At a glance

Student: Cameron Barker-Smith
Role: Data Analyst Intern
Host organisation: Scottish Government, Centre for Housing Market Analysis
LinkedIn: Cameron Barker-Smith
Methods and tools: R, reproducible data processing, validation and GIS

The project

Cameron worked with the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey, which brings together information from Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Producing a national dataset requires reliable checks so that records are complete, consistent and geographically accurate.

What Cameron did

Cameron rebuilt the survey’s validation process in R. He created a reproducible pipeline for checking the data and added GIS-based checks across all 32 local authorities. This brought the validation steps into a clearer and more repeatable workflow.

Why the work mattered

A reproducible process makes it easier to apply the same checks each time the survey is updated, investigate potential problems and document how the final dataset was produced. The project demonstrates how programming and spatial analysis can strengthen the evidence used in public-sector research.

Skills developed

• Programming and data processing in R
• Designing reproducible analytical workflows
• Validating administrative and survey data
• Applying GIS checks to spatial information
• Working with data from multiple public bodies

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