Asia Population Distribution Database and Administrative Units from UNEP/GRID-Sioux Falls

The Asian administrative boundaries and population database is part of
an ongoing effort to improve global, spatially referenced demographic
data holdings. Such databases are useful for a variety of applications
including strategic-level agricultural research and applications in
the analysis of the human dimensions of global change.

This project (which has been carried out as a cooperative activity
between NCGIA, CGIAR and UNEP/GRID between Oct. 1995 and present) has
pooled available data sets, many of which had been assembled for the
global demography project. All data were checked, international
boundaries and coastlines were replaced with a standard template, the
attribute database was redesigned, and new, more reliable population
estimates for subnational units were produced for all countries. From
the resulting data sets, raster surfaces representing population
distribution and population density were created in collaboration
between NCGIA and GRID-Geneva.