Population distribution data are essential for planning and decision-making in regions faced by crisis or conflict, and they are also useful for monitoring progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Decision-makers need to know where people are located, what conditions they are facing, what infrastructure is available, and what basic services they can access. And we also need to ensure that no one is left off the map in pursuit of the SDGs or in response to disasters.

Gridded population data, which often uses remote sensing inputs to improve the spatial allocation of population within a country, are vital for all these purposes. Together with the  growing variety of applications that require spatial population data, there is now a bewildering array of population grids, and users need to know which ones are most suitable for their applications.

This training will focus on the different global population grids and their application to a range of topics related to development planning and monitoring of the SDGs (e.g.,  environment, hazards, and access to resources). Attendees will be exposed to the latest data and methods used to produce global grids, how the grids incorporate remote sensing inputs, and how population grids can be used in conjunction with other types of data.

March 30 and April 6, 2021

Each session will be offered twice on each day of the meeting; participants may attend either session on the two dates. Note that the U.S. begins observing Daylight Savings Time on March 14, 2021.