Territorial analysis of census data from 1980-2010 in the city of Rio de Janeiro
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Souza, L.; 2Alem, A.
1INSTITUTO PEREIRA PASSOS (CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO) Email: leandrogs86@gmail.com
2INSTITUTO PEREIRA PASSOS (CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO) Email: adrianoalem.ipp@gmail.com
Abstract
The use of temporal analysis in GIS is an important way to study how a specific issue evolves in the geographic space over time. One of them is that regarding the evolution in the distribution of the population and households in urban territory. This kind of analysis is essential for efficient urban planning, for policies as those of mobility and provision of public services must regard the demographic dynamics. In the last decades, the city of Rio de Janeiro has been experiencing accelerated growth, characterized for both densification and expansion of urban sprawl. This growth has generated some issues to be addressed by sustainable urban development, in environmental and especially in social aspects - like the growth of informal settlements in the form of slums, known as “favelas”. Considering the importance of studies about urban growth and its evolution over time, Pereira Passos Institute (IPP), the municipal department of Rio de Janeiro city responsible for its cartography and geoinformation system, has worked to build a geographical database at census tract level, allowing comparison of historical series of census information over the last 30 years - from 1980 to 2010 - in GIS. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), federal government institution responsible for the decennial demographic census in Brazil, offers digital and georeferenced information on census tract polygons for 2000 and 2010 demographic censuses. For 1980 and 1991 censuses, however, only descriptive data of the perimeter of each census tract was available. Taking the digital and georeferenced census tract database of 2000’s IBGE Demographic Census as a starting point, IPP reconstructed geographically the 1980 and 1991 censuses databases. Using the description on how each census tract was formed and evolved from one census to another – by subdivision, merge and changes of its perimeter – it was possible to define the smallest territorial area that was comparable from 1980 to 2010. It was also compared with administrative subdivisions and neighborhoods used in the local government – also considering the new ones created over the years – so census data could be compared with other data and administrative records from the municipality. With this work, it was possible to compare inter-census data at census tract level, allowing the mapping of variation of population on the territory and better understanding of the growth and urban evolution of the city of Rio de Janeiro in the last 30 years.
Keywords
census; territorial analysis; Rio de Janeiro