North American Environmental Atlas - Population Density, 2020

Type  TIFF

Tags  North America, América del Norte, Amérique du Nord, Population Density, 2020, Densidad de población, Densité de population, Canada, Canadá, United States, Estados Unidos, États-Unis, Mexico, México, Mexique, CEC, CCA, CCE

Summary

This map shows the population density of North America for the year 2020 in number of people per square kilometer within 2.5 arc-minute pixels. The dataset is derived from the Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4), produced by Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN - Columbia University in 2018. 

Description

The Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 consists of estimates of human population density (number of persons per square kilometer) based on counts consistent with national censuses and population registers. A proportional allocation gridding algorithm, utilizing approximately 13.5 million national and sub-national administrative units, was used to assign population counts to 30 arc-second grid cells. The population density rasters were created by dividing the population count raster for a given target year by the land area raster. The data files were produced as global rasters at 30 arc-second (~1 km at the equator) resolution. To enable faster global processing, and in support of research communities, the 30 arc-second count data were aggregated to 2.5 arc-minute, 15 arc-minute, 30 arc-minute and 1-degree resolutions to produce density rasters at these resolutions.

Source: Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN - Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Available at https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW. (October 2022)

Files Download

Credits

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2022. “North American Environmental Atlas - Population Density, 2020”. Ed. 2.0, Raster digital data [2.5 arc-minute]. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) - Columbia University. 2017. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 (Version 4.11). Palisades, NY: Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW

Use limitations

This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Extent

West  -180     East -50
North  85     South 14

Scale Range

Maximum (zoomed in)  1:5,000
Minimum (zoomed out)  1:150,000,000

Topics and Keywords 

Themes or categories of the resource Boundaries, Imagery & Base Maps, Society

Content type Downloadable Data
Export to FGDC CSDGM XML format as Resource Description No

Theme keywords North American Environmental Atlas > Human Influence > Population, North American Environmental Atlas > Human Influence > Society

Thesaurus 
Title North American Environmental Atlas
Publication date 2022-11-01 00:00:00

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Place keywords Mid-latitude, Western Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, North America, Canada, Mexico, United States

Thesaurus 
Title North American Environmental Atlas
Publication date 2022-11-11 00:00:00

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Temporal keywords 2020

Citation 

Title North American Environmental Atlas - Population Density, 2020
Publication date 2022-11-01 00:00:00

Edition 2.0

Presentation formats digital map
FGDC geospatial presentation format raster digital data

Resource identifier
Value NAatlas_4.06

Citation Contacts 

Responsible party - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Responsible party - resource provider
Organization's name Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 845 365 8920
Fax +1 845 365 8922
Address
Type physical
Delivery point  CIESIN, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W
City Palisades
Administrative area New York
Postal code 10964
Country US
e-mail addressciesin.info@ciesin.columbia.edu
Responsible party - resource provider
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Responsible party - processor
Individual's name Ricardo Llamas
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Geospatial Consultant

Contact information 
Address
Type postal
City Tlalnepantla
Administrative area State of Mexico
Postal code 54180
Country MX
e-mail addressrllamas.geo.analyst@gmail.com

Locales 

Locale English (UNITED STATES)
Title Population Density, 2020
Abstract (Description)
This map shows the population density of North America for the year 2020 in number of people per square kilometer within 2.5 arc-minute pixels.

The dataset is derived from the Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4), produced by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) from Columbia University in 2018.

Source: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) – Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Available at https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW. (consulted in October 2022)

Locale Spanish; Castilian (MEXICO)
Title Densidad de población, 2020
Abstract (Description)
Este mapa muestra la densidad de población de América del Norte en el año 2020, en número de habitantes por kilómetro cuadrado (en una representación en la que cada pixel corresponde a 2.5 minutos de arco).

La información con la que se integró este mapa se derivó de la colección de datos Gridded Population of the World, versión 4 (GPWv4), generada por el Centro para la Red Internacional de Información sobre Ciencias de la Tierra (Center for International Earth Science Information Network, CIESIN), de la Universidad de Columbia, en 2018.

Fuente: CIESIN (2018), Gridded Population of the World, versión 4 (GPWv4), capas ráster de densidad de población, revisión 11 (Population Density, v4.11), NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) y Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Universidad de Columbia, Palisades, Nueva York; disponible en línea, en: https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW (consulta realizada en octubre de 2022).

Locale French (CANADA)
Title Densité de population, 2020
Abstract (Description)
Cette carte représente la densité de population de l’Amérique du Nord en 2020, en nombre d’habitants par kilomètre carré par des pixels de 2,5 minutes d’arc.

Les données de cette carte ont été dérivées de la Gridded Population of the World, version 4 (GPWv4), produite par le Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) de l’Université Columbia en 2018.

