GEOnet Names Server (names and locations)

GEOnet Names Server
Type	website
Status	No consensus
Deprecated	no
Blacklisted	no
Recency	2021
Domain geonames.nga.mil
	In source code; External links in articles; Spamcheck tool
RfC
Link	Rfc
Date	2021

This page is a test version of a potential new layout for the Perennial sources project. It is a demo and not part of the live listings. See Talk.

This source in a nutshell: There is

no consensus on the reliability of GEOnet Names Server. See § Summary.

GEOnet Names Server is a source that has been repeatedly discussed at the Reliable sources noticeboard. This page collects and links information about previous discussions and current consensus, and summarizes it here for convenience.

Summary

The GEOnet Names Server is a United States-based geographical database that covers non-U.S. countries. It is considered to be close to generally reliable for its place names and locations/coordinates, though there are concerns that GNS may not always be accurate and sometimes report the existence of places that do not even exist. Editors are advised to exercise caution when using it.

Excerpt

The GEOnet Names Server (GNS), sometimes also referred to in official documentation as Geographic Names Data or geonames in domain and email addresses, is a service that provides access to the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) and the US Board on Geographic Names's (BGN) database of geographic feature names and locations for locations outside the US. The database is the official repository for the US Federal Government on foreign place-name decisions approved by the BGN. Approximately 20,000 of the database's features are updated monthly. Names are not deleted from the database, "except in cases of obvious duplication". The database contains search aids such as spelling variations and non-Roman script spellings in addition to its primary information about location, administrative division, and quality. The accuracy of the database had been criticised.

Discussions

Links

Recency

2021

Rfcs

2021 Rfc

Notes

References

Original table row for comparison

(remove this when this source page is ready to go live)

Perennial sources
Source	Status (legend)	Discussions			Use
Source	Status (legend)	List	Last	Summary	Use
GEOnet Names Server (GNS) (names and locations)		2021	2021	The GEOnet Names Server is a United States-based geographical database that covers non-U.S. countries. It is considered to be close to generally reliable for its place names and locations/coordinates, though there are concerns that GNS may not always be accurate and sometimes report the existence of places that do not even exist. Editors are advised to exercise caution when using it.	1