Celebrating census

Maps using data from population censuses have been published in The Journal of Maps since its inception and this source of data often acts as a fundamental input to research undertaken by social scientists as well as researchers from other disciplinary areas. Mapping of population data is no longer the preserve of a limited range of disciplines but occurs across the spectrum of social as well as the natural sciences where human-environmental interaction is at the forefront of our concern. For this edition, we invited contributions focused on the evolving character and cartographic opportunities offered by traditional census statistics and the impact of transitioning from these into a new era of assembling 'big data' from diverse data sources.