Source: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) – Université Columbia. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Disponible en ligne : https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW (consulté en octobre 2022).

Resource Details 

Dataset languages English (UNITED STATES)
Dataset character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format

Status completed
Spatial representation type grid

Supplemental information
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which came into force at the same time as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. As of 2020, the CEC operates in accordance with the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force at the same time as the CUSMA/T-MEC/USMCA trade agreement.

The Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 consists of estimates of human population density (number of persons per square kilometer) based on counts consistent with national censuses and population registers, for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. A proportional allocation gridding algorithm, utilizing approximately 13.5 million national and sub-national administrative units, was used to assign population counts to 30 arc-second grid cells. The population density rasters were created by dividing the population count raster for a given target year by the land area raster. The data files were produced as global rasters at 30 arc-second (~1 km at the equator) resolution. To enable faster global processing, and in support of research communities, the 30 arc-second count data were aggregated to 2.5 arc-minute, 15 arc-minute, 30 arc-minute and 1 degree resolutions to produce density rasters at these resolutions.

This map shows the population density of North America for the year 2020 in number of people per square kilometer within 2.5 arc-minute pixels.

This data set is available in several formats, including TIF, Map package, and a PDF Map, along with other files appropriate to particular format, such as .lyrx and .qlr files.

Processing environment Windows 11 Pro; Version 24H2; OS build 26100.3775; Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.66.0 -- ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3

Credits
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2022. “North American Environmental Atlas - Population Density, 2020”. Ed. 2.0, Raster digital data [2.5 arc-minute]. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) - Columbia University. 2017. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 (Version 4.11). Palisades, NY: Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW

ArcGIS item properties
Name NA_PopulationDensity_2020.tif
Location file://E:\Dropbox\CEC\01_CEC_Env_Atlas_Base\4_Human_Influence\4_06_Population_Density_2020\02_Deliverables\PopulationDensity_TIF\PopulationDensity\data\NA_PopulationDensity_2020.tif
Access protocol Local Area Network

Extents 

Extent
Description
North America

Geographic extent
Bounding rectangle
Extent type
Extent used for searching
West longitude -180
East longitude -50
North latitude 85
South latitude 14
Extent contains the resource Yes

Extent in the item's coordinate system
westBL -9997336.943095
eastBL 9999324.256105
southBL -5174363.299024
northBL 11892352.324467
exTypeCode Yes

Resource Points of Contact 

Point of contact - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Point of contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Resource Maintenance 

Resource maintenance
Update frequency as needed

Maintenance contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Resource Constraints 

Constraints
Limitations of use

This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.


Legal constraints
Limitations of use
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Spatial Reference 

ArcGIS coordinate system
Type Projected
Geographic coordinate reference GCS_Sphere_ARC_INFO
Projection Sphere_ARC_INFO_Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area
Coordinate reference details
ProjectedCoordinateSystem
XOrigin -12742100
YOrigin -12742100
XYScale 353442495.92849648
ZOrigin -100000
ZScale 10000
MOrigin -100000
MScale 10000
XYTolerance 0.001
ZTolerance 0.001
MTolerance 0.001
HighPrecision true
WKT PROJCS["Sphere_ARC_INFO_Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area",GEOGCS["GCS_Sphere_ARC_INFO",DATUM["D_Sphere_ARC_INFO",SPHEROID["Sphere_ARC_INFO",6370997.0,0.0]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0.0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION["Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area"],PARAMETER["false_easting",0.0],PARAMETER["false_northing",0.0],PARAMETER["central_meridian",-100.0],PARAMETER["latitude_of_origin",45.0],UNIT["Meter",1.0]]

Reference system identifier
Value 37008
Codespace WKID


Spatial Data Properties 

Georectified Grid 
Number of dimensions 2

Axis dimensions properties - column (x-axis)
Dimension size 4600
Resolution
4347.100261 m (meter)

Axis dimensions properties - row (y-axis)
Dimension size 3926
Resolution
4347.100261 m (meter)

Cell geometry area
Point in pixel center

Transformation parameters are available Yes

Check points are available No

Corner points
Point -9997336.943095 -5174363.299024

Point -9997336.943095 11892352.324467

Point 9999324.256105 11892352.324467

Point 9999324.256105 -5174363.299024

Center point 993.656505 3358994.512721

ArcGIS Raster Properties 
General Information
Pixel depth 32
Compression type LZW
Number of bands 1
Raster format TIFF
Source type continuous
Pixel type floating point
No data value -3.4028235e+38
Has colormap No
Has pyramids Yes

Spatial Data Content 

Image Description
Type of information image
Attribute described by cell values Population density

Band information
Description Band_1
Maximum value 88373.382812
Minimum value 0.000000
Number of bits per value 32

