What is Places Data? Examples, Datasets and Providers
- Overview
- Datasets
- Providers
- Use Cases
- Attributes
- Guide
- FAQ
- Overview
- Datasets
- Providers
- Use Cases
- Attributes
- Guide
- FAQ
What is Places Data?
Places data refers to a collection of information about various physical locations, such as businesses, landmarks, or addresses. This data is often used by mapping services, navigation systems, and location-based applications to provide accurate and up-to-date information about specific places to users.
What Are Examples of Places Data?
Examples of places data include datasets offering insights into physical locations and their attributes. Key examples include:
- Location Details: Names, addresses, and geographic coordinates of places.
- Point of Interest (POI) Data: Information about landmarks, businesses, and public facilities.
- Business Categories: Classification of places by type, such as restaurants, parks, or retail stores.
- Operational Attributes: Details such as hours of operation, amenities, and contact information.
- Foot Traffic Data: Visitor activity patterns for specific locations.
Best Places Databases & Datasets
The best places datasets provide accurate location details, POI data, and operational attributes for navigation, marketing, and analysis. This curated list features the top places datasets, selected for precision, quality, and trusted providers.
Places Data | 164+ Million Places Worldwide Global Places Data
Geospatial Data: Places Data | Global | Location Data on 56M+ Places
Bank Data | Top 5 Largest Banks & ATMs in US | Location Data | Places Data
Crime Risk Places Data | USA and Canada| Make More Informed Business Decisions | Location Data | Insurance Data
PREDIK Data-Driven: Geospatial Data | USA | Tailor-made datasets: Foot traffic & Places Data
POI Data | 230M+ Business Locations, Geographic & Places Insights
Indonesia Point of Interest (POI) Data | 23M+ Businesses & Places
Geospatial Data | Places Data | Polygon Data | GIS Data | Store Location Data | Global Coverage
European Petrol & Diesel Price Data | 90%+ Coverage | Real-time API | Integrated with Energy, Places Data, Automotive data, and Brand Data.
Global Grocery Location Data | Global Retail Location Data Location | Global Point of Interest (POI) Data | Global Places Data on 1M+ stores
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Top Places Data Providers & Companies
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dataplor
CoverageUSAUK+247VMy firm decided to make the switch over to dataplor from a manual data collection effort once we saw measurable lift in accuracy, coverage, and cost-savings. Their resolution was far beyond what we could achieve on our own, and we no longer had to juggle the labor-intensive process of duplicates, new places, and pulling in updates. We now have a reliable stream of data in difficult markets that is high-fidelity and always current. And because they are global, adding new datasets is a breeze.
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Xtract
CoverageUSAUK+248VIt has been a great experience working with Xtract.io. Their data quality was top-notch, helping us strategize new locations for business expansion. Thank you, team, for giving us the right datasets that we require to expand our store outlets.
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CAP Locations
CoverageUSAUK+1CAP (Competitive Analytics Professionals) is the leading provider of Location Data in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.46K+Shopping Centers7.81B+Total Retail GLA Tracked98%Centers Geofenced -
SafeGraph
CoverageUSAUK+248VWe are using safegraph data to research on the foot traffic of airports in the U.S. We find it very helpful with lots of documentation. The customer support is awesome. You can post in the slack channel and got a response very quickly
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GapMaps
CoverageUSACanada+153VWe use GapMaps’ data offering extensively to identify and approve locations for Anytime Fitness sites across Southeast Asia. This data helps Inspire Brands Asia make informed decisions, ensuring that each new gym location meets our strategic criteria and has the potential for success. The insights from GapMaps enable us to understand market demographics, competition, and accessibility, which are crucial for our expansion plans.
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Xverum
CoverageUSAUK+248VXverum provides our company employees, companies, and jobs datasets + API refresh service. We’re getting the most accurate raw data with the best refresh rate within the industry. Xverum team escort is professional technical & customer-facing.
Popular Use Cases for Places Data
Places data is essential for applications in marketing, mapping, and location-based services. A common use case is geofencing, where businesses set virtual boundaries around locations to trigger notifications or marketing actions when users enter or exit those areas. Another key application is point of interest (POI) mapping, integrating places data into maps for enhanced navigation and analysis, helping users discover and engage with nearby locations.
Main Attributes of Places Data
Below, we outline the most popular attributes associated with this type of data—features that data buyers are actively seeking to meet their needs.
| Attribute | Type | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Float | The latitude of a point on earth's surface. Commonly abbreviated as "lat". | View 98 datasets | |
| String | The address of a company or contact (street name, number, zip code, city, county, country). | View 92 datasets | |
| Float | The longitude of a point on earth's surface. Commonly abbreviated as "long". | View 89 datasets | |
| String | The name of a city. | View 79 datasets | |
| String | The name of a brand. | View 69 datasets | |
| String | The country code in Alpha-2 format (ISO 3166) | View 67 datasets |
Places Data Use Cases in Detail
Gathering insights on consumer mobility is a priority for businesses of all industries. That’s why so many are investing in places data from an external data provider. Location intelligence has all kinds of applications, from location-based marketing to retail store site selection. Here’s some examples of how places data is being put to use today:
Consumer Mobility Analysis
Consumer mobility simply means Monitoring foot traffic has become increasingly important in a post-pandemic society. Many consumers have changed their mobility patterns, and businesses are being forced to react to this change in consumer behavior. Places data enables businesses to understand which locations and areas are still being visited often, and which are not. For example, a places dataset might reveal that a pre-pandemic POI like a cinema now attracts very low levels of footfall. Users are also able to map these consumer mobility insights onto wider market trends. To continue with our example, they could ask: has footfall in cinemas decreased across all locations, or is this behavior place-specific? Based on these geospatial and mobility insights, businesses can make decisions which cater to real-world consumer behavior.
