Skip to main content

Location

A semantic Value Type representing an explicit geographic point given as latitude and longitude.

type: data-model · status: draft · abstraction: instance

What it is​

Location is a semantic Value Type for an explicit geographic point. Its value consists of valid latitude and longitude coordinates; coordinates are mandatory because they are the meaning of the type. Location does not contain a postal address and does not depend on a mapping provider recognising the point.

A Location is used when the physical point has independent operational meaning: a delivery gate, machine position, asset position, vehicle position, inspection point or remote site. It can be captured through a map pin, direct coordinate entry, GPS or an integration.

The type supplies a dependable spatial contract for map display, distance and radius queries, routing inputs and other point-based capabilities. Address is a separate semantic Value Type: it represents a postal, billing or delivery destination and may carry optional geocoding metadata. Both types can expose the same internal spatial-point representation, but an Address's coordinates enrich the address whereas a Location's coordinates are the value itself.

Why it exists​

Postal destinations and physical points are related but not interchangeable. A factory may have one postal address and a different HGV delivery gate; a vehicle, offshore asset or inspection point may have coordinates but no useful address. Treating both as one partially populated type forces every renderer, validator, integration, Business Flow and AI Agent to inspect each value before it knows what operations are valid.

Location gives Properties a strong spatial contract: every populated value can be plotted and used by point-based capabilities. Separating it from Address keeps the canonical model explicit, prevents approximate address geocodes from being mistaken for precise operational destinations, and allows spatial behaviour to evolve without complicating routine address capture.

Relationships​

Outgoing

Incoming

  • is distinct from ← Address — Address represents a postal destination and may be geocoded; Location represents an explicit geographic point.

Neighbourhood​

Stakeholder summaries​

  • Product — Provides a focused map-point input for operational positions such as delivery gates, assets and remote sites. Every saved Location supports point-based spatial behaviour.
  • Investor — Creates a dependable spatial primitive for manufacturing operations while keeping routine address capture in a separate, simpler semantic type.
  • Marketing — Mark exact operational points such as gates, assets and remote sites, then use them for maps, distance checks and routing.
  • Engineering — Stores a mandatory geospatial point with validated latitude and longitude. It shares spatial indexing and query primitives with geocoded Address values but has no postal-address fields or address-validity states.