Planet has debuted a new, continuously updated map of the world’s population built through a collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and Microsoft‘s AI for Good Lab.
The map, called Populace, brings together satellite imagery, machine learning models, and outside data to provide population density at a gridded resolution of 40 meters around the entire world that is updated quarterly. Planet called it the most up-to-date, highest resolution, and most accurate population data. Planet announced the new map on Oct. 12.
Populace came about from a collaboration between Planet, IMHE, and the AI for Good Lab that began in 2024. Planet explained the map uses Planet’s satellite imagery basemaps of the Planet, analyzed by AI for Good machine learning models to detect human structures. IMHE then compares that data against census, survey, and administrative data for reliable population estimates.
The goal of the project was to use up-to-date satellite information to fill in the gaps where census information is out of date or not available when populations are growing quickly. Planet said this data can be used for planning purposes like public health and civil infrastructure, as well as humanitarian responses and emergency warning.
“Climate change, rapid urbanization, migration and emerging infectious diseases are reshaping who is at risk, and where. We cannot address risks we cannot see. Populace gives the global health community a far more timely and granular foundation for understanding those risks – and that kind of data is exactly what we need to protect lives in the decades ahead,” commented Christopher Murray, Professor at the University of Washington and Director of IHME.
The product is free of charge for nonprofit organizations and academic researchers, while governments and private-sector organizations will be able to access Populace under commercial-use terms.
