Locationits

Locationits is a term used in geospatial informatics to describe a class of location identifiers that attach semantic metadata to a place or position. The concept emphasizes pairing a spatial reference with contextual information to support richer interpretation and interoperability.

A locationit typically includes a stable identifier, geometry (point, line, polygon), and a metadata envelope containing attributes such as ownership, access restrictions, usage rights, temporal validity, provenance, and relationships to related objects. Some proposals envision versioning, so that historical states of a location and its attributes can be tracked.

Applications of locationits span asset management, urban planning, environmental monitoring, cultural heritage documentation, and logistics. By binding context directly to a location reference, systems can support smarter decision-making, policy enforcement, and cross-system data integration.

Relation to existing concepts is a consideration: locationits resemble geotags and geospatial metadata but differ in aiming to bind richer semantics, provenance, and governance constraints to the location reference itself, rather than treating metadata as separate annotations.

Status and usage are currently informal and vary by domain. The term is not standardized and remains most visible in niche academic discussions and industry pilots exploring enhanced location semantics. Example: a locationit for a city park might include coordinates, owner, open hours, permitted activities, and a maintenance schedule, all as part of the same location reference.