About

The Subnational Geospatial Data Archive (SUNGEO) provides tools for researchers who rely on subnational data on politics, governance, public goods, weather, terrain,  violence and conflict, demographics, and public health.  Through a graphical user interface and API, researchers can choose among dozens of topics, countries, time periods, geographic units, and data sources.

Some downloads will take longer than others depending on the scope of the information requested.  If your download fails or returns a timed out response, consider breaking down the query into smaller sub-components by separating:

  • Countries
  • Topic

Alternatively, you can download these data through the R package.  See Tools for Researchers.

Thank you for your flexibility!

Proceed With Download

Project Design

1. Details

1.1 Introduction

All datasets are generated dynamically based on user specifications and needs, drawing on both established data projects like the Constituency Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and Cross-National Data on Subnational Violence (xSub), global open-source GIS datasets, and smaller datasets produced by the SUNGEO project team. It is also possible to produce maps of the geographic units selected. An accompanying R package, with a variety of geostatistical tools and techniques, enables data access, merges and imputation across and among mismatched geospatial units.

1.2 Funding

The original funding for the development and initial launch of SUNGEO came from the National Science Foundation, Grant # 1925693

2. Terms of Use

2.1 Purpose

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes only, to advance understanding on political, social and economic issues, human rights and national security.

2.2 Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL)

All data released through the Subnational Geospatial Data Archive (SUNGEO) are made available under the Open Database License. Any rights in individual contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents License.

We observe, and request that you observe, ODbL Standards, which are as follows.

You are free:

  • To share: To copy, distribute and use the database.
  • To create: To produce derivative and collective works from the database.
  • To adapt: To modify, transform and build upon the database as technically necessary to facilitate its use.

As long as you:

  • Attribute: You must attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in a manner consistent with the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0. Where there are any conflicts between the ODbL Standards for citation and those specified in the How to Cite section of this page, the How to Cite guidelines override and are operative. For any use or redistribution of the database, or works produced from it, you must communicate to others a copy of the ODbL license and retain any notices on the original database (example notice: "Contains information from SUNGEO, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL).").
  • Share-Alike: If you publicly use any adapted version of this database, or works produced from an adapted database, you must also offer that adapted database under the terms of the ODbL.
  • Keep open: If you redistribute the database, or an adapted version of it, then you may use technological measures that restrict the work (such as DRM) as long as you also redistribute a version without such measures.
2.3 Please cite appropriately

All data, software and images produced by SUNGEO or acquired through the SUNGEO website should be acknowledged, and cited in accordance with guidelines described in the How to Cite section of this page.

2.4 Permissions needed for commercial uses

Unless otherwise indicated, none of the data or images from the SUNGEO website may be distributed or used for any commercial purpose without express permission from SUNGEO project leadership. It is up to the discretion of the SUNGEO project leadership, in accordance with laws, norms, and standards applicable to the specific data or image, to determine if permission is also required of the corresponding data provider listed on the Data Sources web page.

3. How to Cite

3.1 For SUNGEO

When using data from SUNGEO, please cite both the original data source you are using and the SUNGEO project. Citation information for SUNGEO:

  • Ken Kollman and Yuri M. Zhukov. 2023. Subnational Geospatial Data Archive (SUNGEO). Produced and distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, www.sungeo.org.
  • Formats: APA, Chicago, MLA, BibTeX.
3.2 For Data Sources

Citation information for data sources by topic: Data Documentation