From WorldChanging.com, a press release about a gorgeous mapping project from Columbia's Earth Science Institute:
The GRUMP [Global Rural Urban Mapping Project] data collection consists of three individual databases that build upon population datasets mostly from national statistical offices, satellite data and other representations of settlements. GRUMP Human Settlements is a global database of cities and towns of 1,000 persons or more, each represented as a point, and includes information on population sizes, longitude and latitude coordinates, and data sources. Populations were estimated for 1990, 1995 and 2000. The GRUMP Urban ExtentMask is the first systematic global-scale attempt to portray the boundaries of urban areas with defined populations of 5,000 and larger. The GRUMP Population Grid represents the distribution of human population across the globe, accounting for urban population concentration more precisely than previous efforts. It allows for inferences about urban versus rural populations, and cities of different sizes, when used in combination with the Urban Extent Mask.Over at the actual GRUMP site, the amazing Gridded Population of the World lets you examine the vital stats of any nation.
To take a line from Paris Hilton via Robin Sloan: That's hot. Really hot. Rock on.
