Forum:Demographics
Data Source: TravellerMap Prior to Donald McKinney's passing he was always doing work on cleaning up sectors. This work became publicly disseminated at TravellerMap. What I have done is automated a process that collects all the sectors found at TravellerMap into a Microsoft Access Database, cleanup unofficial sectors to standardize the data. This means only clean up improper field values when found. I do not otherwise question the validity of the data.
Method
Each Mainworld has a Population Digit and Population Multiplier. Total Population is standard 10Population Digit x Population Multiplier Because data is parsed out all sorts of queries can be built Population by Sector, Population by Allegiance Code by Sophont Code and so on.
-Individual Sophont Populations-
Built into the T5 Second Survey Remarks are Sophont Codes in the for SophN. Soph is the first 4 characters of a Sophont Name and N represents a value of 10ths of Total Population for that world. W repesents 100%, 0 represents 1-4% (I choose 4%) the others represent 10% increments. Also some codes representing (Sophont) or (Sophont)N appear. I assume these homeworlds ARE 100% or W unless a number appears. (Syleans)5 is an example where the number is deliberately used. In some cases the total percent comes up to more than 100%. In cases like this the largest percent sophont is reduced so the total is 100%. In cases where this is already less than 100% the remainder are assumed to be Huma (Vilani/Solomani mix). This method produces an intentional bias to give anything other than Vilani/Solomani better representation. Finally take total population and multiply by percent of component sophont to derive a population for the world. Get the database to do the SQL query and 20 seconds an answer for 8000+ (for the Imperium) worlds. 45 seconds for 200000+ (all of travellermap including the Zhodani Core Route sectors) worlds
Inaccuracies The only real inaccuracy comes from a lack of reporting in TravellerMap. If it is not there, what is a more accurate source?
- (Unsigned post by Nathan Brazil)
- What do you mean by a lack of reporting? If there are no sophont remarks, one should assume the population is whatever the default population for its allegiance is. Also, please sign your posts with ~~~~.
- Don had begun working with sophont distribution. We chatted about this a few times in 2015. He was working on Geonee distribution at one time. I'd really like to see more work done with demographics and have it integrated with T5SS business so it gets semi-official imprimatur.
- Maksim-Smelchak (talk) 09:54, 1 February 2016 (EST)
- I also think there needs to be a non-numerical code for a "significant population" where there is no canon number or source available, but the same sources indicate definite sophont populations on a world. I call this an "S" code as in Varg-S indicates a significant population of Vargr on a world.
- Maksim-Smelchak (talk) 09:55, 1 February 2016 (EST)
- Isn't that what the Race0 codes are for? Indicating a population less than 5%, but nonetheless large enough to be notable?
- Lack of reporting Exactly as noted, Don was working on sophont populations. But they are/were not complete. On my first presentation of populations on travellerrpg.com, it was commented that there should be more Suerrat as there over a trillion. Based on travellermap.com information and my approach that is not possible only 250+ billon. So there are only two possibilities as I do not think my method flawed:
- A. The commenter was wrong.
- B. The data on travellermap.com is wrong or incomplete.
Thus, lack of reporting.
- Nathan Brazil (talk) 17:19, 1 February 2016 (EST)
- Well, the data on TravellerMap for the Imperium comes from the Traveller 5 Second Survey (T5SS), and the T5SS is canon. Thus, unless Marc or someone appointed by him changes the T5SS data, the canon population figure for the Suerret is 250+ billion, not 1+ trillion.