The Multi-temporal and Multi-dimensional Global Urban Centre Database to Delineate and Analyse World Cities

Abstract Monitoring sustainable urban development requires comparable geospatial information on cities across several thematic domains. Here we present the first global database combining such information with city extents. The Global Human Settlement Urban Centre Database (GHS-UCDB) is produced by geospatial data integration to characterise more than 10,000 urban centres worldwide. The database is multi-dimensional and multi-temporal, containing 28 variables across five domains and having multitemporal attributes for one or more epochs when the UC are delineated (1975-1990-2000-2015). Delineation of urban centres for the year 2015 is performed via a logic of grid cell population density, population size, and grid cell contiguity defined by the Degree of Urbanisation method. Each of the urban centres has 160 attributes, including a validation assessment. The novel aspects of this database concern the thematic richness and temporal depth of the variables (across geography, socio-economic, environmental, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development domains) and the type of geo-information provided (location and extent), featuring an overall consistency that allows comparative analyses across locations and time.