The Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) provides detailed geographic data on UK consumer behavior, demographics, housing, and retail. It was a joint initiative by the University of Leeds and University College London, backed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). As of April 2025, CDRC's data services have transitioned to two new platforms:
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Geographic Data Service (GeoDS) – Led by UCL, focusing on geographic datasets.
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Healthy and Sustainable Places – Led by the University of Leeds, focusing on health and sustainability data.
What Does CDRC Offer?
CDRC's datasets are valuable for mapping and spatial analysis in the UK. They cover:
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Population and Mobility – Including residential mobility and linked consumer registers.
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Retail and Economy – Such as retail center boundaries and vacancy rates.
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Housing – Including residential property counts over time.
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Digital Access – Data on broadband availability and internet usage.
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Health and Environment – Including access to healthy assets and hazards.
These datasets are available in various formats suitable for GIS applications.
Accessing the Data
CDRC data is categorized into three access levels:
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Open – Freely available to all users.
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Safeguarded – Requires registration and approval.
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Secure – Accessed through secure environments with strict protocols.
To access these datasets, users should register on the respective platforms:
Use Cases in GIS
CDRC data supports various GIS applications:
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Urban Planning – Analyzing residential mobility and housing developments.
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Retail Analysis – Mapping retail center boundaries and vacancy rates.
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Public Health – Studying access to health assets and environmental hazards.
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Digital Inclusion – Assessing broadband availability and internet usage patterns.
These datasets enable detailed spatial analysis for researchers, policymakers, and planners.
Considerations
While CDRC provides comprehensive data, users should be aware of:
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Data Licensing – Some datasets have restrictions and require approval.
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Data Quality – Variations may exist due to data collection methods.
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Geographic Coverage – Not all datasets cover the entire UK uniformly.
Users are encouraged to review dataset documentation for specific details.
