WorldPop News

Visible infrared satellite loop of Cyclone Ditwah, by SSEC/CIMSS, University of Wisconsin–Madison

How Open Population Data Makes a Difference in Crisis Response

WorldPop News /

In major disasters, rapid response depends on two critical pieces of information: how many people are affected and where they are. This knowledge enables responders to prioritise aid delivery to the most vulnerable populations. Recent evidence from Sri Lanka shows that open population data from WorldPop helps answer these questions quickly and reliably. Cyclone Ditwah […]

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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 News /

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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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?

When Heatwaves Strike, Do City Adaptation Measures Really Help? Read More »

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

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What 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

DEGURBA: Why Your Urban Definition Depends on Your Data Read More »

About Us

The WorldPop research programme, based in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Southampton, is a multi-sectoral team of researchers, technicians and project specialists that produces data on population distributions and characteristics at high spatial resolution.

Initiated in October 2013 to combine The AfriPop Project, AsiaPop and AmeriPop projects, we have a diverse portfolio of projects, including large multi-million-pound collaborative projects with partner organisations, commercial data providers and international development organisations.

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  • University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
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