There are several differences between PLACE II and PLACE III. PLACE III uses population data from Gridded Rural and Urban Mapping Project version 1 (GRUMPv1) to calculate population counts and land area within several thematic zones. Population and land area statistics for each thematic zone are further differentiated by urban or rural designation. The thematic zones for PLACE III include population density zones, elevation zones, coastal proximity zones, biomes, climate zones, and projected climate zones. PLACE III tabulates estimates for the years 1990, 2000 and 2010. In comparison, PLACE II uses Gridded Population of the World version 3 (GPWv3) for population data and does not differentiate between urban and rural populations. PLACE II contains data for the years 1990 and 2000, and reports statistics for each of the same thematic zones used in PLACE III, except for projected climate classifications. Like PLACE II, PLACE III relies on raster-based data for all calculations.