NEWS

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mwmapdata 1.0.0 (2026-05-06)

• First stable data-package release for the CRAN split from mwmap.
• Rebuilt mw_level_0, mw_level_1, mw_level_2, and mw_level_3 from the included OCHA HDX / National Statistics Office of Malawi COD-AB shapefiles.
• Added validation to the data build script for expected feature counts, EPSG:4326 output, and geometry validity.
• malawi_data is now a deprecated alias for the current mw_level_2 district boundaries.
• Raw shapefiles are excluded from the built package to keep CRAN package size under control.

mwmapdata 0.2.0

• Updated all boundary data to OCHA HDX (National Statistics Office of Malawi), Common Operational Datasets (COD-AB) version 02, valid from 05 April 2023 https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-mwi.
• mw_level_2 now contains 32 districts (previously 28), reflecting the addition of Blantyre City, Lilongwe City, Mzuzu City, and Zomba City as separate administrative units.
• mw_level_3 now contains 433 traditional authorities (previously ~250).
• New columns available in all levels: area_sqkm, center_lat, center_lon.
• mw_level_3 gains an ADM3_REF column with reference TA names.
• Convenience columns REGION, DISTRICT, and TA are preserved.

mwmapdata 0.1.0

• Initial release.
• Provides Malawi administrative boundary data at levels 0–3.
• Includes major lakes spatial data.
• Split from the mwmap package to satisfy CRAN size requirements.