Data Center Siting Model and Suitability Mapper for Community Planners

Overview and Technical Documentation

Sara Stullken, Jonathan Cohen, Rebecca Tisherman, Devin Tierney, Emily Hoch, Andrew Lauland, Jason Thomas Barnosky, Zohan Hasan Tariq

ToolPublished Sep 16, 2026

This document provides an overview and technical documentation for the Data Center Siting Model and Suitability Mapper for Community Planners, which is designed to support state and local decisionmakers considering the benefits and costs of siting a data center.

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Stullken, Sara, Jonathan Cohen, Rebecca Tisherman, Devin Tierney, Emily Hoch, Andrew Lauland, Jason Thomas Barnosky, and Zohan Hasan Tariq, Data Center Siting Model and Suitability Mapper for Community Planners: Overview and Technical Documentation. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA4617-2.html.
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