Benin Population Spike Map

This project creates a 3D population density “spike” map of Benin using openly available data from the Kontur Population dataset.
It uses R and the rayshader package to render a high-quality 3D visualization of population density.

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Features

• Automated download of the latest Kontur Population dataset for Benin.
• Handles .gz extraction automatically and skips re-downloading if files already exist.
• Uses tidyverse, sf, stars, and rayshader to:
  • Load population raster data,
  • Convert it to a matrix,
  • Render a 3D spike map.
• Outputs a high-resolution PNG ready for sharing.

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Requirements

• R ≥ 4.3
• The following R packages:
  • tidyverse
  • R.utils
  • httr
  • sf
  • stars
  • rayshader

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How to Run

1. Clone this repository:

   ```bash

   git clone https://github.com/YOURUSERNAME/benin-spike-map.git

   cd benin-spike-map

2. Open benin-spike-map.R in RStudio or any R IDE

3. Run the whole script:

source("benin-spike-map.R")

Acknowledgements

This project is heavily inspired by and adapted from the work of the original author Milos Popovic. Watch the excellent tutorial here: 📺 YouTube Video Tutorial

Please check out and support their work!

License

This repository is shared under the same license as the original author’s code where applicable. All underlying population data © Kontur.io under their respective terms.