Map inhabited areas and estimate population

How to map inhabited areas and estimate population within?

Related challenges: The Land Where Displaced People Settle

This idea is sponsored by Positium.

Timely and accurate estimation of population distribution is of considerable significance for decision makers in planning but is often difficult in countries with limited data. The size and distribution of the population are often key determinants for resource allocation for state and local governments. Population estimates are critical in decisions about when and where to build public facilities such as schools, libraries, sewage treatment plants, hospitals and transportation infrastructure.

The traditional approach to population estimation is mainly based on a census, which is labour-intensive, time-consuming and costly, and also encounters difficulties in updating the database.

Previous approaches based on remote sensing data have used night-lights data and soil sealing to show the distribution of human population across the globe. However, more detailed and accurate methods are needed. Therefore the idea is to develop more accurate estimation method to estimate population density globally.