{"id":2735462,"date":"2025-03-31T16:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T23:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2735462"},"modified":"2026-01-22T09:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:39:13","slug":"empowering-developers-and-users-with-access-to-places-and-points-of-interest-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/platform\/developers\/empowering-developers-and-users-with-access-to-places-and-points-of-interest-worldwide","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Developers and Users with Access to Places and Points of Interest Worldwide"},"author":341472,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[738191],"tags":[775832,774002,770552],"industry":[],"product":[761642],"class_list":["post-2735462","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-developers","tag-arcgis-location-services","tag-arcgis-places-service","tag-points-of-interest","product-platform"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":341472,"user_firstname":"Elizabeth","user_lastname":"Ole","nickname":"Elizabeth Ole","user_nicename":"eole","display_name":"Elizabeth Ole","user_email":"eole@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2023-06-29 16:42:45","user_description":"Elizabeth is a passionate storyteller and marketer who enjoys utilizing her expertise in creativity, marketing, and technology to craft compelling brand and product stories.","user_avatar":""}],"short_description":"Building applications and solutions with ArcGIS Places service","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2743142,"id":2743142,"title":"Places","filename":"Untitled-6-1.png","filesize":3996735,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/platform\/developers\/empowering-developers-and-users-with-access-to-places-and-points-of-interest-worldwide\/untitled-6-8","alt":"","author":"341472","description":"POI ","caption":"","name":"untitled-6-8","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2735462,"date":"2025-03-31 19:05:36","modified":"2025-03-31 19:06:39","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1-1536x864.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":864,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1080,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1-826x465.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Untitled-6-1.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Have you ever been in a new city and needed to find dining options within two miles, or wanted to explore historical landmarks? Applications that support points of interest (POI) search or the ability to find places within a certain radius of the user\u2019s location are built using services like ArcGIS Places service<\/a>. This service provides detailed place information on a map, empowering developers to create engaging applications that help users discover places and points of interest worldwide<\/p>\n

The backbone of the Places service is its data.<\/a> Points of interest and other types of place data support users across various industries by providing valuable location-based context for mapping, analysis, and decision-making. Esri sources its data from multiple sources, and it\u2019s vetted for accuracy and regularly updated, offering developers unparalleled precision and accuracy to enhance their applications.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Functionalities of the Places Service<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Places service is a powerful tool designed to help developers and users find and interact with places in various ways. Let\u2019s delve into some of its key features.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nearby Search<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Nearby Search feature of the Places service allows developers to find and display places like points of interest within a specified radius of a given location. For example, if an app user is at a park and wants to locate the nearest coffee shops, developers can use this feature to list and show options on a map, enhancing the user experience with relevant and timely information. This functionality is particularly useful for applications that need to provide users with quick access to nearby amenities.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2743412,"id":2743412,"title":"nearby search","filename":"Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM.png","filesize":3312691,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/platform\/developers\/empowering-developers-and-users-with-access-to-places-and-points-of-interest-worldwide\/screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12-16-30-pm","alt":"","author":"341472","description":"Map of places showing nearby search","caption":"","name":"screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12-16-30-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2735462,"date":"2025-03-31 20:57:51","modified":"2025-03-31 20:58:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2650,"height":1477,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":259,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":428,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":1070,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM-1536x856.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":856,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM-2048x1141.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1141,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM-826x460.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":460,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-12.16.30\u202fPM-1920x1070.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1070}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Bounding Box Search<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A bounding box search is used to find places within a defined extent, which typically represents the visible area of a map. You can utilize this search to find and display places within the current map\u2019s extent. For example, if you zoom into a city on a map, you can find all the libraries within that view. This feature is ideal for applications that need to provide a comprehensive list of places within a user\u2019s current map view, such as city guides or event-based apps.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2743502,"id":2743502,"title":"Bounding Box","filename":"Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM.png","filesize":3123547,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/platform\/developers\/empowering-developers-and-users-with-access-to-places-and-points-of-interest-worldwide\/screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2-27-36-pm","alt":"","author":"341472","description":"Map showing dining spots within a bounding box","caption":"","name":"screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2-27-36-pm","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2735462,"date":"2025-03-31 21:30:16","modified":"2025-03-31 21:31:47","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2604,"height":1467,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":433,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM.png","large-width":1917,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM-1536x865.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":865,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM-2048x1154.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1154,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM-826x465.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-31-at-2.27.36\u202fPM-1917x1080.png","wide_image-width":1917,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

<\/h4>\n

Place Categories<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Place categories are structures that group related places together. Each category has a unique category ID and category label. Categories help refine the results of nearby and bounding box searches, making it easier to filter and display relevant places. Categories are organized hierarchically into “levels”, providing more detailed descriptions. Here are a few examples of level 1 categories and some level 2 categories associated with them:<\/p>\n