Introduction to ArcGIS Places

Esri creates ArcGIS Places datasets that provide information about places for more than 170 countries and regions around the world, sourced from data supplied by reliable business and location data sources.

A place is a geographic location represented by a single latitude-longitude point. A place may be a business, a government building such as a post office, a landmark such as the Eiffel Tower, or a natural feature such as a lake or trailhead. Places may also be known as points of interest or POIs.

ArcGIS Places datasets can be used as a stand-alone foundation for map visualization and location analysis or can be used in the context of other data types, such as Esri Demographics and imagery data.

Learn more about how Esri creates ArcGIS Places datasets

Knowing about the places that exist in an area of interest can inform your geographic analysis and decision-making, helping you answer questions such as the following:

• How far is a competitor's store from my business?

• What are some of the local attractions near this location?

• Where are the most popular Italian restaurants near my current location?

• Is this place located in a flood zone or near other natural hazards?

Data sources, vintages, and update frequency

The data sources that Esri uses to create ArcGIS Places datasets update the source data at various intervals. The vintages and update frequencies are as follows:

Data source	Country	Vintage	Update frequency
Data Axle	Canada and the United States	August 2026	Annual (local data only)
			Three times per year
DENUE	Mexico	2021	Periodically
Esri India	India	July 2026	Annual
Foursquare	Approximately 170 countries	September 2025	Three times per year
NOSTRA	Thailand	2025	Periodically
SafeGraph	Canada	July 2026	Three times per year
	Puerto Rico
	United States

The number and type of attributes and the level of detail available in a dataset vary by data source. The overall regional coverage provided by ArcGIS Places datasets is nearly global.

Note:

To learn about the most recent changes and updates to ArcGIS Places data, see What's new in ArcGIS Places. To learn about the methodology Esri uses to create these datasets, see ArcGIS Places data methodology.

Access methods

You must access ArcGIS Places datasets using licensed Esri products through one of the following:

• An ArcGIS Location Platform account

• An ArcGIS Online account

• A locally installed dataset bundle

  Note:

  Local data installations require the purchase of annual updates.

Product licenses, ArcGIS accounts, and dataset bundles each have associated costs. See the product documentation in the tables below for licensing and product usage details. Refer to the ArcGIS Online Credits by capability topic or the ArcGIS Location Platform Pricing topic to learn more about the costs associated with accessing ArcGIS Places data when performing tasks such as exporting ArcGIS Places with a business search, finding nearby locations, creating and downloading reports, and creating or exporting infographics.

Esri products

ArcGIS Places datasets are available in the Esri products described below.

ArcGIS Pro with an ArcGIS Business Analyst license

You can access ArcGIS Places data in ArcGIS Pro with a Business Analyst license using an ArcGIS Online account or locally installed dataset bundles.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Online account	All data sources	Search points of interest Infographics—Infographic templates describing nearby POIs
Locally installed dataset bundle	Data Axle annual dataset for the United States or Esri India for India only

ArcGIS Pro

You can access ArcGIS Places data in ArcGIS Pro using an ArcGIS Online account only. Locally installed dataset bundles are not available.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Online account	All data sources	Infographics—Infographic templates describing nearby POIs
Locally installed dataset bundle	Not available

ArcGIS Business Analyst Enterprise

You can access ArcGIS Places data in ArcGIS Business Analyst Enterprise using locally installed dataset bundles only.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Online account	Not available	Install and manage data packs Search points of interest
Locally installed dataset bundle	Data Axle annual dataset for the United States or Esri India for India only

ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App

You can access ArcGIS Places data in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App using an ArcGIS Online account only. Locally installed dataset bundles are not available.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Online account	All data sources	Map points of interest Void analysis Infographics—Infographic templates describing nearby POIs
Locally installed dataset bundle	Not available

ArcGIS Business Analyst Mobile App

You can access ArcGIS Places data in ArcGIS Business Analyst Mobile App using an ArcGIS Online account only. Locally installed dataset bundles are not available.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Online account	All data sources	Run Reports workflow—Infographic templates describing nearby POI
Locally installed dataset bundle	Not available

ArcGIS Experience Builder

ArcGIS Places data availability in ArcGIS Experience Builder is based on your configuration and license, which may include using an ArcGIS Location Platform account, an ArcGIS Online account, or locally installed dataset bundles.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Location Platform account	All data sources (based on your configuration and license)	Business Analyst widget—Infographic templates describing nearby POIs
ArcGIS Online account	All data sources (based on your configuration and license)
Locally installed dataset bundle (if licensed)	Data Axle annual dataset for the United States or Esri India for India only

ArcGIS Places service

You can access the ArcGIS Places global location data sourced from Foursquare in the ArcGIS Places service using an ArcGIS Location Platform account.

Access method	Data source	Documentation
ArcGIS Location Platform account	All data sources	ArcGIS Places service
Locally installed dataset bundle	Not available

Attribute comparison

The table below compares the attributes available from all ArcGIS Places data sources. Not all attributes include the same level of detail for the same number of data points.

Attribute	Description	Data Axle	DENUE	Esri India	Foursquare	NOSTRA	SafeGraph
Place, company, or business name	The name by which a place or business is known.
Brand	Brands the business sells or is affiliated with.
Category	Industry-related classifications, such as NAICS.
NAICS code	The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code (2022).
NAICS sector	The first two digits of the NAICS code, indicating the general economic activity category of the business (calculated by Esri).
SIC code	The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code.
Address	The geographic location of a place or business. Some data sources include more details.
Landmark	Known landmarks near the place or business.
Coordinates	Geographic coordinates in WGS84 decimal degree format.
Block ID	The geostatistical data, such as the AGEB ID, Block ID, or geoid value.
Chain, organization, or franchise	Any standardized chain (franchised business), organization, or direct headquarters affiliated with the place or business.
Location parent	The primary business at a place with multiple businesses.
Location confidence	The spatial accuracy of the location, such as parcel centroid versus postal code centroid.
Hours	The hours of operation or weekly schedule information.
Contact	Publicly available contact information.
Professional specialty	Any specialties within a line of business.
Square footage	The estimated square footage.
Employee count	The estimated number of employees.
Sales volume / assets	The estimated sales or assets.
Permanency	Specifies whether the place is fixed or mobile, such as a street vendor.