POI Mapping
POI mapping is pretty self-explanatory. It’s when the user maps various places of interest to understand their proximity to each other and how individuals move between them. Places data is used for POI mapping when users enrich their proprietary location POI data with places data from an external vendor. This way, users can ensure there are no blindspots in their map so they aren’t basing decisions on incomplete data.
Geo-targeting
Geo-targeting is when businesses shape a strategy around a specific location, usually a relevant POI. A places dataset enables users to identify new locations to target. For example, a newly-built university campus. A marketer might identify this campus as a good site to set up a new billboard or run an on-street marketing campaign. Also, if they’re working with a places API, they’re able to get real time updates on foot traffic attribution. They might see that their target consumer segment is not visiting the geo-targeted place so frequently during a given period. For example, students are not likely to be on campus during vacation periods. Based on this data, the marketer could then geo-target a different location.
What Are the Attributes of Places Data?
Like all kinds of location data, places data is expressed in geographical terms such as lat/long coordinates. These relate to a real-world location or area. Other attributes in a places dataset include the kind of built-up structures in that POI. For example, the dataset will tell the user about the place itself. If it’s a building, what is the building used for? If the building is a grocery store, what is the brand? What’s the building footprint of the store? All of these data points enable POI data enrichment so that users can build an in-depth understanding of the place in question.
| Attribute | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | Latitude and longitude of the place. | E.g., 40.785091, -73.968285. |
| Type of Structure | Built-up structure type at the POI. | E.g., Building, Park, Mall. |
| Building Usage | Purpose or function of the building. | E.g., Grocery Store, Office Space. |
| Brand or Business | The specific brand or business operating at the POI. | E.g., Walmart, Starbucks. |
| Building Footprint | The physical area occupied by the structure. | E.g., 10,000 sq ft. |
| POI Enrichment Data | Additional data that enhances understanding of the POI. | E.g., Nearby parking, accessibility. |
| Geographic Context | Surrounding area details like zoning or neighboring POIs. | E.g., Located in a commercial district. |
What Are the Sources of Places Data?
Places data is sourced in the same way as location data and POI data. Generally speaking, all geospatial data uses GIS software to collect mobile location signals as they’re received by GPS and satellite. Places data differs in that it’s usually been standardized by the data provider so that the raw GIS data is ready-to-use. For example, a places data provider can translate lat/long coordinates into POI maps so that when you buy a places dataset, you can put the data to business use straight away.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Accurate is Places Data?
The accuracy of places data varies depending on the provider and the methods they use for data collection and validation. Some datasets have accuracy rates of up to 95%. Many providers use a mix of automated algorithms and manual validation to maintain high-quality data. If precision is critical to your work, such as for logistics or urban planning, we recommend choosing a provider with strong accuracy assurances, like 95% or higher.
How Frequently is Places Data Updated?
Some providers update data weekly or monthly, while others may offer real-time or on-demand updates. For example, if you’re in the retail sector, frequent updates will help you stay on top of store openings and closures. If you’re using places data for long-term planning, monthly or quarterly updates might suffice. Our suggestion: Opt for datasets that align with your need for either real-time insights or historical trend analysis.
How is Places Data Delivered?
Places data can be delivered through several channels, including S3 buckets, SFTP, or email, and it typically comes in formats like .csv, .json, .xml, or .xls. This flexibility makes it easy to integrate into most platforms, whether you’re using GIS tools or a custom-built system. If you’re dealing with high data volumes or need real-time updates, we recommend using API delivery methods to streamline the integration process.
How Much Does Places Data Cost?
The pricing for places data depends on various factors such as geographic coverage, data attributes, and update frequency. Pricing models can include one-time purchases, monthly subscriptions, or usage-based options like pay-per-API call. Some providers offer free data samples on our platform so you can evaluate the data before making a purchase. If you’re working on a large-scale project or need custom data, we suggest negotiating a custom pricing model to fit your budget.
What Geographic Areas Do Places Data Cover?
Places data typically offers extensive geographic coverage, ranging from specific regions to global datasets. Most providers cover major areas such as North America, Europe, and Asia, and can even extend to over 200 countries. If your project is location-specific, we recommend verifying that the dataset provides coverage for your target regions.
Can Places Data Be Integrated With Other Geospatial Data?
Absolutely! Places data can be combined with other types of geospatial data like demographic or mobility data. Our suggestion: If you’re looking for deeper insights, try integrating places data with satellite imagery or traffic data to enhance your spatial analysis.
Can I Request Custom Places Data?
Yes, many providers allow you to request custom places data based on your specific needs. Whether you need additional attributes or a specific geographic focus, custom places data can help meet your unique requirements. We recommend discussing your project’s goals with your provider to explore more solutions that align with your business needs.
