A technology company based in the Ormeau Baths in Belfast, and founded by a brother and sister team from Cavan, is revolutionising the processing and publishing of data.
The Sensible Code Company, founded by Aidan and Áine McGuire from Kilnaleck, Co Cavan, has developed Cantabular while working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK over the last two years.
At the end of March, ONS released its ‘create a custom dataset’ product, as part of its publication of Census 2021 statistics for England and Wales. The product has enabled the ONS to put the power in the hands of data users to find and download multiple combinations of data they are most interested in, a move which the ONS described as ‘a unique innovation for official statistics’*, allowing the release of census statistics ‘far more quickly than ever before.’
The Sensible Code Company also worked with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), on a flexible table builder for the 2021 Northern Ireland census results, using Cantabular. When it was launched in June, the Director of Census & Social Statistics at NISRA Dr David Marshall, said it marked a ‘watershed moment’ for the census in Northern Ireland. “The release of the Census 2021 Flexible Table Builder marks a watershed moment for the census in Northern Ireland. This is the first time the end-user can build their own tables online. This is a positive step forward from the old ways of publishing pre-defined tables. This has been made possible with the use of software developed here in Belfast and NISRA is excited to welcome this new development,” he said in a tweet.
Cantabular is modernising and automating the processing and publication of data because it is fast, safe and reliable; its high speed algorithms collapse the time needed to create tables of data, meaning that data can be published twice as quickly as before; its automated privacy processes provide a high level of control of data, making the sharing of data easier and safer; and its easy-to-use interface and automated systems increase reliability, reduce errors and improve efficiency.
Áine McGuire, the CEO of The Sensible Code Company said: “We are delighted to have collaborated with the ONS and NISRA on the publication of Census data and we are excited about the impact that the Cantabular software will continue to have. We see Cantabular as a force for public good because it modernises the processing and publication of data – making it fast, safe and reliable. How data is used matters because it can help solve problems and enhance decision making. The quicker Government has access to data, for example, the quicker it can make informed decisions in the interests of its citizens.”
Mike Thompson is the Cantabular product manager with The Sensible Code Company. He said; “Our mission at Sensible Code is to help the public sector use data for the public good so seeing the ONS census results published twice as fast as before, and with so much more flexibility than before for users, is a real milestone for us. Just over two years ago on Census Day, millions of people throughout England and Wales filled in census returns creating a common data resource of enormous value to central and local government, the economy and wider society. Thanks to the Cantabular software, users can now get data for many sets of variables they are interested in and complements a suite of innovative census products.”