WorldPop, open data for spatial demography
Open accessAbstract
High resolution, contemporary data on human population distributions, their characteristics and changes over time are a prerequisite for the accurate measurement of the impacts of population growth, for monitoring changes and for planning interventions. WorldPop aims to meet these needs through the provision of detailed and open access spatial demographic datasets built using transparent approaches. The Scientific Data WorldPop collection brings together descriptor papers on these datasets and is introduced here.
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Population data from the WorldPop project are often used in spatial exposure analysis.
“Population data from the WorldPop project are also often used in spatial exposure analysis [8, 11].”
From GPU-Accelerated Deep Learning for Heatwave Prediction and Urban Heat Risk Assessment (2026) · cites this paper as [8]
The Comment (page unavailable) describes WorldPop’s gridded population data and their potential integration with geospatial data, including flooding data, for disaster-related analysis. It does not establish that WorldPop data are often used in spatial exposure analyses; the frequency and actual-use part of the claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.80)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSatellite products provide spatially detailed land surface temperature information, while gridded population datasets can be used to estimate population exposure.
“Satellite products provide spatially detailed land surface temperature information, while gridded population datasets can be used to estimate population exposure [7, 8].”
From GPU-Accelerated Deep Learning for Heatwave Prediction and Urban Heat Risk Assessment (2026) · cites this paper as [8]
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References 10 · Cited by 1,182
Research works printed but not linked: 10
- Tatem A. J. Mapping the denominator: spatial demography in the measurement of progress. Int Health 6, 153– 155 (2014). 25125576 PMC4161992
- Lloyd C., Sorichetta A. & Tatem A. J. High resolution global gridded data for use in population studies. Sci Data 4, 170001 (2017). PMC5283062 28140386
- Sorichetta A. et al. High-resolution gridded population datasets for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010, 2015, and 2020. Sci Data 2, 150045 (2015). 26347245 PMC4555876
- Gaughan A. E. et al. Spatiotemporal patterns of population in mainland China, 1990 to 2010. Sci Data 3, 160005 (2016). 26881418 PMC4755125
- Abel G. J. & Sander N. Quantifying global international migration flows. Science 343, 1520– 1522 (2014). 24675962
- Sorichetta A. et al. Mapping internal connectivity through human migration in malaria endemic countries. Sci Data 3, 160066 (2016). 27529469 PMC5127488
- Alegana V. A. et al. Fine resolution mapping of population age-structures for health and development applications. J R Soc Interface 12, 105 (2015). PMC4387535 25788540
- Deville P. et al. Dynamic population mapping using mobile phone data. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111, 15888– 15893 (2014). 25349388 PMC4234567
- Tatem A. J. et al. Millennium development health metrics: where do Africa's children and women of childbearing age live? Popul Health Metr 11, 11 (2013). 23875684 PMC3724578
- Linard C., Tatem A. J. & Gilbert M. Modelling spatial patterns of urban growth in Africa. Appl Geogr 44, 23– 32 (2013). 25152552 PMC4139116
- Authors
- Tatem, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Flowminder Foundation (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Tatem, Andrew J.
- ORCID
- Tatem, Andrew J.
- Venue
- Scientific Data
- Published
- 2017-01-31
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 170004-170004
- ISSN
- 2052-4463 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5283060
- OpenAlex
- W2582264034
- Cited by
- 1,182
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 255 · 2025: 192 · 2024: 178 · 2023: 140 · 2022: 128 · 2021: 114 · 2020: 92 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 8
- Type
- data paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scientific Data (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1106427, 1032350, OPP1134076, #1032350, OPP1106427, OPP1134076, OPP1094793)
- Wellcome Trust (106866/Z/15/Z, /Z/15/Z, 106866)
- National Institutes of Health (OPP1106427, OPP1134076, OPP1094793)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1032350, OPP1106427, U19AI089674)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Impact of Light on Environment and Health
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › demographic modeling and climate adaptation
- Social Sciences › Demography › Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management
- Keywords
- WorldPop, spatial demography, population distribution, demographic change, open data, population monitoring
- MeSH terms
- Demography, Humans, Population Density, Population Growth
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