Overview

Understanding how many people live within the reach of a cell tower or wireless coverage zone is one of the most important metrics in telecom planning. Population Explorer (PopEx) enables you to calculate these numbers instantly, combining gridded population datasets like LandScan and WorldPop with your own tower locations, coverage polygons, or buffers—no GIS setup required.

By measuring population within coverage, you can estimate potential subscribers, identify underserved areas, and evaluate capacity needs across service zones. PopEx uses the same population, density, and income metrics across all clusters, helping you interpret not just how many people live in an area but also their earning potential and service context.

Why This Matters

Telecom operators and planners rely on accurate coverage population metrics to guide tower placement, optimize network expansion, and ensure service equity. PopEx makes this process accessible to non-GIS teams by automating spatial calculations with built-in datasets and intuitive UI tools.

Step-by-Step: Measure Population in Coverage Areas

1. Import your tower locations. Go to File → Import → Markers (CSV or XLSX). Your spreadsheet must include Name, Latitude, and Longitude columns. Once imported, each tower appears as a marker in the left drawer under the chosen folder.

2. Create buffers for your towers. From the top menu, click New → Create Item → Buffered Point. Click a tower marker on the map or manually enter coordinates. Enter a buffer radius (km) that approximates your tower’s coverage area, then click Add.

3. PopEx generates circular polygons and automatically computes Population Total, Density, and Income values in each item’s summary panel.

4. To visualize multiple towers, repeat for each imported point. To avoid double counting, open the parent folder and under Aggregation choose Non-overlapping Children. PopEx dissolves overlaps before recomputing totals.

5. Open the Layers → Settings panel and confirm your data year (LandScan 2023 or WorldPop 2024+).

6. To export your results, use Export → Excel or Export → KML. The Excel export includes total population, area, density, and income for each tower buffer.

Alternative Access: Use the PopEx API

For organizations integrating PopEx into their own analytics or UI stacks, the PopEx API provides programmatic access to population and income calculations. Access it via Tools → PopEx API in the main menu. Each paid account includes an API token and up to 100 calls per month; additional calls can be purchased as needed. API responses mirror PopEx’s in-app outputs, enabling automation for tower coverage analysis or batch scenario testing.

Best Practices

• Ensure imported marker names match tower IDs in your internal network planning systems.

• Use consistent buffer radii for towers of the same technology or coverage class.

• Enable Non-overlapping Children to prevent duplicate counts in dense tower grids.

• For coverage shaped by terrain or travel-time, try Drawing Isochrones for Telecom Planning.

Example Applications

Verification

Compare PopEx’s population totals with official telecom statistics or census values for the same region. Variations may occur where buffers extend into uninhabited zones or overlap across towers. When importing tower data, ensure latitude and longitude fields are clean numeric values (no commas or text strings).

Next Steps

• Drawing Isochrones for Telecom Planning

• Balancing Service Areas with Population

• Telecom Site Mapping Hub