As part of the Data Hub Priority Plan 2021, it is necessary to have reference spaces (physical locations that data can be linked to) across different spatial scales such as countries, regions, provinces, counties etc., those "higher" than a city, those that a city is nested in.
We already have added and processed a number of these higher scale shapefiles and list them here to communicate what exists in the system and where they can be found. These reference spaces can be reused over and over for many cities, meaning that having Spain as country in the system, for example, allows to link Spanish cities to Spain.
Missing sources
Aside from the ones below, there are many other shapefiles that would be desirable to have for additional and relevant reference spaces. Some examples are in the list below. You can help us find and add those! Register as a community member and select a task on the list.
- continents
- world subregions
- provinces of Canada
- provinces of South Africa --> we will then have 3 levels available for SA cities
Existing sources
Countries
- All countries
- South Africa
- Colombia
NUTS
"The NUTS classification (Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) is a hierarchical system for dividing up the economic territory of the EU and the UK." (Source)
- NUTS 2021
- NUTS 2016
- NUTS 2013
- NUTS 2010
- NUTS 2006
NUTS 1 - 2016 - processed
- NUTS 2 - 2016 - processed
- NUTS 3 - 2016 - processed
Local Administrative Units
"To meet the demand for statistics at a local level, Eurostat maintains a system of Local Administrative Units (LAUs) compatible with NUTS. These LAUs are the building blocks of the NUTS, and comprise the municipalities and communes of the European Union." (Source)
- Local Administrative Units 2019
- Local Administrative Units 2018
- Local Administrative Units 2017
- Local Administrative Units 2016
Urban Audit
Cities, Greater Cities and Functional Urban Areas boundaries according to the European Urban Audit. (More info)
(All the documents are "parked" in Munich: https://data.metabolismofcities.org/dashboards/munich/.)