Location Standard

A universal way to describe places, coordinates, and geographic areas.

Point

The simplest location: a single coordinate with optional metadata.

{
	$type: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$kind: 'point',
	$name: 'Stephansdom',
	$lat: 48.20849,
	$lng: 16.37308,
	$altitude: 171,
	$accuracy: 5,
	$address: {
		$street: 'Stephansplatz 3',
		$city: 'Vienna',
		$region: 'Vienna',
		$postal: '1010',
		$country: 'AT'
	}
}

Area

A bounded region defined by a polygon of coordinates.

{
	$type: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$kind: 'area',
	$name: 'Innere Stadt',
	$boundary: [
		{ $lat: 48.2140, $lng: 16.3555 },
		{ $lat: 48.2140, $lng: 16.3850 },
		{ $lat: 48.1990, $lng: 16.3850 },
		{ $lat: 48.1990, $lng: 16.3555 }
	]
}

Route

An ordered sequence of points forming a path.

{
	$type: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$kind: 'route',
	$name: 'Morning Run',
	$points: [
		{ $lat: 48.2082, $lng: 16.3738, $timestamp: '2026-03-29 06:30:00' },
		{ $lat: 48.2095, $lng: 16.3755, $timestamp: '2026-03-29 06:32:14' },
		{ $lat: 48.2110, $lng: 16.3800, $timestamp: '2026-03-29 06:35:47' }
	],
	$distance: 2450,
	$duration: 720
}

Location Kinds

$kind Use case
point Single coordinate (place, address, POI)
area Bounded region (district, zone, property)
route Ordered path (track, directions, journey)

Standard Properties

Property Type Required Description
$type string yes Always 'location'
$version number yes Standard version
$kind string yes point, area, or route
$name string no Human-readable name
$lat number yes* Latitude (WGS84)
$lng number yes* Longitude (WGS84)
$altitude number no Meters above sea level
$accuracy number no Accuracy radius in meters
$timestamp string no UTC datetime for this point
$address object no Structured address
$boundary array yes* Polygon coordinates for area
$points array yes* Ordered coordinates for route
$distance number no Total distance in meters
$duration number no Total duration in seconds

* Required depends on $kind: point needs $lat/$lng, area needs $boundary, route needs $points.

Address Properties

Property Type Description
$street string Street name and number
$city string City or locality
$region string State, province, or region
$postal string Postal/ZIP code
$country string ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code