High-volume local queries
Run repeated queries against your own database without making an external HTTP request for every lookup.
Choose between a downloadable global cities database and a real-time location lookup API based on your application, infrastructure and query pattern.
Store and process worldwide cities data inside your infrastructure.
Try Data →Find the nearest city from latitude and longitude through a hosted service.
Try API →Both products use GeoDataSource location data, but they solve different technical problems.
| Requirement | World Cities Database | Location Search API |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | Store and query city data locally | Find nearest city from coordinates |
| Deployment | Download and import into your own system | Call a hosted REST API |
| Internet required for lookup | No | Yes |
| Database maintenance | You manage downloads and updates | Managed by GeoDataSource |
| Query flexibility | High; query and filter locally | Focused on coordinate-based lookup |
| Typical input | Your own database query | Latitude and longitude |
| Best for | Forms, analytics, local processing, bulk queries | Real-time nearest-city lookup |
Run repeated queries against your own database without making an external HTTP request for every lookup.
Combine city data with internal datasets, indexes, analytics pipelines or application-specific rules.
Use the data where external API access is undesirable or unavailable.
Submit coordinates and retrieve the nearest country, region, city and related location information.
Avoid importing and maintaining a large local city database when your use case only needs API lookup.
Use the Nearest Cities API to return cities within 20 km of the supplied coordinates.
Use the World Cities Database for local reference data and the Location Search API for coordinate-driven lookups when a hybrid architecture fits your application.
Common questions about choosing between the downloadable World Cities Database and the Location Search API.
The World Cities Database is downloaded and stored in your own environment, while the Location Search API is a hosted web service that accepts latitude and longitude and returns the nearest city and related location information.
The downloadable database is generally better when your application needs repeated local queries, custom filtering, joins or direct integration with your own database environment.
The Location Search API is designed for coordinate-based lookup. It can return the nearest city and related geographic information from supplied latitude and longitude values.
You need internet access to download updates, but after the database is imported into your own environment, application queries can be performed locally without calling GeoDataSource for each lookup.
Yes. An application can use the downloadable database for local reference data and the Location Search API for coordinate-driven nearest-city lookups when a hybrid architecture is useful.
Start with the Free Edition or review the Location Search Web Service documentation.