PLACE III: National Population and Landscape Aggregates by Biome

PLACE III provides nearly 300 variables of national-level aggregations for territorial extent and population size across urban, rural, and total designations. The dataset covers 232 statistical areas, including countries and UN-recognized territories, with estimates categorized by biome, climate zone, coastal proximity, elevation, and population density zone. It is produced by the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

Use Cases

• Analyzing national population distribution across different biomes (e.g., tundra, forest).
• Studying the correlation between climate zones and urban versus rural territorial extent.
• Modeling human exposure or vulnerability based on coastal proximity and elevation zones.
• Comparing population density zones across countries for regional planning studies.

Strengths

• Covers a wide scope of 232 statistical areas, providing broad geographic comparability.
• Includes a compendium of nearly 300 variables, allowing for multi-faceted analysis.
• Provides disaggregated estimates for urban, rural, and total designations.

Limitations

• Sources conflict on the number of entities covered (232 vs. 222 countries).
• The license is listed as 'closed' on some platforms, restricting open access.
• Specific column names and the original data collection methodology are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

Collection Method

National-level aggregations of geospatial data.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-13 20:21:46.018207

Geography

Global coverage for 232 statistical areas (countries and UN-recognized territories).