Does the Region variable in the core_POI + geometry dataset in the US refers to "state?"

[Connie_Chen_University_of_Florida]

I would like to confirm with you whether the “Region” variable in the Core Places of Interest (POI) and Geometry dataset in the U.S. refers to U.S. states throughout the country. To me, the values in the Region variable seem to be abbreviations of U.S. states and other US territories. Additionally, I would like to confirm that there are no variables such as “poi_cbg” in the Core POI + Geometry dataset that show the FIPS code where the POIs are located, as is the case in the Patterns dataset. Is this correct?

[evan_barry_dewey]

Hi @Connie_Chen_University_of_Florida SafeGraph has really good documentation on their Places + Geometry variables. You can learn about the entire schema in their documentation.

You can specifically read more about the Region variable here. It looks like the slightly updated the logic in Feb 2023, so the most recent updates might have slightly different data there.

There should also be a census_code variable.

[Connie_Chen_University_of_Florida]

Hi Evan,

It is very nice that you replied me on Dewey about my question - Does the Region variable in the core_POI + geometry dataset in the US refers to “state?” However, I still have confusion here.

I used the core POI+geometry datasets you put in my account. You mentioned there should be a census_code variable. However, there is no such variable in my table. The following screenshots show all the variables I have.

My goal is to locate the POIs at Census Block Group level. I can see the detailed address information about the POI include latitude and longitude, street address, and postal code. I am looking for a variable such as census code so that I can use the FIPs code to locate the POIs, as in the Pattern datasets.

[evan_barry_dewey]

Thanks for showing the attributes you have access to. I wonder if this attributes is not included in the Places + Geometry product. Can you check the Global Places dataset and see if the attribute is in there?

[Martin_Andersen_UNC_Greensboro]

I think poi_cbg is only in the patterns file. You can add the cbg if you want using Census/TIGER shapefiles. The r Tigris package provides a nice interface

[Connie_Chen_University_of_Florida]

Thank you for your kind reply, Martin. I assume so. Adding Census/TIGER shapfile works.