SSPs-consistent Global Spatial Population Database

[Paul-Robineau]

Data Source name

Global 1-km Downscaled Population Base Year and Projection Grids Based on the SSPs, v1.01 (2000 – 2100)

Data Source Homepage URL

https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/popdynamics-1-km-downscaled-pop-base-year-projection-ssp-2000-2100-rev01

Data License

Access Constraints: None Use Constraints: Users are free to use, copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work for commercial and non-commercial purposes, without restriction, as long as clear attribution of the source is provided. Necessity to create an account and login to download data.

Justify this Data Source Choice

Based from the webpage of the dataset:

Description
The Global 1-km Downscaled Population Base Year and Projection Grids Based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, Revision 01, data set consists of global urban, rural, and total populaton for the base year 2000, and population projections at ten-year intervals for 2010-2100 at a resolution of 1-km (about 30 arc-seconds), consistent both quantitatively and qualitatively with the SSPs. This 1-km data set is a downscaled version of the one-eighth degree (7.5 arc-minutes) data published in Jones and O'Neill (2016). The downscaling methods were published in Gao (2017). Spatial demographic data are key inputs for the analysis of land use, energy use, and emissions, as well as for the assessment of climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation. The SSPs are developed to support future climate and global change research and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

Purpose
To provide global urban, rural, and total population base year and projection grids based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) data at a resolution of 1-km (about 30 arc-seconds) for climate, socioeconomic, environmental, and other related research.

Format
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: raster, map, map service.
The data in Georeferenced Tagged Image File Format (.tif), and Network Common Data Format Version 4 (.nc) format; the maps in Portable Document Format (.pdf), and Portable Network Graphics (.png) formats; and the web map services are available from the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).

Quality & Updates
Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: As needed

Area of Application

These population data are especially needed in the case of pushing from midpoint level assessment to endpoint level assessment. Indeed, in the human health area, characterization factors (CF) change following this general equation: CF(endpoint) = CF(midpoint) x Effect Factor x Population. Instead of having endpoint CFs limited by the update of USEtox, UCrad, or other impact assessment methods, one should be able to have just the midpoint CFs in a vector, the Effect Factors in another one, and recompute the appropriate endpoint CFs with relevant Population value.

Because it is georeferenced, this base dataset can easily be regionalized to create data at country level (or any spatial resolution relevant to a given research project). It distinguishes between rural and urban areas, which can be well combined with typical emission modes depending on the position of the system/process assessed.