Data conversion services

Tender description

The Authority would like to convert tables of aggregate data from the historical census volumes into digital data. A call-off contract will allow the office for national statistics to focus on the published volumes from the 1961 Census and earlier years, potentially all the way back to 1801. The exact scope for delivery in the first year would be agreed with the supplier on award of the contract. There will be different stages to the work: — automated extraction of data from the census volumes, — a mechanism to assign missing values that cannot be extracted using Optical Character Recognition (OCR), — quality assurance to validate the data, — supply of fully specified tables in spreadsheet format (e.g. .xls or .csv). In addition to the data, we require high quality digital boundaries at a resolution appropriate for use online/publications at district level (and lower level geographies if possible). District level boundaries have already been created for 1961 as part of an ongoing project so this requirement would be for 1951 and earlier census years only. Indicative volumes will be released on the 1.4.2019. There will be different stages to the work: — automated extraction of data from the census volumes, — a mechanism to assign missing values that cannot be extracted using Optical Character Recognition (OCR), — quality assurance to validate the data, — supply of fully specified tables in spreadsheet format (e.g. .xls or .csv). Scanned images of the census volumes already exist but the successful bidder may decide it is more cost-effective to undertake a re-scan of the volumes to a higher, more consistent standard (i.e. better granularity and alignment) to improve the efficiency of the conversion into digital data. In addition to the data, we require high quality digital boundaries at a resolution appropriate for use online/publications at district level (and lower level geographies if possible). District level boundaries have already been created for 1961 as part of an ongoing project so this requirement would be for 1951 and earlier census years only.