The place lab / U.S. + international

Different places. Shared questions.

People need food, water, homes, jobs, and ways to travel. A map helps us ask where. A date helps us ask when.

Interactive lab 02Geography practice · no live database query

Illustrative locator. Shapes and marker positions are simplified. They are not boundary or navigation data.

Choose a country

Look inside a place

United StatesUSA

United States

Where are homes, services, and jobs?

FoodWaterHomesJobsTravel

These are shared questions. We need local facts to answer them. A country total cannot tell the story of every family.

Find official U.S. data ↗

Inside National Data System

Two organized address books. A way to connect.

01 / U.S. BACKBONE

Country → State
→ County → Local area

Organize place records with stable geographic keys.

02 / INTERNATIONAL BACKBONE

Country → Region
→ Local place

Keep local names, codes, and geographic levels clear.

NDS describes two DuckDB backbones: one for U.S. places and one for global or international places. DuckDB is software that can ask questions of organized data. These files help provide a place-based foundation for the NDS work.

A common key

A code such as USA or GTM helps identify a country. Names alone can repeat or change.

A matching question

Compare the same measure, date, unit, and geographic level. A city and a country are different views.

A clear limit

Averages can hide differences. Missing records do not mean a place has no needs.

ZIP codes and Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are related but different. Check the geographic definition before joining tables.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: ZCTAs ↗

Look inside. Keep the context.

U.S. example: a service-area question

A county table and a map of service locations could help ask where a trip is long. Check road travel, hours, and missing services before calling an area underserved.

Find U.S. starting points →

International example: Guatemala

The supplied NDS platform describes a Guatemala project focused on Alta Verapaz, Huehuetenango, and Quiché. It shows how a country question can become a local question.

Owner-supplied project context. This site does not verify current project status or claim measured outcomes.

Go beyond one country

Census data ↗Find facts about people, homes, and work across the country.Data.gov ↗Search public data from U.S. agencies and many local places.USAGov local governments ↗Find your local government when a place is not listed here.UN Data ↗Find facts from United Nations sources about many countries.World Bank Open Data ↗Compare countries using shared facts about people and places.