Data and methods

Learn more about LandMark’s data

LandMark displays georeferenced information on collectively-held and used lands worldwide. It consolidates numerous ongoing local, national, and regional efforts to map and document indigenous and community lands within a single global platform. The data on LandMark is offered at two scales: community-level and national-level. Explore this page to learn more about how LandMark collects and displays its data.

About LandMark Data

Methods

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Methods for community-level data

Community-level data include locally defined boundaries of the lands that are held or used by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. These data were aggregated from numerous sources and data providers around the world and organized into a consistent global typology.

Includes the following LandMark data layers:

  • Indigenous Peoples’ Lands and Territories;
  • Local Community Lands;
  • Indicative Areas of Indigenous and Community Land Rights;
  • Indigenous and Community Natural Resource Rights.
View methods for community-level data
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Methods for national-level data

The national-level data displays research and literature-based estimates about the lands held and used by Indigenous Peoples and local communities for an entire country. These data are particularly useful in countries where there is absent or incomplete community level data.

Includes the following LandMark data layers:

  • Percent of Country Held by Indigenous Peoples and Communities;
  • Indigenous Population per Country.
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Data quality and completeness

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Data quality

The data and information displayed on LandMark are assembled from many different sources and contributors. To ensure high-quality and accurate information, we have instituted several quality-control measures.

Learn more about data quality
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Data completeness

LandMark is a work in progress. The community-level and national-level data layers have gaps in coverage, but work is on-going to fill those gaps.

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Data sources

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Community-level data sources

Many individuals and organizations have provided local, national, or regional-scale Indigenous Peoples and community lands data and information to create the global datasets that are displayed on LandMark. Contributing data sources are listed by dataset, country, and citation information.

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National-level data sources

National-level data are generated from research, expert knowledge, and spatial data analysis. Data sources are listed by dataset and citation information.

View national-level data sources