Effect of Grid Cell Size on the Accuracy of Dasymetric Population Estimation

This study explored the variability in the accuracy of dasymetric population estimation with different grid cell sizes. Dasymetric population maps for Fulton County, Georgia in the US were generated from 30m to 420m at intervals of 30m using an automated intelligent dasymetric mapping technique, population data, and original and simulated land use and cover data. The accuracies of dasymetric population maps were evaluated using RMSE and adjusted RMSE statistics. Lumped fractal dimension values were calculated for the dasymetric population maps generated from resolutions of 30m to 420m using the triangular prism surface area (TPSA) method. The results show that a grid cell size of 210m or smaller is required to estimate population more accurately in terms of thematic accuracy, but a grid cell size of 30m is required to meet an acceptable spatial accuracy of dasymetric population estimation in the study area. The fractal analysis also indicates that a grid cell size of 120m is the optimal resolution for dasymetric population estimation in the study area.