To provide a raster representation of urban areas (or urban mask) for use with GRUMP population grids or other data sets.

To provide a time series of raster population density data for data integration.

To provide populated place (point) data with consistent population estimates.

To provide gridded demographic data, including characteristics of income, education, and housing, for metropolitan statistical areas at a finer resolution than is available in the 30 arc-second grids used for the United States as a whole.

To provide gridded demographic data, including characteristics of age, race, ethnicity, and housing, for metropolitan statistical areas at a finer resolution than is available in the 30 arc-second grids used for the United States as a whole.

To serve a wide user community by providing composite Landsat images and raw data for urban areas that can be used in interdisciplinary studies of remote sensing and the environment.

To provide gridded demographic data, including characteristics of age, race, ethnicity, and housing, for metropolitan statistical areas at a finer resolution than is available in the 30 arc-second grids used for the United States as a whole.

To provide gridded demographic data, including characteristics of age, race, ethnicity, and housing, for metropolitan statistical areas at a finer resolution than is available in the 30 arc-second grids used for the United States as a whole.