diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f2fa9aa8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[submodule "test/data"]
+	path = test/data
+	url = git@github.com:mapnik/test-data
diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index 6bcca64f8..974a2809c 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ NOTE: the above will not work on windows, rather see https://github.com/mapnik/m
 
 Then to run the tests locally (without needing to install):
 
+    git submodule update --init
     make test
 
 Install like:
diff --git a/test/data b/test/data
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..9f7c39f85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 9f7c39f85fceb4aa20c07a66f9848d10bf1451db
diff --git a/test/unit/geometry/geometry.cpp b/test/unit/geometry/geometry.cpp
index af004d5d6..b3e01cc2f 100644
--- a/test/unit/geometry/geometry.cpp
+++ b/test/unit/geometry/geometry.cpp
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 TEST_CASE("geometry") {
 
 SECTION("json point") {
-    mapnik::util::file input("./test-data/json/point1.json");
+    mapnik::util::file input("./test/data/json/point1.json");
     REQUIRE( input.open() );
     auto json = input.data();
     mapnik::geometry::geometry<double> geom;
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ SECTION("json point") {
 }
 
 SECTION("json point reversed") {
-    mapnik::util::file input("./test-data/json/point2.json");
+    mapnik::util::file input("./test/data/json/point2.json");
     REQUIRE( input.open() );
     auto json = input.data();
     mapnik::geometry::geometry<double> geom;
diff --git a/test/unit/imaging/image_io_test.cpp b/test/unit/imaging/image_io_test.cpp
index b263cdacd..299801008 100644
--- a/test/unit/imaging/image_io_test.cpp
+++ b/test/unit/imaging/image_io_test.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ SECTION("readers") {
     try
     {
 #if defined(HAVE_JPEG)
-        should_throw = "./test-data/images/blank.jpg";
+        should_throw = "./test/data/images/blank.jpg";
         REQUIRE( mapnik::util::exists( should_throw ) );
         type = mapnik::type_from_filename(should_throw);
         REQUIRE( type );
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ SECTION("readers") {
 #endif
 
 #if defined(HAVE_PNG)
-        should_throw = "./test-data/images/blank.png";
+        should_throw = "./test/data/images/blank.png";
         REQUIRE( mapnik::util::exists( should_throw ) );
         type = mapnik::type_from_filename(should_throw);
         REQUIRE( type );
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ SECTION("readers") {
             REQUIRE( true );
         }
 
-        should_throw = "./test-data/images/xcode-CgBI.png";
+        should_throw = "./test/data/images/xcode-CgBI.png";
         REQUIRE( mapnik::util::exists( should_throw ) );
         type = mapnik::type_from_filename(should_throw);
         REQUIRE( type );
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ SECTION("readers") {
 #endif
 
 #if defined(HAVE_TIFF)
-        should_throw = "./test-data/images/blank.tiff";
+        should_throw = "./test/data/images/blank.tiff";
         REQUIRE( mapnik::util::exists( should_throw ) );
         type = mapnik::type_from_filename(should_throw);
         REQUIRE( type );
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ SECTION("readers") {
 #endif
 
 #if defined(HAVE_WEBP)
-        should_throw = "./test-data/images/blank.webp";
+        should_throw = "./test/data/images/blank.webp";
         REQUIRE( mapnik::util::exists( should_throw ) );
         type = mapnik::type_from_filename(should_throw);
         REQUIRE( type );
diff --git a/test/unit/imaging/tiff_io.cpp b/test/unit/imaging/tiff_io.cpp
index 8fc603b46..badf8302e 100644
--- a/test/unit/imaging/tiff_io.cpp
+++ b/test/unit/imaging/tiff_io.cpp
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 TEST_CASE("tiff io") {
 
 SECTION("scan rgb8 striped") {
-    std::string filename("./test-data/tiff/scan_512x512_rgb8_striped.tif");
+    std::string filename("./test/data/tiff/scan_512x512_rgb8_striped.tif");
     mapnik::tiff_reader<boost::iostreams::file_source> tiff_reader(filename);
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.width() == 512 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.height() == 512 );
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ SECTION("scan rgb8 striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("scan rgb8 tiled") {
-    std::string filename("./test-data/tiff/scan_512x512_rgb8_tiled.tif");
+    std::string filename("./test/data/tiff/scan_512x512_rgb8_tiled.tif");
     mapnik::tiff_reader<boost::iostreams::file_source> tiff_reader(filename);
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.width() == 512 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.height() == 512 );
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ SECTION("scan rgb8 tiled") {
 }
 
 SECTION("rgba8 striped") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgba8_striped.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgba8_striped.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 1 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == false );
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ SECTION("rgba8 striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("rgba8 tiled") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgba8_tiled.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgba8_tiled.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 0 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == true );
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ SECTION("rgba8 tiled") {
 }
 
 SECTION("rgb8 striped") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgb8_striped.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgb8_striped.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 10 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == false );
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ SECTION("rgb8 striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("rgb8 tiled") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgb8_tiled.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_rgb8_tiled.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 0 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == true );
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ SECTION("rgb8 tiled") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray8 striped") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray8_striped.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray8_striped.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 32 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == false );
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ SECTION("gray8 striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray8 tiled") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray8_tiled.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray8_tiled.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 0 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == true );
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ SECTION("gray8 tiled") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray16 striped") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray16_striped.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray16_striped.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 16 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 16 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == false );
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ SECTION("gray16 striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray16 tiled") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray16_tiled.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray16_tiled.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 0 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 16 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == true );
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ SECTION("gray16 tiled") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray32f striped") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray32f_striped.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray32f_striped.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 8 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 32 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == false );
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ SECTION("gray32f striped") {
 }
 
 SECTION("gray32f tiled") {
-    TIFF_ASSERT("./test-data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray32f_tiled.tif")
+    TIFF_ASSERT("./test/data/tiff/ndvi_256x256_gray32f_tiled.tif")
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.rows_per_strip() == 0 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.bits_per_sample() == 32 );
     REQUIRE( tiff_reader.is_tiled() == true );