Triangulation has been performed No
Radiometric calibration is available No
Camera calibration is available No
Film distortion information is available No
Lens distortion information is available No

Lineage 

Lineage statement
The Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 consists of estimates of human population density (number of persons per square kilometer) based on counts consistent with national censuses and population registers. A proportional allocation gridding algorithm, utilizing approximately 13.5 million national and sub-national administrative units, was used to assign population counts to 30 arc-second grid cells. The population density rasters were created by dividing the population count raster for a given target year by the land area raster. The data files were produced as global rasters at 30 arc-second (~1 km at the equator) resolution. To enable faster global processing, and in support of research communities, the 30 arc-second count data were aggregated to 2.5 arc-minute, 15 arc-minute, 30 arc-minute and 1-degree resolutions to produce density rasters at these resolutions.

Source: Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN - Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Available at https://doi.org/10.7927/H49C6VHW. (October 2022).

Process step 
When the process occurred 2022-11-01 00:00:00
Description
The global population density map was cropped to the North American region using the NA_Bdy2021 map layer. The resulting North American population density map was reprojected from WGS84 reference system to the North American Atlas standard  Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection, transforming the original resolution from 2.5 arc-minute to 4347 meters.

Process contact - processor
Individual's name Ricardo Llamas
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Geospatial Consultant

Contact information 
Address
Type postal
City Tlalnepantla
Administrative area State of Mexico
Postal code 54180
Country MX
e-mail addressrllamas.geo.analyst@gmail.com
Source data 
Relationship to the process step used

Source citation 
Title PopDensity2020

Source data 
Relationship to the process step used

Source citation 
Title NA_Bdy2021

Source data 
Description
The Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11 consists of estimates of human population density (number of persons per square kilometer) based on counts consistent with national censuses and population registers, for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. A proportional allocation gridding algorithm, utilizing approximately 13.5 million national and sub-national administrative units, was used to assign population counts to 30 arc-second grid cells. The population density rasters were created by dividing the population count raster for a given target year by the land area raster. The data files were produced as global rasters at 30 arc-second (~1 km at the equator) resolution. To enable faster global processing, and in support of research communities, the 30 arc-second count data were aggregated to 2.5 arc-minute, 15 arc-minute, 30 arc-minute and 1 degree resolutions to produce density rasters at these resolutions.

Source medium name online link

Source citation 
Title Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11
Publication date 2022-08-31 00:00:00

Edition 11

FGDC geospatial presentation format raster digital data

Resource identifier
Value PopDensity2020

Other citation details
2.5 [arc-minute] spatial resolution


Responsible party - originator
Organization's name Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 845 365 8920
Fax +1 845 365 8922
Address
Type physical
Delivery point  CIESIN, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W
City Palisades
Administrative area New York
Postal code 10964
Country US
e-mail addressciesin.info@ciesin.columbia.edu
Resource location online
Online location (URL)https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/catalog/sedac-ciesin-sedac-gpwv4-popdens-r11-4.11

Source data 
Description
This North American Atlas base layer shows political entities in North America as polygons representing jurisdictional areas, and as lines representing political boundaries including international boundaries, Provincial boundaries and State or territory boundaries. This is a revised version of the 2010 data set released by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. This new version integrates political boundaries spatial vector information published by each country in 2021. The data set includes 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada; 32 states in Mexico; 48 states and the District of Columbia in the conterminous United Sates, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean region.

Source medium name online link
Resolution of the source data
Scale denominator 10000000

Source citation 
Title North American Environmental Atlas - Political Boundaries
Publication date 2022-10-26 00:00:00

FGDC geospatial presentation format vector digital data

Resource identifier
Value NA_Bdy2021

Responsible party - originator
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Resource location online
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/political-boundaries-2021/

Distribution 

Distributor 
Contact information - distributor
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Distribution format
Name TIFF
Specification Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by CEC in the use of this data.

Transfer options
Units of distribution MB
Transfer size 9.75

Metadata Details 

Metadata language English (UNITED STATES)
Metadata character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format

Metadata identifier NAatlas_4.06_metadata

Scope of the data described by the metadata dataset
Scope name dataset

Last update 2022-11-01 

ArcGIS metadata properties
Metadata format ArcGIS 1.0
Standard or profile used to edit metadata ISO19115_3

Created in ArcGIS for the item 2022-11-02 10:25:27
Last modified in ArcGIS for the item 2025-09-18 16:48:38

Automatic updates
Have been performed Yes
Last update 2025-09-12 11:59:32

Metadata Contacts 

Metadata contact - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Metadata contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Metadata Maintenance 

Maintenance
Update frequency as needed

Maintenance contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Metadata Constraints 

Constraints
Limitations of use

None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and (or) the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) - Columbia University would be appreciated in products derived from these data.


Legal constraints
Limitations of use
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.