Dataset reference · Overture Places · place records
What a place record is, and why two sources are read as one set
Place counts are the second most misused number in location analysis, usually through double-counting. This page covers how LocateRight combines Overture Places and OpenStreetMap into a single deduplicated set, what the count still cannot tell you, and the licence that governs redistribution. Licence table: data sources. Formulas: methodology.
What Overture Places contains
Overture Places is a global point dataset of places and businesses, contributed by several partners into one schema. That multi-contributor origin is exactly why duplicate records exist: the same shop can arrive from two contributors with different identifiers and slightly different coordinates.
The methodology page records the rule LocateRight applies — the place set is the union of Overture Places and OpenStreetMap POIs, reconciled so that a place present in both is one record rather than two. The provenance field preserves which sources contributed, so deduplication is auditable instead of a silent reduction in the total.
Why the union is deduplicated
Coverage is complementary
The two sources miss different places. Reporting them separately would mean a competitor-count that moves when you add a source — not a stable measurement.
Counting twice overstates density
An uncorrected sum inflates every place-based measure in the analysis, most visibly in dense commercial areas where overlap is highest — precisely the areas being compared.
The correction stays visible
Contributing sources are recorded per place, so the deduplication can be inspected rather than taken on trust. Reconstructing the raw total is always possible.
What a POI count does not mean
| Question | Answerable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Are there places of this category in this area? | Yes — as a coverage question | The dataset's home ground |
| How many businesses are trading right now? | No | Records go stale; there is no trading-status field |
| Is my competitor present? | Not reliably | A missing record is not evidence of absence |
| How saturated is this category? | Partially | Density varies sharply block to block; an area average hides that |
| How much do they trade? | No | No revenue, footfall or capacity field exists in the data |
Licence: CDLA Permissive 2.0
Overture data is published under the Community Data License Agreement — Permissive 2.0. LocateRight's licence registry records it as approved for commercial use, with no redistribution restrictions beyond the CDLA terms and attribution to Overture required.
Overture Places: FAQ
Why does LocateRight combine Overture Places and OpenStreetMap instead of using one?
Because they have different coverage patterns and different licences. Their records are read as one deduplicated set of places, not as two separate counts, so the place figure in an analysis reflects the union of both sources with duplicates resolved. Keeping them separate would produce a doubled and misleading total.
How are duplicate POI records handled?
A place appearing in both Overture Places and OpenStreetMap is reconciled into one record rather than counted twice. The provenance field records which sources contributed, so the deduplication is auditable rather than a silent count reduction.
What licence does Overture Places use and can it be used commercially?
Overture data is published under the Community Data License Agreement - Permissive 2.0. LocateRight's licence registry records it as approved for commercial use with no redistribution restrictions beyond the CDLA terms, and attribution to Overture is required.
Does a POI count tell me how many businesses are operating?
No. It tells you how many place records exist in the data for that area. A record can be stale, a business can be missing, and the same operating business can appear under more than one category. It is a coverage measure, not a verified count of active businesses.
Read the place set with its sources attached
Run an analysis and inspect the place records contributing to each figure, with source attribution carried through to the export.