EAGLE Master Theses defense “Revealing Inconsistencies in Population Datasets in Refugee and IDP Camps”

On April 03, 2025, Lallu Nikerthil Prathapan will present her Master Thesis ” Revealing Inconsistencies in Population Datasets in Refugee and IDP Camps ” at 15:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a.
From the abstract: Accurate population estimates are crucial for effective humanitarian aid in refugee and IDP camps. This study compares four global population datasets—GPW-V4, GHS-POP, and two versions of WorldPop—against DTM IOM survey data from 210 refugee camps in Nigeria. The findings reveal that most datasets significantly underestimate camp populations, with WorldPop Constrained performing relatively better but still proving unreliable. To explore potential alternatives, the study also examines building footprint datasets (VIDA, Google, Microsoft, and OSM) and their representativeness in refugee/IDP regions. The results highlight major gaps in population datasets and suggest that combining building footprint data with survey information could improve accuracy for gridded population estimates
1st Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hannes Taubenböck

read more news:

[spotlight] Lecturer Spotlight: Thilo Erbertseder

[spotlight] Lecturer Spotlight: Thilo Erbertseder

Thilo is the person at EORC who can tell you exactly how much air pollution was hanging over a given megacity in any given year since the 1990s, and what that actually meant for the people living there. He teaches atmospheric composition and urban remote sensing at...

A First Get-Together with the New EAGLE Generation 🦅

A First Get-Together with the New EAGLE Generation 🦅

A new EAGLE generation means new faces, new ideas, and the start of another journey in Earth Observation. And what better way to kick things off than with a relaxed evening at the pub? Our first social event brought together the new students, older EAGLE generations,...

Welcome, new EAGLEs!

Welcome, new EAGLEs!

The newest group of EAGLE students arrived in Würzburg! They come from different countries, with different backgrounds and different skills, and that’s exactly what makes this program special. Remote sensing is a big field, and it gets better when people look at it...

[Spotlight] Lecturer Spotlight: Julian Faeth

[Spotlight] Lecturer Spotlight: Julian Faeth

Dr. Julian Fäth is a postdoctoral researcher at our EORC. His teaching combines remote sensing, forest ecology and geospatial data science with a strong focus on operational applications and climate adaptation. Since 2018, Julian has been actively involved in...