• DATA
  • FILTER
  • ANALYSIS
  • HUMAN

How to map UK business density with your AI

Connect the UK ONS Trade MCP to your agent. Once connected, your AI can query the IDBR dataset to find exactly where specific industries are concentrated.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I find business density in specific UK regions?

Your AI uses the get_business_counts tool to pull active enterprise numbers from the IDBR dataset. You can filter these results by UK regions or industry classifications to see where businesses are clustered. This provides the raw data for your analysis.

The outcomes

Where your data lands

The AI pulls raw counts from the ONS and organizes them for you.

DATA

Regional enterprise counts

The AI pulls specific numbers of active businesses for any UK region you name. You get a clear picture of local economic activity.

FILTER

Industry-specific clusters

By applying industry codes, the AI isolates specific sectors. This shows you which areas are hubs for manufacturing, retail, or tech.

ANALYSIS

Density comparisons

Your agent compares counts between different regions or time periods. This helps you spot growth or decline in specific business hubs.

HUMAN

Visual mapping

The AI provides the raw counts, but you decide how to plot them. You'll need to take these numbers into your own mapping or graphing software.

The workflow

What your AI does when the request arrives.

The AI acts as a bridge between your prompt and the ONS database.

  1. Query the IDBR

    Your agent identifies the specific region or industry you are interested in and prepares the request.

    get_business_counts

  2. Fetch counts

    The AI calls the tool to pull the exact number of active enterprises from the official dataset.

    get_business_counts

  3. Format data

    The agent organizes the raw numbers into a readable list or table for your review.

    get_business_counts

  4. Summarize trends

    Your AI interprets the counts to tell you which regions have the highest density for your chosen sector.

    get_business_counts

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to get immediate results from your agent.

Starting points

Swap out the bracketed text for the specific UK region or industry you want to investigate.

UK ONS Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_t6iRWNzEukKgcf7FJu50KCv0HInxKcx0ZfjquF1K/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — UK ONS capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uk-ons-trade-international-trade-business-activity-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_t6iRWNzEukKgcf7FJu50KCv0HInxKcx0ZfjquF1K/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • How many active enterprises are in the [London] region?

  • Show me the business counts for the [Manufacturing] industry in [Manchester].

  • Compare the number of [Retail] businesses in [Birmingham] versus [Leeds].

  • Which UK region has the highest density of [Technology] companies?

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect UK ONS Trade once, then ask.

One click connects the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted and the setup is handled on our end.

Connect UK ONS Trade to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI update the ONS database?

    No. The AI can only read data from the IDBR dataset using the provided tools.

  • 02

    Can I get real-time trade volume data?

    No. This specific tool is designed for business counts and enterprise density via the IDBR.

  • 03

    Does the AI create maps for me?

    No. The AI provides the numerical counts and data points. You must use your own mapping tools to visualize them.

  • 04

    Can I filter by specific SIC codes?

    Yes. You can ask the AI to find counts for specific industries using their standard classifications.

  • 05

    How often is the data updated?

    The data is subject to the official ONS release schedules for the IDBR dataset.

  • More questions about UK ONS Trade? The Connector page answers them. See everything the UK ONS Trade Connector can do

Connect UK ONS to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more