Statistics & GIS
New Statistics and GIS blog articles will be published here when available.
You can also view our archive of Statistics and GIS blog articles (published pre-2020).
![A line graph showing the number of COVID-19 vaccinations](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Dashboard-feature-image_vaccinations-640x314.png)
Visualisation of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: < 1 minute By Aaron McMurray & James Bamford This dashboard has been prepared by the Assembly Research and Information Service (RaISe) to visualise data describing the spread of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland. This dashboard is intended to
![A black and white image showing a row of glasses and a bottle](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/liquid-black-and-white-wine-glass-motion-celebration-671028-pxhere-640x319.png)
Alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 5 minutes Overview The latest figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (February 2021) show that the number of alcohol-specific deaths in 2019 was the highest ever recorded, with 336 registered deaths linked
![A screenshot showing the distribution of foodbanks in NI](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Foodbanks-screenshot-640x304.png)
Foodbank distribution in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: < 1 minute Foodbanks are an increasingly useful resource for many in Northern Ireland. They provide a valuable service to communities and are continually helping to feed those in need. An interactive mapping application has been developed which
![An image depicting a smartphone with social media apps, beside a laptop computer (image from PXHere)](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pxhere_social-media-research_small-640x424.png)
Can surveys be supplemented and improved by social media based research? A case study of the Young Life & Times Survey
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sample opinion surveys are a well-established way to measure public opinion on contemporary affairs. However, the exponential growth of social media in the 21st century opens new possibilities in social research. This post considers the
![A map showing an analysis of West Strand in Portrush](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WestStrand-640x452.png)
Is it possible to socially distance on our beaches?
Reading Time: 2 minutes With many international travel restrictions still in place, more people than ever will be opting for ‘staycations’ in Northern Ireland. This article provides the results of a spatial analysis looking at whether social distancing is
![Image of a bar graph showing the rise in domestic abuse incidents reported during the COVID-19 lockdown](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Domestic-abuse-slide_twitter-640x437.png)
The impact of COVID-19 on Northern Ireland
Reading Time: < 1 minute By Keara McKay & Thomas Procter Our new visualisation based on figures and analysis published in the public domain by Ulster Bank, Danske Bank, NISRA, PSNI and Google Mobility Reports, looks at the potential impact
![An image showing COVID-19 statistics on a computer screen](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/coronavirus-statistics-on-screen-3970330-640x426.png)
Ten reasons to be cautious about using R to support decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic
Reading Time: 9 minutes The risk is that a complicated number is released without context into a world that doesn’t know how to think about it. The ‘R number’ that most of us non-epidemiologists had never heard of
![A line graph comparing COVID-19 deaths (five day moving averages) per million population for selected countries; five day moving averages include two days either side of date shown in chart (e.g. moving aveage for 14 April is an average taken over the five days 12-16 April).](https://www.assemblyresearchmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Figure-1_COVID-19-deaths-with-5-day-moving-averages-640x418.png)
Where are we on the COVID-19 curve? (Update at 16 April 2020)
Reading Time: 2 minutes This is a follow-up to the recent blog article, ‘Where are we on the COVID-19 curve?. The previous article used three day averages for COVID-19 deaths to compare the positions of the UK and