Does Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) include manmade and administrative features, such as churches, cemeteries, parks, schools, shopping centers, trails?

No.  GNIS does not include roads, highways, administrative, or cultural features, except for canals, channels, reservoirs, communities, civil divisions, and military features. In 2021 the following geographic features, referred to as “administrative” (cultural or man-made), were removed from GNIS: airport, bridge, building, cemetery, church, dam, forest, harbor, hospital, mine, oilfield, park, post office, reserve, school, tower, trail, tunnel, and well.  Many administrative names are managed by other The National Map data themes (see Supporting Themes) and are maintained through submissions from authoritative sources or based on input from volunteers through The National Map Corps. 

If you are interested in participating in The National Map Corps, which encourages citizens to collect structures data by adding new features, removing obsolete points, and correcting existing data for The National Map, please visit The National Map Corps website. To identify the administrative features to be maintained through The National Map Corps program, click "Structures" from the list on the left side of the page. 

Learn More: Geographic Names FAQs