The GNIS was originally designed for four major purposes: to eliminate duplication of effort at various other levels of government that were already compiling geographic data, to provide standardized datasets of geographic data for … See more

Phase 2 was broader in scope than phase 1, extending the scope to a much larger set of data sources. It ran from the end of phase 1 and had managed to completely process data from 42 … See more

The GNIS accepts proposals for new or changed names for U.S. geographical features through The National Map Corps. The general public … See more

• Canadian Geographical Names Database (GNBC), a similar, but non-public-domain, database for locations within Canada only
• GEOnet Names Server (GNS), a similar database for locations outside the United States See more

Phase 1 lasted from 1978 to 1981, with a precursor pilot project run over the states of Kansas and Colorado in 1976, and produced 5 databases. It excluded several classes of feature … See more

There is no differentiation amongst different types of populated places. In the words of the aforementioned 1986 USACE report, "[a] subdivision having one inhabitant is as … See more

• The United States Census Bureau (USCB) defines Census Designated Places as a subset of locations in the National Geographic Names Database.
• United States Postal Service (USPS) Publication 28 gives standards for addressing mail. In … See more