A pixel level evaluation of five multitemporal global gridded population datasets : a case study in Sweden, 1990–2015

Summary, in English

Human activity is a major driver of change and has contributed to many of the challenges we face today. Detailed information about human population distribution is fundamental and use of freely available, high-resolution, gridded datasets on global population as a source of such information is increasing. However, there is little research to guide users in dataset choice. This study evaluates five of the most commonly used global gridded population datasets against a high-resolution Swedish population dataset on a pixel level. We show that datasets which employ more complex modeling techniques exhibit lower errors overall but no one dataset performs best under all situations. Furthermore, differences exist in how unpopulated areas are identified and changes in algorithms over time affect accuracy. Our results provide guidance in navigating the differences between the most commonly used gridded population datasets and will help researchers and policy makers identify the most suitable datasets under varying conditions.

• Author: Maria Francisca Archila Bustos; Ola Hall; Thomas Niedomysl; Ulf Ernstson
• Department/s: Department of Human Geography
• Publishing year: 2020-12
• Language: English
• Pages: 255-277
• Publication/Series: Population and Environment
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 2
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11111-020-00360-8
• Document type: Journal article review
• Publisher: Springer
• Topic: Human Geography
• Keywords: Dasymetric mapping; Gridded population; Human population distribution; Population estimation
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0199-0039