Abstract:

Given the limitation of traditional method to express the distribution of population,we put forward a new interpolation method to identify the spatial variability of population in certain counties.We used this method to spatially interpolate the population census data at county level based on assumption as well as the regression analysis between population and the land cover information.A case study in Jiangsu Province shows that we can get the spatially interpolated population density with 1 by 1 square kilometers with high accuracy,with the largest overall accuracy being as low as 874%.The distribution of the population in Jiangsu Province has two characteristics:first,the population is dense in cities and sparse in rural area;second,the level of population urbanization of South Jiangsu is higher than Central and North Jiangsu.The two characteristics are consistent with the status of the development of economy and the urbanization of the three regions.By using this interpolation method,we can generate the surface data of population density to accurately and spatially express the regional difference of population distribution.It can be important to provide decisionsupporting information in the planning of resource exploitation,environment protection and constitute the sustainable development strategy.

Key words: population data, spatial interpolation, accuracy validation, Jiangsu Province, population urbanization