Nothing torpedoes a territory comparison faster than mixing data years. This quick guide helps you pick—and stick to—the right vintage so splits, rebalance calls, and coverage claims are defensible across markets.

What “vintage” means

The population data year you set in Layers → Settings.

Guidance

• Keep one vintage across all territories you compare

• Use LandScan for 2016–2023 comparability; WorldPop for 2024+ recency and placement detail

• Always state vintage + source in deliverables

Use cases

• Territory management — franchise, sales, service; sizing, balancing, and fairness checks.

• Retail & site selection — store/clinic shortlists, cannibalization risk, white-space discovery.

• Public services & health — coverage planning for schools, vaccination sites, and outreach.

• Infrastructure & utilities — demand estimation for telecom, broadband, water, and transport.

• Emergency & humanitarian — population-at-risk screening, logistics staging, and access.

• Policy & research — comparable geographies when admin boundaries differ or change.

Common pitfalls

• Mixing vintages in the same folder

• Forgetting to note the source in outputs

Need More Help?

If you run into issues, please contact us.