# iPums Guinea - How can I identify sub-prefecture?
**URL:** https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685
**Category:** INTERNATIONAL
**Created:** [October 21, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685 "2014-10-21T21:21:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MaxMueller](https://forum.ipums.org/u/MaxMueller)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685/1 "2014-10-21T21:21:00Z")
I’ve started working with the ipums datasets from surveys in Guinea in 1983 and 1996 which have recorded not only prefectures, but also sub-prefectures, villages and/ or group quarters. However, I cannot identify these levels below the prefectures level. Does anyone happen to know how to extract information about these lower geographic units? Or has this information deliberately been excluded?
I would be very thankful if someone could shet light on this issue!
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### Author:  [@Tim\_Moreland](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Tim_Moreland)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685/2 "2014-10-22T20:09:00Z")
While the Guinea census in [1983](https://international.ipums.org/international-action/source_documents/enum_form_gn1983a_tag.xml) and [1996](https://international.ipums.org/international-action/source_documents/enum_form_gn1996a_tag.xml) did record geographies at lower levels than prefecture, in IPUMS-I the [smallest geography](https://international.ipums.org/international/samples.shtml#gn) available in Guinea is the prefecture. Unfortunately, since the IPUMS-I data is public-use, extra precautions need to be taken to assure confidentiality of respondents. This means that geographic information has to be quite limited. Most of the regions in Guinea have [fewer than 20,000 respondents](https://international.ipums.org/international-action/variables/GEO1A_GN#codes_section) and the prefectures generally have only [a few thousand respondents or less](https://international.ipums.org/international-action/variables/GEO2B_GN#codes_section) (click “Case-count view” button on linked pages). To identify smaller regions would threaten confidentiality.
Hope this helps.
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### Author:  [@MaxMueller](https://forum.ipums.org/u/MaxMueller)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685/3 "2014-10-23T00:31:00Z")
Thank you very much for your answer. I already feared something like this. Is it nevertheless possible to obtain the information on smaller geographic levels through confidentiality agreements?
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### Author:  [@grover](https://forum.ipums.org/u/grover)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/ipums-guinea-how-can-i-identify-sub-prefecture/685/4 "2014-10-23T16:01:00Z")
I am afraid IPUMS-International is not able to grant access to restricted data. You can try contacting Guinea’s [Institute National de la Statistique](http://www.stat-guinee.org/) to see if they grant access to the restricted data.
I am sorry I could not provide the data you are looking for.