{{WP:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Header}}
{{WP:RSPIntro|Geographic Names Information System}}
This source has separate reliability assessments by time period or topic; each is presented in its own section below.
__TOC__
== names and locations ==
{{Infobox source reliability
| type = website
| title = [[Geographic Names Information System]] (names and locations)
| shortcut =
| status = gr
| last = 2022
| domain1 = geonames.usgs.gov
| rfc = [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 357#RfC: GNIS|Rfc]]
| rfcdate = 2021
}}
=== Summary ===
The Geographic Names Information System is a United States-based geographical database. It is generally reliable for its place names and locations/coordinates. Editors should take care that GNIS uses a [[WP:Reliability of GNIS data#Reliability of locations|different convention]] for its coordinates, using a particular feature of a location rather than the geometric center that most WikiProjects use.
=== Discussions ===
{{WP:RSPLinks}}
==== RSN ====
* [[WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 368#GNIS not as appropriate for locations as one might think]]
=== Recency ===
{{WP:RSPLAST/sandbox|2022|table=no}}
=== Rfcs ===
# 2021 [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 357#RfC: GNIS|Rfc]]
== feature classes ==
{{Infobox source reliability
| type = website
| title = [[Geographic Names Information System]] (feature classes)
| shortcut =
| status = gu
| last = 2021
| domain1 = geonames.usgs.gov
| rfc = [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 357#RfC: GNIS|Rfc]]
| rfcdate = 2021
}}
=== Summary ===
The Geographic Names Information System is a United States-based geographical database. It is generally unreliable for its feature classes and it should not be used to determine the [[WP:NGEO|notability of geographic features]] as it does not meet the [[WP:GEOLAND|legal recognition requirement]].
=== Discussions ===
{{WP:RSPLinks}}
=== Recency ===
{{WP:RSPLAST/sandbox|2021|table=no}}
=== Rfcs ===
# 2021 [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 357#RfC: GNIS|Rfc]]
== Excerpt ==
{{hatnote|Excerpt from the lead of [[Geographic Names Information System]]:}}
{{excerpt|Geographic Names Information System|paragraphs=1|only=paragraphs|hat=no|references=no|inline=yes}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
== Original table rows for comparison ==
''(remove this when this source page is ready to go live)''
{{Wikipedia:RSPTableHeader}}
|- class="s-gr" id="gnis-coord"
| [[Geographic Names Information System]] (GNIS) (names and locations)
| {{WP:RSPSTATUS|gr}}
| {{rsnl|357|RfC: GNIS|2021|rfc=y}}
| {{WP:RSPLAST|2022}}
| The Geographic Names Information System is a United States-based geographical database. It is generally reliable for its place names and locations/coordinates. Editors should take care that GNIS uses a [[WP:Reliability of GNIS data#Reliability of locations|different convention]] for its coordinates, using a particular feature of a location rather than the geometric center that most WikiProjects use.
| {{WP:RSPUSES|geonames.usgs.gov}}
|- class="s-gu" id="gnis-class"
| [[Geographic Names Information System]] (GNIS) (feature classes)
| {{WP:RSPSTATUS|gu}}
| {{rsnl|357|RfC: GNIS|2021|rfc=y}}
| {{WP:RSPLAST|2021}}
| The Geographic Names Information System is a United States-based geographical database. It is generally unreliable for its feature classes and it should not be used to determine the [[WP:NGEO|notability of geographic features]] as it does not meet the [[WP:GEOLAND|legal recognition requirement]].
| {{WP:RSPUSES|geonames.usgs.gov}}
|}