Accuracy Assessment of Multi-Source Gridded Population Distribution Datasets in China

Zhongqiang Bai, Juanle Wang, Mingming Wang, Mengxu Gao and Jiulin Sun
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Zhongqiang Bai: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Juanle Wang: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Mingming Wang: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Mengxu Gao: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jiulin Sun: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: Population is one of the core elements of sustainable development. Quantifying the estimation accuracy of population spatial distribution has been recognized as a critical and challenging task. This study aims to evaluate the data accuracy of four population datasets in China, including three global gridded population datasets, the Gridded Population of the World (GPW), Global Rural and Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP), and WorldPop project (WorldPop), and a Chinese regional gridded population dataset, the China 1 km Gridded Population (CnPop) dataset. These datasets are assessed using a specific method based on a GIS-linked 2000 census dataset at the township level in China. The results indicate that WorldPop had the highest estimation accuracy, estimating about 60% of the total population. CnPop accurately estimated about half of the total population, showing a good mapping performance. The GPW had an acceptable estimation accuracy in a few plain and basin areas, accounting for about 30% of the total population. Compared to the GPW, GRUMP accurately estimated about 40% of the total population. The relative estimation error analysis discovered the disadvantages of the generation strategies of these datasets. The conclusions are expected to serve as a quality reference for potential dataset users and producers, and promote accuracy assessment for population datasets in other regions and globally.

Keywords: population distribution; data product; accuracy assessment; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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