LandScan Population Distribution Database

After the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) LandScan "High Resolution Global Population Data Set" was used extensively in emergency response. ORNL’s award-winning population distribution database helped government agencies estimate how many people were potentially affected and where to send emergency supplies. LandScan, which refines the best available census data using geographic information system and remote sensing technologies, has emerged as an international community standard for disaster response, humanitarian relief, sustainable development and environmental protection. Today, LandScan is one of the most licensed of all ORNL technologies.

Also on the rise is the number of commercial, revenue-generating licenses of LandScan. High-profile users include National Geographic, TIME magazine, the Washington Post, and New York Times. In FY2005, UT-Battelle granted 123 non-commercial LandScan licenses to the United Nations, government agencies and universities worldwide for humanitarian, research and educational purposes. In 2006, the number rose to more than 250 non-fee-bearing licenses. Research using LandScan has also resulted in numerous publications on subjects of interest to policy decision makers such as predicted effects of global climate change.

Data from the LandScan 2004 Global Data Set indicate detailed distribution of population in Indonesian areas affected by the December 2004 tsunami. The population density is highest in orange and red areas of map.