Journal of the Korean Geographical Society ISSN:1225-6633(Print) 대한지리학회지

Choropleth mapping of population distribution is based on the assumption that people are uniformly distributed throughout each enumeration unit. Dasymetric mapping technique improves choropleth mapping by refining spatially aggregated data with residential information. Further, pycnophylactic interpolation can upgrade dasymetric mapping by considering population distribution of neighboring areas, while preserving the volumes of original units. This study proposed a combined solution of dasymetric mapping and pymophylactic interpolation to improve the accuracy of population density distribution. Specifically, the dasymetric method accounts for the spatial distribution of population within each census unit, while pymophylactic interpolation considers population distribution of neighboring area. This technique is demonstrated with 1990 census data of the Athens, GA. with land use land cover information derived from remotely-sensed imagery for the areal extent of populated areas. The results are evaluated by comparison between original population counts of smaller census units (census block groups) and population counts of the grid map built from larger units (census tracts) aggregated to the same areal units. The estimated populations indicate a satisfactory level of accuracy. Population distribution acquired by the suggested method can be re-aggregated to any type of geographic boundaries such as electoral boundaries, school districts, and even watershed for a variety of applications.