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SHRUG Atlas

© 2025

About the Atlas

Development Data Lab presents the SHRUG Atlas. The portal is built on a collection of over 600,000 geographic units called "shrids". These geographic units allow us to aggregate satellite and census-derived data to consistent geographical areas and represent them via an interactive web-based portal. Each variable included in the portal is selectable from the layer menu, easily interrogated, and readily downloadable. For an interactive walkthrough of instructions on how to use the portal, please click the "Atlas Tour" button in the bottom left of the menu sidebar. Data is shown at both district and village/town level; zoom in (out) for more (less) detail.

The purpose of this platform is to democratize access to this information for researchers, policymakers, and the general public. To download the raw data, please visit the SHRUG download page, which also provides access to complete metadata tables describing all variables and datasets included on the platform. Please note that the complete data available for download includes more variables than are present on the visualization platform. We are continually working to improve this platform and the underlying data.

To reach out with questions or comments, send us an email (after reading this info box and the FAQ on this page).

The SHRUG continues to be a work in progress. The underlying data consist largely of remote sensing or administrative data collected by the government. We have corrected obvious errors but some data may still be incorrect. Use at your own discretion.

SHRUG Atlas FAQ

The unique village/town-level identifier of the SHRUG. The shrid identifier is the backbone of the SHRUG dataset, which links all the Indian Population and Economic Censuses to each other from 1990 to 2013 at the smallest consistent geographic unit possible. These keys were developed by matching towns and villages across population censuses, with close attention to splits, merges, and other realignments. Please see the SHRUG documentation website for more information on the shrid and the SHRUG.

This is easy! If you want to download a screenshot of the SHRUG Atlas map as you currently view it in your browser, including the legend and a description of the visualized variable, click the "Save Image" button at the bottom of the menu bar.

Please reach out if you have a specific data request. However, before you do, please download the raw data, as many more variables exist in the downloadable data than what we host on the mapping platform. While we aim to make the Atlas as useful as possible to all types of people, we know that the platform will not include all datasets everyone desires. If you believe a dataset or variable(s) should be included on this platform, please make a data request to the Development Data Lab team

Please submit a bug report. Currently the best way to do this is to send an email to the Development Data Lab team.

Data is available under the ODbL. This database is made available under the Open Database License. Any rights in individual contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents License.

Data Storytelling

Telling stories through data. The SHRUG data are a deep resource for uncovering stories of significance, helping us to understand development trajectories, societal characteristics, and differences across space and time.

This element of the Atlas is in early development. We hope to add to this section in the future.

The impact of irrigation infrastructure
Irrigation canals are massive investments that ostensibly serve half of India’s rural population. How can we begin to explore the impacts of irrigation canals on agriculture, living standards, and non-farm economic activity?

Why is my data missing?

SHRUG Atlas does not show district data for pre-2010 sources: zoom in to explore the shrid-level data.