2 Data Access
You can access WorldPop data sets in a variety of ways that could include downloading individual files from WorldPop.org , downloading in bulk from the WorldPop FTP server, or creating dynamic links to population data from your own web server using REST API. The best way to access population estimates may depend on how you intend to use the data and the characteristics of the specific data set that you are accessing.
2.1 Websites
WorldPop.org is the central location to access WorldPop data produced across a range of projects. This includes gridded population estimates for most countries from the WorldPop Global Project (WorldPop et al 2018) along with gridded estimates of births, pregnancies, age-sex structure, urban change, development indicators and other population-related variables.
We are also have the Open Population Repository to publish bespoke population data for individual countries, to provide Bayesian estimates of uncertainty, and to link these data sets to web applications and other tools.
2.2 Web Applications
WorldPop web applications are available from apps.worldpop.org. These applications allow for optimized exploration of population data using interactive web maps and supporting tools.
Global Demographics Portal
The WorldPop Demographics app is available at portal.worldpop.org/demographics. This application allows you to visualize age-sex proportions estimated for small areas and mapped across every country.
Global Population Data Portal
The WorldPop Global Data Portal is available from portal.worldpop.org. This web portal allows you to visualize and download top-down gridded population estimates for most countries in the world (WorldPop Research Group, University of Southampton et al. 2018)
peanutButter
The peanutButter application (Leasure et al. 2020c) is available from apps.worldpop.org/peanutButter. This application allows you to produce gridded population estimates from building footprints using the peanut butter method. This simple approach requires you to provide estimates of the average number of people per building in each settlement type (e.g. urban and rural) which are then mapped across buildings using high resolution maps of building footprints (Ecopia.AI & Maxar Technologies, Inc. 2019-2021) based on recent satellite imagery.
woprVision
The woprVision application (Leasure et al. 2020a) is available from apps.worldpop.org/woprVision. This app is an interactive web map that allows users to query population estimates for specific locations and demographic groups from the WorldPop Open Population Repository. This application can also be used to download population data, query population estimates for specific locations and demographic groups, and retrieve probabilistic Bayesian estimates of uncertainty.
2.3 FTP Server
The WorldPop FTP server provides a good resource for downloading files in bulk. Most data available from the “DATA” tab at WorldPop.org can also be downloaded from the GIS folder on the FTP server. This includes gridded population estimates produced using the top-down method for most countries in the world, alongside the gridded spatial covariates used for modelling (WorldPop Research Group, University of Southampton et al. 2018). The repo folder on the FTP server contains permanent archives of data sets and code from worldpop.org sub-domains including “wopr”, “apps”, and “docs”. For example, the wopr sub-directory contains archived data from wopr.worldpop.org.
2.4 GIS Plugins
wpgpDataAPD
This Esri plugin / ArcPy Python toolbox allows users to download WorldPop gridded population estimates produced using the top-down method for most countries globally directly from Esri ArcGIS software. See wpgpDataAPD on GitHub.
wpgpDataQPD
This QGIS plugin allows you to download WorldPop gridded population estimates produced using the top-down method for most countries globally directly from QGIS software. See wpgpDataQPD on GitHub.
2.5 R Packages
peanutButter
This package allows users to create gridded population estimates using the peanut butter method and high resolution building footprints (Ecopia.AI & Maxar Technologies, Inc. 2019-2021). See peanutButter on GitHub.
wopr
The wopr package (Leasure et al. 2020a) allows users to download bottom-up gridded population estimates from the WorldPop Open Population Repository from an R console and submit spatial queries (i.e. points or polygons) to retrieve population estimates for specific locations and demographic groups with statistical estimates of uncertainty. It also allows users to run the woprVision web application from your R console. See wopr on GitHub.
wpgpCovariates
This package provides access to gridded spatial covariates for most countries. See wpgpCovariates on GitHub.
wpgpDownloadR
This package provides access to top-down gridded population estimates (WorldPop Research Group, University of Southampton et al. 2018) for most countries from an R console. See wpgpDownloadR on GitHub.
2.6 Python Packages
wpgpDownloadPy
This Python package provides access to top-down gridded population estimates (WorldPop Research Group, University of Southampton et al. 2018) from the Python console. See wpgpDownloadPy on GitHub.
2.7 REST API
REST API is a way for computers to communicate with one another to request data downloads or query databases. Many WorldPop datasets can be accessed using REST API requests. This makes it possible to automatically sync remote servers with WorldPop population data and to develop web applications that use API to query WorldPop servers.
WOPR API
This can be used to query bottom-up population estimates from the WorldPop Open Population Repository. These API endpoints can be used to download entire data sets for each country or to submit spatial queries to the WorldPop server to request population estimates for specific locations and demographic groups. The WOPR API endpoints return Bayesian estimates of uncertainty for all population estimates.
WorldPop API
This can be used to download top-down gridded population estimates from the WorldPop Global Project (WorldPop Research Group, University of Southampton et al. 2018). See WorldPop API documentation for more information.
Contribution
This chapter was written by Douglas Leasure and Chris Jochem