administrative territorial entity
Let an agent handle administrative units by level, code, boundaries, authority and changes over time, as the parent of specific units.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle administrative units by level, code, boundaries, authority and changes over time, as the parent of specific units.
A territorial division of a state established for administration, such as a region, province, county, district or municipality, with defined boundaries and often its own authorities.
What it is for: Organising government, services and statistics by territory.
It can be look up codes and boundaries; find the responsible authority; track changes and mergers; use for statistics.
Distinguishing features
Territorial division for administration
Hierarchical levels
Boundaries and names change
Not always the same as electoral units
What it looks like
Boundaries on maps; offices of local and regional government.
How it is recognised
Official names and codes
Hierarchies of levels
Specific units are separate entries
Related models
has kind - levels
is part of - hierarchy
is confused with - different purpose
is governed by - authority
In practice
Families and kinds
regions and states
provinces and counties
districts
municipalities
special administrative areas
Identifiers
ISO 3166-2 code country-subdivision code subdivisions
NUTS code EU statistical regions statistics
Standards and regulation
National administrative law
ISO 3166-2
EU NUTS regulation
Failure modes and hazards
Outdated boundaries
Confusing levels
Disputed territories
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identity Which unit.
Codes identify units.
Code and name
Official.
Identity
Name and code.
- What is the unit official name and code? provenance
- At which level? definition
Hierarchy
Parent and children.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy.
- Which unit contains it, and which does it contain? definition
- How many levels? definition
Authority Who governs.
Authority decides services.
Government
Authority.
Authority
Governing body.
- Which authority governs it? provenance
- What powers does it have? definition
Services
Provision.
Services
Services.
- Which services are provided at this level? definition
- How are they accessed? action
Change Boundaries over time.
Units change.
History
Changes.
History
Boundary history.
- How have boundaries and names changed? provenance
- When? provenance
Versioning
Data versions.
Versioning
Data version.
- Which version of boundaries is used in this data? provenance
- Is it current? boundary
Sensitivity Disputes.
Some units are disputed.
Disputes
Territorial disputes.
Disputes
Disputes.
- Is this unit or its boundary disputed? boundary
- How should that be noted? action
Names
Alternative names.
Names
Names.
- Which alternative names exist? definition
- Which are official? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- How should administrative levels be organised?
- How should changes be versioned?
- How should disputed territories be shown neutrally?