Facebook creates a data map of human population of 23 countries

A data map of the human population of 23 countries has been created by social networking giant, Facebook by combining the government census numbers with information obtained from satellites. Citing Janna Lewis the  Facebook’s head of strategic innovation partnerships and sourcing, CNBC reported that the mapping technology can pinpoint any man-made structures in any country on Earth to a resolution of five metres.

She said that “Satellites are exciting for us.The best way through which we could connect cities is an internet in the sky. We are trying our best so that we could connect people from the stratosphere and also from the space," by utilizing high-altitude drone aircraft and satellites, to supplement Earth based networks.

Facebook used the data to understand the precise distribution of humans around the planet which would help it determine what types of internet service — based either on land, in the air or in space — it can use to reach consumers who now have no (or very low quality) internet.

The data is used “to know the population distribution” of Earth to figure out “the best connectivity technologies” in different locales. ”We see these as a viable option for serving these populations” that are “unconnected or under-connected,” she said.