Experts are drawing up new ways to measure affluence and deprivation in communities, which would be detailed enough to measure the status of individual streets and neighbourhoods for the first time.
A team of academics has developed a measurement known as "Small Areas" (SAs), which could gather census and other data from groups of 65 households or more. The new measurement, which has been used on a pilot basis in the Maynooth area by the National Centre for Geocomputation, could be used by local authorities and State agencies in helping to deliver more effective social and economic assistance.
At present, the smallest reporting units are electoral divisions, which are used for census and other data in Ireland.
However, these divisions range in population size from just 44 to 24,400. The average population size for an electoral division is 1,144.
The new measurement scale would record information for a minimum of 65 households, for reasons of privacy.
Details of the new measurement were unveiled by Dr Ronan Foley of NUI Maynooth at a conference on mapping poverty yesterday, hosted by Combat Poverty and the National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA).
Details of an ESRI study on regional and county patterns of poverty were discussed, and showed that some of the most deprived areas in the State are in rural areas such as Donegal and Mayo.
A more detailed study, conducted by independent social economists Trutz Haase and Jonathan Pratschke for the semi-State group Area Development Management, showed many communities in rural and urban areas have remained "locked" in deprivation, despite the economic success of the last decade. Although the entire State has become much more affluent, the study shows that in relative terms the poorest areas - such as Ballyfermot and Ballymun in Dublin, and parts of Mayo and Donegal - lag way behind.
The director of Combat Poverty, Helen Johnston, said the findings of the ESRI study underlined the need for the Government and social partners to tackle poverty in a more structured way.
"Local authorities and area-based programmes have a key role to play in tackling poverty, supported by comprehensive national policies," she said.
"Structural factors such as unemployment, age dependency, lone parenthood, illness and lack of qualifications are paramount in determining poverty levels. The partnership talks and Budget 2006 offer real opportunities to tackle these structural issues," Ms Johnston said.
The ESRI study said policies to tackle poverty should place a greater focus on "neighbourhood poverty", as well as wider approaches.
The director of NIRSA, Prof Rob Kitchin, said mapping poverty was crucial in helping to effectively address issues which give rise to poverty.
"Combating poverty remains one of the primary concerns of western governments. Knowing where the problem lies is central to tackling the causes and outcomes of poverty," he said.
