Location Standard

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

Point

The simplest location: a single coordinate with optional metadata.

{
	$standard: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$type: '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.

{
	$standard: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$type: '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.

{
	$standard: 'location',
	$version: 1,
	$type: '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 Types

$type	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
$standard	string	yes	Always 'location'
$version	number	yes	Standard version
$type	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 $type: 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