Effective Date: July 2026
These Terms of Use govern access to and use of the African Urban Observatory website, platform, analytical systems, reports, dashboards, assessments, data products, and related services.
Please read these Terms carefully before using the platform.
The African Urban Observatory (“AUO,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an urban intelligence, research, and analytical platform focused on African cities.
AUO develops and provides tools for understanding urban performance, institutional capacity, resilience, infrastructure, governance, investment readiness, social conditions, environmental systems, and related dimensions of urban development.
The African Urban Index (“AUI”) is AUO’s principal city diagnostic and analytical system. It evaluates cities through an integrated framework designed to examine urban systems and the relationships among them.
The African Urban Observatory is powered by Veridian Urban Systems, a data analytics platform of Veridian Intelligence Group.
For purposes of these Terms, the African Urban Observatory website, African Urban Index, dashboards, client portals, analytical tools, reports, publications, data services, APIs, and related products are collectively referred to as the “Service.”
By accessing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms of Use.
You also agree to the African Urban Observatory:
If you do not agree to these Terms, you should not use the Service.
If you use AUO on behalf of a government, municipality, business, university, international organization, foundation, development institution, civil-society organization, or other entity, you represent that you have authority to act on behalf of that entity.
AUO provides research, analytical tools, diagnostic systems, and decision-support products concerning African cities.
The Service may include:
AUO may develop additional products or modify existing products as its methodologies, technologies, and research capabilities evolve.
AUO provides analytical information intended to support research, planning, policy development, institutional analysis, investment analysis, and informed decision-making.
AUO outputs do not constitute:
AUO scores, assessments, predictions, classifications, and recommendations should be considered alongside relevant primary evidence, professional judgment, and local knowledge.
Users remain responsible for decisions taken on the basis of AUO information.
Public portions of the AUO website may be used by general visitors.
Restricted areas may be available only to authorized users, participating cities, governments, researchers, institutions, subscribers, clients, or partners.
Where registration is required, users must provide accurate and current information.
Users must be legally capable of agreeing to these Terms.
Unless otherwise authorized, restricted AUO accounts are intended for persons aged 18 or older.
Users may not use VUS content to train models, develop derivative tools, or support independent consulting unless expressly authorized.
Violations may result in civil action, injunctive relief, and damages.
Where an account is provided, you are responsible for:
You may not transfer, sell, rent, sublicense, or share an account with an unauthorized person.
AUO may require password changes, multifactor authentication, or other security controls.
AUO may suspend an account where it reasonably believes that credentials have been compromised or the account presents a security risk.
Certain services may be provided through institutional or client accounts.
An organization may designate administrators and authorized users.
Institutional administrators may have authority to:
The institution is responsible for ensuring that its authorized users comply with these Terms.
Cities, governments, institutions, researchers, consultants, and authorized users may submit information or evidence for an AUO assessment.
Submitted material may include:
By submitting material, you represent that you have the right and lawful authority to provide it.
Submission does not guarantee that AUO will accept the material as sufficient evidence.
AUO may verify, cross-reference, question, reject, qualify, or request additional evidence.
Users must not knowingly submit false, fabricated, materially misleading, or intentionally manipulated information.
Where AUO discovers that evidence used in an assessment was materially inaccurate, incomplete, manipulated, or misrepresented, AUO may:
The AUI converts evidence concerning urban systems into structured analytical results.
Scores may include:
AUO scores represent an analytical assessment based on the evidence, methodology, assumptions, and information available at the relevant assessment date.
A score is not a statement that every part of a city performs identically.
It should not be interpreted outside its methodological and evidentiary context.
Urban conditions change, data improves, and analytical methods develop.
AUO may therefore modify:
Where changes materially affect comparability across assessment periods, AUO may identify or explain the methodological change.
AUO and Veridian Urban Systems may use artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistical techniques, geospatial analysis, rules-based systems, computational models, and other automated technologies.
These systems may assist with:
Automated output may contain errors.
Where appropriate, AUO may combine automated processing with analyst review, evaluator input, source verification, or other quality-control procedures.
Unless expressly disclosed otherwise, AUO does not intend its automated systems to make legally binding decisions concerning individuals.
Predictions, scenarios, risk assessments, forecasts, and forward-looking analytical statements concern uncertain future conditions.
They are not guarantees.
Actual events may differ substantially because of:
Unless otherwise stated, all proprietary material contained in or made available through the Service belongs to AUO, Veridian Urban Systems, Veridian Intelligence Group, or their respective licensors.
This may include:
All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
Unless a separate license provides otherwise, users may:
Proper attribution must be provided when AUO material is quoted or reproduced.
Without prior written authorization, users may not:
Unless expressly authorized in writing, proprietary or restricted AUO content may not be systematically harvested or used to train, fine-tune, benchmark, or develop third-party commercial artificial-intelligence models.
This restriction does not prevent legitimate quotation, academic research, or ordinary human use of publicly released material consistent with these Terms.
AUO supports responsible academic and policy research.
Public AUO material may be cited using appropriate scholarly attribution.
Researchers wishing to access restricted datasets, methodological documentation, or large-scale data extracts may be required to enter into a research, data-use, confidentiality, or licensing agreement.
AUO may draw upon information from third parties, including:
AUO does not control all third-party information.
The inclusion of third-party information does not constitute endorsement of its publisher.
The Service may contain links to external websites.
AUO does not control those websites and is not responsible for their:
Accessing external websites is at the user’s discretion.
You must not use the Service to:
misrepresent AUO findings.
Users must not attempt to:
Security vulnerabilities may be reported to:
info@africanurbanobservatory.net
Certain AUO material may be designated confidential, restricted, client-only, partner-only, pre-publication, or otherwise non-public.
Such information may include:
Users granted access to such information must preserve its confidentiality.
Certain AUO services may require payment, subscription, licensing, institutional membership, or contractual engagement.
Terms relating to:
may be contained in a separate agreement.
Where a signed agreement conflicts with these Terms, the signed agreement governs the specific engagement.
AUO may suspend, restrict, or terminate access where reasonably necessary because of:
material interference with the Service.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, AUO provides the Service on an “as available” and “as provided” basis.
AUO does not warrant that:
Nothing in this provision limits obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the African Urban Observatory, Veridian Urban Systems, Veridian Intelligence Group, and their respective officers, employees, contractors, affiliates, advisers, and service providers shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary losses arising from or connected with use of the Service.
This includes losses arising from reliance upon:
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that applicable law does not permit to be excluded.
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless AUO, Veridian Urban Systems, and Veridian Intelligence Group against claims, liabilities, losses, or reasonable expenses arising from:
Personal information is handled in accordance with the African Urban Observatory Privacy Policy.
AUO may update these Terms to reflect:
The Effective Date will be revised when updates are made.
Material changes may be communicated to registered users where appropriate.
If any part of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
Where a user, government, city, institution, subscriber, or client has entered into a separate written agreement with AUO, Veridian Urban Systems, or Veridian Intelligence Group, that agreement governs matters specifically addressed by it.
Questions about these Terms should be sent to:
African Urban Observatory
Email: info@africanurbanobservatory.net