GeoNetwork home FAO home
Send to a friendBookmark on DeliciousBookmark on DiggBookmark on FacebookBookmark on StumbleUpon

Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL)

ISO19115/19139 XML

Identification info
Title Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL)
Date 2008-12-10T14:04:00
Date type revision
Edition 2009
Presentation form mapDigital
Abstract The Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) is an initiative implemented by FAO within the EC-FAO Food Security Programme funded by the European Commission (http://www.foodsecinfoaction.org/News/news_06_06.htm). The GAUL aims at compiling and disseminating the most reliable spatial information on administrative units for all the countries in the world, providing a contribution to the standardization of the spatial dataset representing administrative units.
The GAUL always maintains global layers with a unified coding system at country, first (e.g. regions) and second administrative levels (e.g. districts). In addition, when data is available, it provides layers on a country by country basis down to third, fourth and lowers levels.
The overall methodology consists in a) collecting the best available data from most reliable sources, b) establishing validation periods of the geographic features (when possible), c) adding selected data to the global layer based on the last country boundaries map provided by the UN Cartographic Unit (UNCS), d) generating codes using the GAUL Coding System and e) distribute data to the users (see GAUL Doc01 Ver17.pdf)
Because the GAUL works at global level, controversial boundaries can not be ignored. The approach of the GAUL is to maintain disputed areas in such a way to preserve national integrity for all disputing countries (see GAUL Doc01 Ver17.pdf and disputed_areas.dbf).
The coastal line of the GAUL is mostly compliant with the coast of the International Boundary map delivered by UNCS except for some countries (e.g. Viet Nam, India, Bangaldesh, etc.) where it has been updated according to the satellite images (e.g. Landsat ETM). For the next releases of the GAUL, the updating process of the coast-line will go on, country by country, through a comparison with the satellite images.
The GAUL is released once a year and the target beneficiary of the GAUL data is the UN community, the Universities and other authorized international and national institutions/agencies. Data might not be officially validated by authoritative national sources and can not be distributed to the general public. A disclaimer should always accompany any use of the GAUL data.
About 21 countries have been updated respect to the previous release (see countries_updated.dbf).
The GAUL keeps track of administrative units that has been changed, added or dismissed in the past for political causes. Changes implemented in different years are recorded in the GAUL on different layers. For this reason the GAUL product is not a single layer but a group of layers, named "GAUL Set" (see Gaul_Set.pdf).
The GAUL 2009 is the fifth release of the GAUL Set, which now includes the following files:
- G2009_2008: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2008
- G2009_2007: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2007
- G2009_2006: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2006
- G2009_2005: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2005
- G2009_2004: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2004
- G2009_2003: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2003
- G2009_2002: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2002
- G2009_2001: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2001
- G2009_2000: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 2000
- G2009_1999: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1999
- G2009_1998: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1998
- G2009_1997: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1997
- G2009_1996: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1996
- G2009_1995: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1995
- G2009_1994: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1994
- G2009_1993: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1993
- G2009_1992: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1992
- G2009_1991: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1991
- G2009_1990: These layers have to be used to link all the datasets that refer to year 1990
The GAUL project does not implement changes dated before 1990.
Purpose The Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) aims at compiling and disseminating the most reliable spatial information on administrative units for all countries in the world.
Status onGoing
Point of contact
Individual name Fabio Grita
Organisation name EC - FAO Food Security Programme (ESCG-SDRN)
Position name Project coordinator
Delivery point Via delle Terme di Caracalla
City Rome
Postal code 00100
Country Italy
Electronic mail address  fabio.grita@fao.org
Role pointOfContact
Point of contact
Individual name Michela Marinelli
Organisation name EC - FAO Food Security Programme (ESCG-SDRN)
Position name GIS Expert - consultant
Voice Via delle Terme di Caracalla
City Rome
Postal code 00100
Country Italy
Electronic mail address  michela.marinelli@fao.org
Role pointOfContact
Maintenance and update frequency annually
Descriptive keywords  sub national boundaries , administrative , global , GAUL , (theme).
Descriptive keywords  World (place).
Access constraints license
Use constraints license
Other constraints The Global Administrative Unit Layers (GAUL) provides the most reliable spatial information on administrative units for all countries in the world. The GAUL dataset is for the benefit of the United Nations and other authorized international and national institutions/agencies. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hereby grants you a licence to use, download and print the materials contained in the GAUL dataset solely for your own non-commercial purposes and in accordance with the conditions listed below. Copyrighted data made available to you through the GAUL dataset is subject to the conditions specified in the metadata. The licencee will at all times use due diligence to safeguard and protect all such confidential and proprietary information pertaining to the Licensed Data. Except as may otherwise be expressly permitted by applicable law, all redistribution to non-authorized users or commercial exploitation of any material contained in the GAUL dataset is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of FAO. Any request for permission to reproduce or otherwise use any material contained in or otherwise made available to you through the GAUL dataset other than as provided for herein, should be directed to FAO. The full GAUL Data License document is available for downloading.
Other constraints 
Spatial representation type vector
Language English
Character set utf8
Topic category code boundaries
Extent
Extent
Geographic bounding box
North bound latitude
90
West bound longitude
-180		East bound longitude
180
South bound latitude
-90
Supplemental Information The countries listed below are copyrighted and published by SALB (Second Administrative Unit Layers project). A full description of the SALB data policy is given by this web site: http://www3.who.int/whosis/gis/salb/salb_home.htm.

Australia, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Norway, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Zambia.
Distribution info
Interactive Map GAUL - country level - Reference year 2006
(OGC-WMS Server: http://geonetwork3.fao.org/ows/12691_0 )
View in Google Earth GAUL - country level - Reference year 2006   View in Google Earth
Interactive Map GAUL - first level - Reference year 2006
(OGC-WMS Server: http://geonetwork3.fao.org/ows/12691_1 )
View in Google Earth GAUL - first level - Reference year 2006   View in Google Earth
Interactive Map GAUL - second level - Reference year 2006
(OGC-WMS Server: http://geonetwork3.fao.org/ows/12691_2 )
View in Google Earth GAUL - second level - Reference year 2006   View in Google Earth
Reference system info
Code WGS 1984
Data quality info
Hierarchy level dataset
Metadata
File identifier  f7e7adb0-88fd-11da-a88f-000d939bc5d8
Language English
Character set utf8
Date stamp  2009-03-22T16:56:20
Metadata standard name  ISO 19115:2003/19139
Metadata standard version  1.0
Metadata author
Individual name Michela Marinelli
Organisation name FAO - ESCG
Position name GIS Expert - consultant
Delivery point Via delle Terme di Caracalla
City Rome
Administrative area 00100
Postal code Rome
Country Italy
Electronic mail address  michela.marinelli@fao.org
Role pointOfContact

Unicode EncodedBrowse Happy logo