FEWS NET maintains a database of current and historical sub-national administrative boundaries for all countries where the project operates. These files are available for download in a GIS shapefile format. The boundary files come from a variety of public sources, including FAO-GAUL, GADM, the Humanitarian Data Exchange, and data files received from local and regional partners. Regardless of source, FEWS NET cleans all admin-boundary files to match a standard international boundary and to address any gap and overlap topology issues. Each admin unit is assigned a unique alpha-numeric ID for FEWS NET reference, called an “FNID”. All data files include standardized English names and aliases. Standard French, Spanish, and Portuguese names are included when one of these languages is an official language. FEWS NET uses the standard names from the GEONet Names Server database in shapefiles, for countries and admin levels where names are available. In most cases, these spellings are also reviewed by in-country staff and adjusted based on local knowledge and standards.
