# ORNL Releases LandScan Mosaic Population Dataset

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has released LandScan Mosaic, a high-resolution global population distribution dataset that models population dynamics at the building level with uncertainty quantification. This dataset supports enhanced disaster response, infrastructure planning, and national security applications by providing temporally specific population data worldwide. ORNL plans to extend this capability with the upcoming LandScan Mosaic Timeseries, offering a 50-year retrospective view of population distributions. Procurement professionals and contractors involved in geospatial data services, emergency management, and infrastructure development should consider the implications of this advanced dataset for future government contracts and program requirements.

- **Why this matters:** LandScan Mosaic provides unprecedented granularity and temporal detail in population data, enabling more precise planning and response efforts for federal agencies.
- Agencies such as DOE and national security organizations may prioritize contracts leveraging this dataset for modeling, simulation, and decision support.
- Contractors specializing in geospatial analytics, data integration, and software development can explore opportunities to support implementation and application of LandScan Mosaic data.
- The dataset's uncertainty quantification feature highlights the importance of transparent data quality metrics in government procurements involving population and infrastructure modeling.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** September 18, 2026

### Government Entities
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Office of Science

### Key Quotes
> Decision makers often need to act before perfect information is available. By pairing population estimates with transparent measures of uncertainty, LandScan Mosaic helps users understand not only where people are likely located, but also how confident they can be in those estimates.
> — Daniel S Adams, R&D Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

> That isn't possible with a lot of other datasets that are maybe available for 20 years, where a lot of those cities are already established. The building level framework and the daytime and nighttime data allow opportunities to look at both temporal granularity within the day and how that may have changed over time but also look at those settlements and identify those as well.
> — Andrew Zimmer, Geospatial Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

> The multidisciplinary approach we take allows us to bring together computer scientists, data scientists, geographers, people with expertise from different backgrounds  We have a lot of great research staff bringing a lot of different skill sets in to help us take the program into another dimension.
> — Marie L Urban, Principal Investigator, LandScan Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

### Sources
- [ORNL releases LandScan Mosaic](https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-releases-landscan-mosaic) - ORNL