What are RTICs?
Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs), created by The Data City, provide a comprehensive and accurate picture of the economy, going beyond the limitations of traditional systems such as SIC codes.
What is the IDBR?
The Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) is a comprehensive list of UK businesses used by government for statistical purposes. The database includes information about business office locations, turnover, employment, SIC codes and other metrics.
What are SIC codes?
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) are five-digit codes used to classify business establishments and other standard units by the type of economic activity they are engaged in.
What is the =% of sector found in cluster?
This metric is based on number of companies, not size of companies, and shows the percentage of companies related to that RTIC in that region. A minimum number may be filtered for using the filter option. Please see the ‘about‘ page for more information.
What sized companies are included in the data?
All companies from the datasets are included, no company is excluded based on its size.
Why are some Northern Ireland clusters so large?
This is a by-product of the clustering algorithm and the geographical separation between Northern Ireland from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. The clustering algorithm often identifies geographically separated areas as a single cluster, making it more difficult to distinguish potential clusters within Northern Ireland. Other clusters which span several cities is the true pattern of the actual geospatial grouping of firms in this sector.
How do you measure collaboration?
At this time, collaboration is evidenced by joint work on government (research council) funded R&D projects. Please see the about page for more information, including caveats.
How is a cluster’s boundary determined?
A cluster boundary on the map is drawn around the outer points of the company locations within the cluster.
Where is the cluster investment funding data from?
The cluster investment funding metrics and information are sourced from Dealroom. Please see the about page for more information, including caveats.
What is the difference between RTIC Group and RTIC Clusters?
A RTIC Group is a collection of related RTIC Clusters and SIC Based (IDBR) Clusters, determined by their RTIC and SIC codes respectively. This allows the user to filter for a wider family of related clusters, rather than a specific sector.
Can a company have several RTICs and what are the implications?
Yes. A company may be identified to perform a range of activities and be categorised in several RTICs. This means a company may be identified as being within multiple clusters spanning different sectors. This captures the diverse nature of business activities, and is not limited to categorising a single company into performing one primary activity.
What does ‘Cluster % colour shading’ show?
This is an optional feature that highlights the clusters that account for a large proportion of a given sector with a higher opacity (darker shade of colour). When a single sector is selected, the option appears in the top right of the map.
Is it possible to search for a particular location first?
No. The map retains the last location the user zoomed into. Once an area is selected, the user can use the filters to see the clusters within the area of interest.
What is the different between “Company Location Count” and “Distinct Companies”?
“Distinct Companies” is the number of unique Company Registration Numbers (CRNs) within the cluster. The “Company Location Count” is the number of different company locations / offices within the cluster. Both metrics appear in the cluster popups under the “Company” tab. These numbers are often different, as a registered company can have more than one location / office within an area.
What if a company’s location is different to its headquarters?
No distinction is made between office locations, including headquarters. All locations for a company are used in the clustering process and are each counted within the “Company Location Count” metric. All company locations are allocated an even share of the company’s total estimated turnover/employee count/funding. Please see the about page for more information.
What is the difference between RTIC Clusters and SIC Based (IDBR) Clusters?
The difference between these clusters is in the datasets used behind the scenes. RTIC Clusters use The Data City’s Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs) data to classify a company’s activity. Whereas the SIC Based (IDBR) Clusters use the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) data to classify a company’s activity.
What are the differences between the cluster types?
Please see the about page for more information.