diff --git a/lib/data/data_loader.py b/lib/data/data_loader.py
index b674ed0..ea58b69 100644
--- a/lib/data/data_loader.py
+++ b/lib/data/data_loader.py
@@ -118,7 +118,8 @@ def load_inat_dataset_from_parquet_h3(spatial_data_file, h3_resolution):
     return locs, class_ids, unique_taxa, h3_idx
 
 
-def load_inat_dataset_from_parquet(spatial_data_file):
+
+def load_inat_dataset_from_parquet(spatial_data_file, inner_nodes=False):
     print("inat style dataset")
     print(" reading parquet")
     spatial_data = pd.read_parquet(
@@ -131,7 +132,13 @@ def load_inat_dataset_from_parquet(spatial_data_file):
             "spatial_class_id",
         ],
     )
-    spatial_data = spatial_data.dropna(subset="leaf_class_id")
+
+    if not inner_nodes:
+        spatial_data = spatial_data.dropna(subset="leaf_class_id")
+
+    # we won't need this anymore
+    _ = spatial_data.pop("leaf_class_id")
+
     print(" cleaning dataset")
     spatial_data = clean_dataset(spatial_data)
     print(" shuffling")
diff --git a/train_tf_sinr.py b/train_tf_sinr.py
index 3df0874..513b284 100644
--- a/train_tf_sinr.py
+++ b/train_tf_sinr.py
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ def train_model(config_file):
             )
         elif config["dataset_type"] == "inat":
             (locs, class_ids, unique_taxa) = load_inat_dataset_from_parquet(
-                config["inat_dataset"]["spatial_data"]
+                config["inat_dataset"]["spatial_data"], config["inner_nodes"]
             )
 
     if config["inputs"]["covariates"] == "env":
diff --git a/utils/make_ancestor_map.py b/utils/make_ancestor_map.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d33d0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/make_ancestor_map.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+import click
+import pandas as pd
+from tqdm.auto import tqdm
+
+@click.command()
+@click.option("--taxonomy_file", type=str, required=True)
+@click.option("--output_file", type=str, required=True)
+def make_ancestor_map(taxonomy_file, output_file):
+    """
+    Generates a flat (taxon_id, ancestor_id) mapping from a taxonomy file,
+    including self-links, for use in DuckDB joins.
+    Reads and writes CSV files.
+    """
+    tax = pd.read_csv(taxonomy_file)
+
+    parent_map = tax.set_index("taxon_id")[
+        "parent_taxon_id"
+    ].dropna().astype(int).to_dict()
+
+    ancestor_map = {}
+    def get_ancestors(taxon_id):
+        if taxon_id in ancestor_map:
+            return ancestor_map[taxon_id]
+        ancestors = []
+
+        child_taxon_id = taxon_id
+        while child_taxon_id in parent_map:
+            child_taxon_id = parent_map[child_taxon_id]
+            ancestors.append(child_taxon_id)
+        ancestor_map[taxon_id] = ancestors
+        return ancestors
+    
+    all_taxa = tax["taxon_id"].dropna().astype(int).unique()
+    for taxon_id in tqdm(all_taxa):
+        _ = get_ancestors(taxon_id)
+  
+    rows = [] 
+    for taxon_id, ancestors in ancestor_map.items():
+        for ancestor_id in ancestors:
+             rows.append({
+                "taxon_id": taxon_id,
+                "ancestor_id": ancestor_id,
+            })
+    df = pd.DataFrame(rows)
+
+    # include self
+    self_rows = [
+        { "taxon_id": taxon_id, "ancestor_id": taxon_id }
+        for taxon_id in ancestor_map.keys()
+    ]
+    df = pd.concat([
+        df, pd.DataFrame(self_rows)
+    ], ignore_index=True)
+    
+    df.to_csv(output_file, index=False)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    make_ancestor_map()
diff --git a/utils/make_inner_node_training_data.sql b/utils/make_inner_node_training_data.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5aaa988
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/make_inner_node_training_data.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+SET taxonomy_file = '$taxonomy_file';
+SET ancestor_map_file = '$ancestor_map_file';
+SET spatial_data_file = '$spatial_data_file';
+SET output_file = '$output_file';
+SET sample_cap = $sample_cap;
+
+CREATE TABLE taxonomy as SELECT * from read_csv_auto(taxonomy_file);
+CREATE TABLE ancestor_map AS SELECT * from read_csv_auto(ancestor_map_file);
+CREATE TABLE spatial_data as SELECT latitude, longitude, taxon_id from read_parquet(spatial_data_file);
+
+CREATE TABLE expanded AS 
+SELECT
+    s.latitude,
+    s.longitude,
+    a.ancestor_id AS taxon_id
+FROM spatial_data s
+JOIN ancestor_map a
+ON s.taxon_id = a.taxon_id;
+
+CREATE TABLE sampled AS
+SELECT latitude, longitude, taxon_id
+FROM (
+    SELECT *,
+        ROW_NUMBER() OVER (
+            PARTITION BY taxon_id
+            ORDER BY RANDOM()
+        ) AS row_num
+    FROM expanded
+)
+WHERE row_num <= sample_cap;
+
+COPY sampled to output_file (FORMAT_PARQUET);