Building Footprints Across Laos from OpenStreetMap

Building footprints across Laos exported from OpenStreetMap. The data includes every feature tagged as a building, from residential homes through hospitals, schools, and places of worship. It is provided by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and was last updated on 2026-05-14.

Use Cases

• Population estimation based on building density and type.
• Damage assessment for disaster response using building location data.
• Urban planning analysis based on the spatial distribution of structures.
• Infrastructure mapping for schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

Strengths

• Includes all OpenStreetMap features tagged as a building (`building=*`), covering a wide range of structure types.
• Available in multiple geospatial file formats including GEOPACKAGE, SHP, and JSON.
• Last updated on 2026-05-14, indicating recent data maintenance.

Limitations

• Completeness varies by region; urban areas are usually well-mapped, remote areas may be incomplete.
• Row count and specific column definitions are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Cross-checking critical decisions with local field knowledge is recommended.

Provenance

Source

OpenStreetMap

Collection Method

Volunteer-contributed mapping via the OpenStreetMap platform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14.

Geography

Laos