Places

Places are defined geographic locations that provide the context, structure, and hierarchy for organizing, viewing, and interpreting data.

They represent real-world locations (such as villages, cities, provinces, or countries) and are essential for scoping information to a specific region, jurisdiction, or population.

Why Places Matter?

➡️ Places are how we “anchor” data to where it matters.

Whether you're analyzing health data, supply chain movement, population statistics, or program outcomes, places define where that data belongs or originates from.

Here are few cases where places play a part in the system and data:

• ✅ Scope & Filtering – They let you view data at different geographic levels (e.g. village vs. country).

• 🪜Hierarchy – Places are usually organized in a parent–child structure, from smallest local areas to global regions.

• 🔄Interoperability – Standardized place names or codes ensure systems can share and compare location-based data accurately.

• 📊Analysis – Location context is crucial for decision-making (e.g., understanding disease outbreaks, delivery routes, or demographic trends.)

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Examples

Here’s how “places” might look in a real-world hierarchy

Place Level	Description	Use Case	Examples
Village / Hamlet / Community	Smallest local unit	Household surveys, community health	Nyarugusu Village, Maple Grove
Town / Municipality / City	Urban or municipal unit	City services, local programs	Toronto, Kochi
District / County / Region	Mid-level admin unit	Regional aggregation, local government	Durham Region, Kiambu County
State / Region / Territory	Major subnational division	Regional policies, resource allocation	California, Queensland
Country / Nation	Sovereign nation-state	National statistics, policy	Canada, Indonesia
Regional Bloc / Continent / Global	Multi-country grouping	Comparative analysis, global reporting	EU, Sub-Saharan Africa

🏘️Village / Hamlet / Community (Smallest local unit)

Brief Explanation

• 🛣️This is the smallest administrative or recognized settlement.

• 🔗Used for hyper-local data collection (e.g. individual health facility reports, household surveys, or community-level interventions.)

• 💼Examples:

  • 🏝️Nyarugusu Village – 🏴Tanzania

  • 🌆San Juan Barangay – 🏳️Philippines

  • 🏙️Maple Grove – 🍁Ontario, Canada

🏙️Town / Municipality / City

Brief Explanation

• 🏙️A populated urban or administrative unit larger than a village, often with its own government or council.

• 🏷️Organizes data on city services, public health programs, urban planning, and infrastructure.

• 💼Examples:

  • 🌆Toronto – 🍁Canada

  • 🌄Lagos – 🚩Nigeria

  • 🏙️Kochi – 🏳️India

🗺️District / County / Region

Brief Explanation

🏞️A larger administrative division that contains multiple towns or villages. 🔗Useful for aggregating data for health regions, education districts, or local government operations.

• 💼Examples:

  • 🚞Durham Region – 🍁Ontario, Canada

  • 🌄Kiambu County – 🚩Kenya

  • 🖼️Punjab Province – 🏳️Pakistan

🗾State / Region / Territory

Brief Explanation

• 🗾A major subnational division, often with significant autonomy and its own governance structures.

• 🔗Organizes data for regional policies, economic development, and government services.

• 💼Examples:

  • 🗾California – 🗽USA

  • 🗾Queensland – 🦘Australia

  • 🗾Bavaria – 🍺Germany

🏴Country / Nation

Brief Explanation

🚩A sovereign state recognized by international law, often the highest level of administrative authority. 🔗Used as the primary scope for national statistics, policy-making, and global reporting. 💼Examples:

• 🍁Canada

• 🗽USA

• 🦘Australia

🌍Regional Bloc / Continent / Global (Optional higher-level groupings)

Brief Explanation

🗺️A grouping of multiple countries or regions.

🔗Useful for multinational comparisons, trade zones, or continental health initiatives.

💼Examples:

• 🌍European Union (EU) – Regional

• 🌍Sub-Saharan Africa – Continental

• 🌐Global – Worldwide reporting

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Working with Places

In regards to Places, here is a list of available operations that can be done:

• 👀Searching for and Viewing a Place

• ➕Adding a new Place Registration

• ✏️Editing a Place Registration

• ❌Removing a Place Registration