GCRI · Society and Human Development
Released maps
Maps of Society and Human Development are published here once their data rights are cleared and they have been reviewed. Each shows its time and space reference, its sources and its uncertainty.
01Sequence
The order things happen in.
- 01QuestionNational, regional or institutional priority
- 02EvidenceSTEM foundation of the platform
- 03BuildFoundry
- 04OrganiseNexus ecosystem
- 05TestUniverse (independent site)
- 06PublishReports
- 07DecideCompetent authorities and institutions, through NXS-RLS (participants, agreements and handoffs)
- 08RenewCorrections and the next annual agenda
02What is shown
Released, referenced and rights-cleared.
- Time and space reference for every view.
- Sources and licence.
- Uncertainty and known limits.
- Version and date of release.
03Geography
People and exposure worldwide.
Population density and night lights across the world, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 2
People and exposure, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2) (NASA LAADS DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LAADS DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite radiance, corrected for moonlight and atmosphere
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite night-time radiance for the date shown; lights are a proxy for electricity use and outages, not a measurement of supply or access.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (persistent cloud still leaves gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- 8-day; Satellite 8-day composite; persistent cloud still leaves gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-09-14
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite skin temperature of the ground over the 8 days ending on the date shown, a heat exposure indicator; not air temperature, heat index or a heat warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest year GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1) (NASA LP DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LP DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- yearly; Satellite classification; latest year GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2024-01-01
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite land cover classes for the year shown, including croplands; a classification with known errors, not a farm register.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- OMI Aura (NASA GES DISC)
- Provider
- NASA GES DISC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite retrieval; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-10
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite column of nitrogen dioxide in the lower atmosphere on the day shown, mostly from combustion; not a ground-level concentration or a health warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
People and exposure, framed on the world.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · CIESIN/Columbia, NASA SEDAC HBASE · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- OMI nitrogen dioxide (Aura) and OMPS aerosol index (Suomi NPP), NASA; distributed by the NASA GES DISC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Context: CIESIN/Columbia, NASA SEDAC HBASE. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, and NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC): Global Human Built-up And Settlement Extent (HBASE) 2010; Seto, Guneralp and Hutyra 2012, Global Grid of Probabilities of Urban Expansion to 2030; Global Urban Heat Island (UHI) Data Set, 2013.
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Air quality forecast, 5 days, PM2.5 (CAMS via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information 2026.
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (9 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
- Nitrogen dioxide, lower atmosphere column: OMI Aura, NASA GES DISC · 10 Oct 2026
04Indicators
What a released map in this field would carry.
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Evidence label | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population below the international poverty line | percent of population | per survey | Estimated | Poverty and inequality |
| Multidimensional poverty headcount | percent of population | per survey | Estimated | Poverty and inequality |
| Gini index of income or consumption | index | per survey | Estimated | Poverty and inequality |
| Income share of the bottom forty percent | percent of total income | per survey | Estimated | Poverty and inequality |
| Social protection coverage | percent of population covered by at least one benefit | per assessment | Published statistics | Poverty and inequality |
| Poverty rates disaggregated by sex, age and disability | percent by group | per survey | Estimated | Poverty and inequality |
| Total fertility rate | births per woman | annual | Estimated | Demographic transitions |
| Life expectancy at birth | years | annual | Estimated | Demographic transitions |
| Old-age dependency ratio | people aged sixty-five and over per hundred aged fifteen to sixty-four | annual | Estimated | Demographic transitions |
| Net migration rate | per thousand population | annual | Estimated | Demographic transitions |
| Urban population share | percent | annual | Estimated | Demographic transitions |
| Population projections | people by age and sex | per revision | Forecast | Demographic transitions |
| Intentional homicide rate | per hundred thousand population | annual | Published statistics | Human security and wellbeing |
| Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity | percent of population | annual | Estimated | Human security and wellbeing |
| People feeling safe walking alone at night | percent | per survey | Reported | Human security and wellbeing |
| Life evaluation | score on a zero to ten scale | annual | Reported | Human security and wellbeing |
| Conflict-related deaths | count | annual | Estimated | Human security and wellbeing |
| Population with access to justice mechanisms | percent of those with disputes | per survey | Reported | Human security and wellbeing |
| Refugees and asylum-seekers | count by country of origin and asylum | biannual | Published statistics | Humanitarian and displacement |
| Internally displaced persons by conflict and violence | count | annual | Estimated | Humanitarian and displacement |
| Internal displacements by disasters | count of movements | annual | Estimated | Humanitarian and displacement |
| People in protracted refugee situations | count | annual | Published statistics | Humanitarian and displacement |
| Durable solutions achieved | count of returns, local integration and resettlement | annual | Published statistics | Humanitarian and displacement |
| Humanitarian funding coverage | percent of appeal requirements funded | annual | Reported | Humanitarian and displacement |
| Out-of-school rate | percent of children of school age | annual | Estimated | Education and capabilities |
| Learning poverty | percent of ten-year-olds unable to read and understand a simple text | per assessment | Estimated | Education and capabilities |
| Minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics | percent of students | per assessment | Observed | Education and capabilities |
| School days lost to closures | days | per event | Reported | Education and capabilities |
| Gender parity index in enrolment | ratio | annual | Published statistics | Education and capabilities |
| Education spending | percent of GDP | annual | Published statistics | Education and capabilities |
| Generalised trust | percent agreeing most people can be trusted | per survey | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Trust in government | percent expressing confidence | per survey | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Affective polarisation | difference in feelings toward own and other groups | per survey | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Civic participation | percent participating in community activities | per survey | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Internet shutdowns | count of incidents | annual | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Digital public service use by group | percent of population | per survey | Reported | Technology and social cohesion |
| Population in hazard zones by income group | people | per assessment | Estimated | Urban social vulnerability |
| Households without insurance | percent of households | per survey | Reported | Urban social vulnerability |
| Older people living alone | count | per census | Published statistics | Urban social vulnerability |
| Renters as share of households | percent | per census | Published statistics | Urban social vulnerability |
| Language barriers to warnings | percent of residents with limited national language | per census | Published statistics | Urban social vulnerability |
| Homelessness | people counted by a stated definition | per count | Reported | Urban social vulnerability |
| Studies with ethics review | percent of published studies reporting approval | per review | Observed | Inclusive research ethics |
| Research with community engagement documented | percent of projects | per review | Declared | Inclusive research ethics |
| Local researchers in authorship | share of authors from study countries | per review | Observed | Inclusive research ethics |
| Data management plans with protection measures | percent of funded projects | per review | Declared | Inclusive research ethics |
| Results returned to participants or communities | percent of projects | per review | Declared | Inclusive research ethics |
| Ethics committees with capacity for social research | count | per assessment | Reported | Inclusive research ethics |
| Trust in news | percent trusting most news most of the time | annual | Reported | Media and information systems |
| Main source of news by type | percent of respondents | annual | Reported | Media and information systems |
| Journalists killed or imprisoned | count | annual | Reported | Media and information systems |
| Local news outlets | count per region | per assessment | Estimated | Media and information systems |
| Rumours tracked in crisis response | count by theme | per event | Reported | Media and information systems |
| Population reached by authority crisis messages | percent | per event | Reported | Media and information systems |
| People in need of humanitarian assistance | count | annual | Estimated | Humanitarian risk |
| Population in acute food insecurity | people by IPC phase | per analysis | Estimated | Humanitarian risk |
| Humanitarian appeal funding coverage | percent funded | annual | Reported | Humanitarian risk |
| Conflict events | count | weekly | Reported | Humanitarian risk |
| Anticipatory action triggers activated | count | per season | Reported | Humanitarian risk |
| Access constraints | count of reported incidents | monthly | Reported | Humanitarian risk |
05Process
How the process runs.
Process explorer · Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
7 steps·4 stages·1 gate
Process
Released maps: Layers to published map
Layers enter with their rights, are aligned, analysed and checked for uncertainty, then released after public-safe review; a map is a governed spatial claim.
01 Data
- 01Source layers with their rightsDataset · NXS-GRX (canonical data, provenance and risk)Spatial views of The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX) products sit under the boundary licence gate. Rights classification sets how a layer may be used.
02 Harmonise
- 02Coordinate reference and boundary versionRecord · NXS-EOP (earth observation and digital twins)The area of interest preserves its coordinate reference system, polygon validity and observation support. Boundary versions are kept.
- 03Harmonise units, variables and timeStepUnit metadata, conversion records and transformation logs are required. Alignment is an evidence event, not hidden preprocessing.
03 Analyse and check
- 04Analyse with a recorded processing recipeModel · GIS teamA processing recipe records parameters, calibration, inputs and output lineage. The analysis methods are named in each product’s own record.
- 05Spatial uncertainty checkGateSpatial uncertainty is recorded and affects downstream use. A high-uncertainty polygon may suit internal review, not public-safe release.
04 Publish
- 06Spatial metadata bundleRecordThe bundle records boundary type, jurisdiction, geometry version, projection, resolution, source, time window, uncertainty and access class.
- 07Public-safe release of the mapDecisionThe output record names the redactions, uncertainty and public-safe reviewer. A map is a governed spatial claim, never merely a picture.
Spatio-temporal intelligence · Data protocols: semantic, jurisdictional and temporal intelligence · NXS-EOPDesigned programme process, not a record of operation. No cycle has run and every programme is at service level R0. A gate is a programme decision, never a public-authority approval, certification or deployment authorisation. The pages cited are design doctrine.
06Reading the maps
Cautions that apply to human development maps.
- Poverty maps rely on survey years that differ.
- Displacement maps follow source definitions.
- Small-area maps are aggregated for protection.
07Status
Releases appear as they are reviewed.
Analysis runs in Foundry; reviewed releases are listed here.
08Sources
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
09Questions
Questions and answers.
Can I request a map or model?
Write to the contact form with what you need and why.
ReportsContribute
Contribute evidence from this page.
Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
GCRISociety and Human DevelopmentCountry Systems Risk and ResilienceEvidence Brief
- EmailGateway GW-GCRISend it from this pageEvidence, a correction, a case, a method, a review, a translation or profile input. It arrives tagged with this page, so the editor who owns it receives it.
- ZenodoOpen depositDeposit it and submit to the communityPublish your own record on Zenodo with your ORCID iD, then submit it to the Reports community there. Curators review it; the DOI stays yours.
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Society and Human Development
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