Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

TNMCorps FAQ: Stacked points

By The National Map Corps

QUESTION: I found a bunch of points stacked on top of each other. What should I do with them? 

ANSWER: This is a problem you may see that comes from some of the legacy data we use.  

If the points are for different entities, verify that each entity still exists and then move the points to the correct location. You should move the existing point rather than creating a new one in the correct location.  

If the points are in the correct location and have all been verified to exist in the same building, offset them while keeping the points on the building. This is a common occurrence with municipal features such as law enforcement, city/town halls, courthouses, and fire departments, which may all operate out of the same building. 

If the points all represent the same entity, verify that the entity still exists and check for GNIS IDs, then delete all but one of the points. See this Q&A post for which duplicate to delete. Don’t forget to make sure the remaining point is in the correct location.