# Data from: The global compendium of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence Dataset DOI: [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.47v3c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.47v3c) Please note, these data are also referred to in another publication: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08347](http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08347) ## Description of the data and file structure Structure of the database for *Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus* occurrence: 1\. **VECTOR**: Identifying the species; *Ae. aegypti* or *Ae. albopictus* 2\. **OCCURRENCE_ID**: Unique identifier for each occurrence in the database after temporal and spatial standardisation. 3\. **SOURCE_TYPE**: Published literature or unpublished sources with reference ID that corresponds to the full list of references in the supplementary information. 4\. **LOCATION_TYPE:** Whether the record represents a point or a polygon location. 5\. **POLYGON_ADMIN:** Admin level or polygon size which the record represents when the location type is a polygon. -999 when the location type is a point (5 km x 5 km). 6\. **X**: The longitudinal coordinate of the point or polygon centroid (WGS1984 Datum). 7\. **Y:** The latitudinal coordinate of the point or polygon centroid (WGS1984 Datum). 8\. **YEAR:** The year of the occurrence. 9\. **COUNTRY**: The name of the country within which the occurrence lies. 10\. **COUNTRY_ID:** ISO alpha-3 country codes. 11\. **GAUL_AD0:** The country-level global administrative unit layer (GAUL) code (see [http://www.fao.org/geonetwork](http://www.fao.org/geonetwork)) which identifies the Admin-0 polygon within which any smaller polygons and points lie. 12\. **STATUS:** Established vs. transient populations.

Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the main vectors transmitting dengue and chikungunya viruses. Despite being pathogens of global public health importance, knowledge of their vectors’ global distribution remains patchy and sparse. A global geographic database of known occurrences of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus between 1960 and 2014 was compiled. Herein we present the database, which comprises occurrence data linked to point or polygon locations, derived from peer-reviewed literature and unpublished studies including national entomological surveys and expert networks. We describe all data collection processes, as well as geo-positioning methods, database management and quality-control procedures. This is the first comprehensive global database of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence, consisting of 19,930 and 22,137 geo-positioned occurrence records respectively. Both datasets can be used for a variety of mapping and spatial analyses of the vectors and, by inference, the diseases they transmit.