
The boundaries were initially released in Summer 2003. Whilst the boundaries remain unchanged, they were re-issued in January 2004 to correct some errors in the postcode to Output Area lookup table, and to remove some technical problems with boundary intersections experienced by users of the MID/MIF format files.

Supporting information
The following information supporting this Census product is available:

 errata, errors and corrections identified in the Output Area to postcode lookup file included on the CD
 Output Area vector boundary copyright information


Further general Census supporting information is accessible using the links in the boxes to the right.

This page last revised: 27 July 2007