Geospatial data integration to capture small area population dynamics

In this chapter, we highlight the importance of small-area data on population distributions for supporting policy making. We emphasize how population distributions vary in different ways at different spatial and temporal scales. Various “big” data sets now exist to capture some of these dynamics, each with their own strengths, but also many drawbacks. We discuss how harmonizing and integrating data sets into a common geospatial framework enables the strengths of different data sets representing features of mobility and migration to be brought together, building on each other. We provide an overview of data sets and methods for such integration, then present three illustrative case studies where such integration has been used to support decision-making.