This paper introduces geoBoundaries, a global database of political administrative boundaries available under open licenses. It offers precise boundary data for scientific use and replication, with a focus on within-country topological validity and standardized formatting for integration with computational workflows.

Three authors (R.O., L.S., and L.H.) are employed by Intel Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Deloitte, respectively. Although the paper states these companies provided support only in the form of salaries and had no role in the research, their employment could represent a potential conflict of interest depending on how the database is used or applied in the future.

This paper presents a valuable new resource: an open-access, precise, and standardized global database of political administrative boundaries. The rigorous methodology, including manual verification and automated quality checks, strengthens the reliability of the data. The focus on precision over visualization makes it suitable for scientific research and replication. However, the limitations regarding license compatibility and cross-country topology slightly lower the rating. The potential conflicts of interest related to authors' employment are noted, but do not significantly detract from the value of the database itself.