Tim O'Riordan

Photo of Dr Sarchil Qader with Dr Salahalddin Saeed the President of Komar University of Science and Technology

WorldPop Strengthens Academic Links with Komar University

WorldPop Senior Research Fellow Dr Sarchil Qader met this week with Dr Salahalddin Saeed the President of Komar University of Science and Technology (KUST) to discuss opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration between the University of Southampton, WorldPop, and universities across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Discussions focused on developing student and staff exchange programmes and […]

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Photo of a truck a, a bus and a motorcycle on a city street during a flood.

The Data Behind the Shield: How Early Warnings and Population Maps Save Lives

Each year, tropical cyclones threaten more than a billion people living in low-lying coastal cities. As storms grow more intense and cities expand, the stakes are rising. But a recent study led by Dr Haiyan Liu, a visiting researcher with WorldPop, shows that multi-hazard early warnings supported by more effective use of data can dramatically

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Photo of Suri Woman carrying a child while walking on a dirt road, Tulgit

Mapping the Last Mile: How Data Is Helping Reach Unvaccinated Children

Imagine a life-saving vaccine is available, but reaching it means walking for hours, sometimes days. For millions of families in low- and middle-income countries, this isn’t a thought experiment. It’s everyday life. In 2021 alone, around 15.7 million children did not receive their first dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP1) vaccine. One of the biggest challenges

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Photo of man looking at map application on a computer screen

Start the New Year by Exploring WorldPop’s Free Learning Resources

As we set fresh goals for the new year – whether to learn something new, develop new skills, or make a bigger impact in our work or studies – WorldPop’s learning resources offer a rich and accessible way to grow your understanding of population data and geospatial analysis for global good. These free, expert-created materials

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Satellite view of Ekohok, Cameroon

Mapping the Invisible: How Technology Is Filling the World’s Population Data Gaps

How many people live in a neighbourhood, a village, or a city block? It sounds like a simple question, but for millions of people around the world, the answer is still unclear. Accurate, local population data is essential for everything from planning health services and responding to disasters to allocating resources fairly. Yet traditional national

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Photo of Street Vendors, Guilin, China

When Heatwaves Strike, Do City Adaptation Measures Really Help?

As climate change intensifies, extreme heat is becoming a daily reality for millions of people living in cities. In response, governments are rolling out heat adaptation measures such as cooling centres, greener urban spaces and public heat warnings. But a crucial question remains: do these strategies actually work, and do they work equally for everyone?

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Schematic maps showing the spatial entities around Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso identified by the four population datasets

DEGURBA: Why Your Urban Definition Depends on Your Data

hat counts as a city? It sounds like a simple question, until you realise that countries define “urban” in exceptionally different ways. In Denmark, a settlement with 200 people qualifies as urban. In Japan, you need 50,000 residents plus certain economic activities. With standards this far apart, comparing cities across borders is challenging. To smooth

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Photo of Cameroon DEGURBA workshop participants with completion certificates.

Skills for Smarter Planning: How DEGURBA Capacity Building Is Empowering Countries 

WorldPop recently completed its first workshop on automated census mapping in Malawi, a milestone for the joint FCDO-funded project with the Malawi National Statistics Office (NSO) ahead of their 2028 national census. Led by Dr Sarchil Qader and Dr Aubrey Steingrabber over two intensive weeks, 22 NSO colleagues and 4 students from the University of

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