SASPAC User Survey results
The results from the SASPAC user survey have now been analysed and a report is available from our website. Here are a few of the headlines:

• - 104 responses
• - 54 organisations had more than one SASPAC user - one of these had 20
• - at the peak of Census analysis, 70 per cent of users accessed SASPAC on a daily or weekly basis
• - over 70 per cent of users expect SASPAC to meet their 2011 Census needs

Thank you to all those who completed the survey; your feedback is essential to informing the software's development and the services we provide following the 2011 Census.

SASPAC Advisory Panel meeting
The SASPAC Advisory Panel has been reconvened to help ensure the software continues to meet user needs. The Panel is chaired by the Local Government Association (the software owners) and consists of a group of experienced Census/SASPAC users who help steer and oversee the software's development. The minutes and slides of the meeting can be found here.

SASPAC development showcased by ONS
The SASPAC team have built a 'proof of concept' tool that interrogates the datasets provided through ONS' Neighbourhood Statistics website (NeSS) via their Data Exchange service. A video demonstrating this application was shown at the recent ONS' Output Consultation events and may be viewed on their website.

1971 Census data available in SASPAC
The 1971 Small Area Statistics (SAS) dataset contains 28 tables split over three sheets representing population, 100 per cent households and 10 per cent households basis. Data for geographical wards, districts, counties and countries in Great Britain is available. To add this dataset to the latest version of SASPAC (v9.0) you will need to download the update files (v9.07) and follow the guidance available from here.

2011 Census Output Consultations
On Monday 14 December ONS launched their 2011 Census Output and Census Geography consultations. This provides users with an opportunity to define their requirements for the 2011 outputs -including what tables they do or don't want. The geography consultation includes requests for user's views on workplace zones, Upper SOAs and the use of OAs in 2011. Both consultations close on 26 March 2010.