Please be sure to keep the evening of August 9, 2011 free; that’s the night of the upcoming census in Australia. Putting it very simply, if you are in Australia on this evening, then you will be required, by law, to complete a census form.

I’m told that this year you may, instead of having to complete a paper form, be able to complete your census form on-line. That’s probably a good thing, as it will be neater, and much easier for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to collate your data if the that data is already online.

And speaking of online, the ABS has put together a very nifty little application on their website that not only helps you to understand a little bit more about what they do and the importance of their work, it’s actually quite entertaining as well. Starting with a couple of very simple questions (your gender, postcode and age) it gives you some quite interesting data about yourself, and how you relate to others within Australia. It then goes on to ask a few more simple questions, and gives you further insight into how you relate to others within our nation.

None of the questions are intrusive, nor can you be identified by them; they’re all of a very general nature, but provide some quite interesting insights into you and your environment. The data is drawn from the 2006 census, and at the end of the process you are given the opportunity to create your own personal infographic (an image that depicts the information that you’ve just seen) that you may make generally available.

Again, there is nothing here that is personally identifiable, and your privacy is fully maintained, and really, this is quite interesting, cool, and a little bit of fun. I would strongly suggest that you join in the fun, and learn a little bit about yourself, our nation, and what the ABS does all at the same time.

My infographic is here, and at the bottom of the page is a button that lets you start your own.