Definition of a Place

To determine the eligible entries for our Places data, we have to first start with our definition of a “place”. What are we intending to cover? The dictionary definition of a “place” is ambiguous at best, and we want to be clear about what is expected in our data versus what is currently out of scope. In short, our definition of a “place” is any point on the globe worth maintaining accurate, digital information about. Our customers have helped us expand our definition over the years, and it currently includes the following types of Places:

Places of business: Where one can spend money
- Includes consumer places such as retailers, malls restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.
- Includes “institutions” such as schools/universities, hospitals, academies, government buildings, etc.
- Includes “professionals” operating as a business such as doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, etc.
- Includes “services” businesses that offer a service in a geographic region such as plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, etc.
Places of leisure or tourism
- Includes parks, theme parks, national parks, stadiums, arenas, casinos, hotels, museums, national monuments, resorts, etc.
Places of work
- Includes office buildings, warehouses, manufacturing plants, etc.
Places of travel
- Includes transit stops such as bus, rail, subway
Small scale Places
- Includes kiosks, ATMs, vending machines, etc.
Community living Places
- Includes apartments, condos, or townhomes for rent only

The above examples illustrate the types of places expected in our data (There are lots! Check out our Places Summary Statistics breakdown by category for deeper details). However, it might be more useful to denote the types of places that we do not currently consider in our scope:

Single family residential homes that do not operate a business
Geographic features such as rivers, forests, lakes, etc.
Administrative regions (e.g. county boundaries, MSA, country polygons)
Transit routes (e.g. roads, highways, ferry routes, flight routes, etc.)

Is there a type of place we’re missing you’d like to see captured? Please reach out and let us know! 💬