or sparsely settled), and; Residential stability. In 1987, geodemographic systems were first introduced as social analysis tools with CCN's (later Experian) introduction of the MOSAIC system. In 1990, RDA Research built their first system, geoSmart. Criticisms Geodemographics has drawn critical attention. Some focus on the possible discriminatory and intrusive effects of geodemographic practices. Others wonder whether members of geodemographic groups really are sufficiently alike to be analysed together. The generally unknown variance within geodemographic groupings makes it difficult to assess the significance of trends found in data. This may not matter for commercial and service planning applications but is of some concern for public sector and social research. Others wonder if geography is the best way to group people together, e.g. if there is a retirement home next to a student residence, geography alone will not give the right answers. A way forward is to integrate geodemographics with more statistical frameworks of analysis, for example, using multilevel methods. Commercial demography systems PRIZM by Claritas CanaCode Lifestyle Clusters by Manifold Data Mining CAMEO by Callcredit Censation by AFD Software Acorn by CACI OAC by ONS/University of Leeds CLOUD CLIENT by Cloud Client Ltd C-Australia by Pathfinder Solutions C-New Zealand by Pathfinder Solutions C-Japan by Pathfinder Solutions Mosaic by Experian MicroVision by NDS/Equifax Crucible by Tesco geoSmart by RDA Research HomeTypes and ZoneTypes by Arvato Services (Bertlsmann) P2 People & Places by Beacon Dodsworth NuMaps DemographicDrapes See also Demography Geodemographic segmentation References External links Acorn micro site Censation postcode level classification system distributed free with all AFD Software UK name and address validation solutions Cloud Client – Free online tool for geodemographic mapping, segmentation and output. Covers England and Wales only Geodemographic mapping and reporting for the UK Output Area Classification User Group National Statistics 2001 Area Classification *Geodemographics Knowledge Base American Marketing Association definition of geodemography Demographic mapping and reporting for the UK Articles on geodemographics Claritas Geodemography History Health Geodemographics: Southwark Atlas of Health geoSmart – RDA Research Market Research Society of the UK Geodemographics Knowledge Base The Future of Geodemographics – conference presentations Internet-based neighbourhood information systems and their consequences Market Research Society of the UK Geodemographics Knowledge Base SmartCity : Geodemography, Onomastics and Megacities Interdisciplinary subfields of sociology Market segmentation Demography Human geography