Geospatial data holds great potential to improve health, food security, and educational opportunities in developing countries.

Detailed population data from the project is helping to protect against disease and plan for new schools in low- and middle-income countries. It may also enhance food security and disaster response.

New high-resolution population data will help us understand better how people are distributed in many countries throughout the world—as part of Facebook’s goal to connect people everywhere to the Internet.

Knowing how settlements are distributed across the landscape—e.g., in clusters, along roads or waterways, or scattered widely—has important implications for designing infrastructure, improving access, and promoting sustainability.