•Search Engines, such as Google/Bing – perform a web search of the POI by name and address to see if an official source can be located
•Official Websites – if the POI has an official website and is actively maintained, it should be used as a resource to research the POI Validity and listing information
•If no official resources can be found, rate according to consensus from multiple reliable resources. Reliable resources include:
o Crowdsourced user review sites, such as Yelp/TripAdvisor/Foursquare
o Articles in primary publications, such as Newspaper sites
Some resources, like data aggregators, spammy/unofficial directory sources, etc., are unreliable, and consensus between unreliable resources should be disregarded.
Research Resources by Listing Category
Name Accuracy Resources
Official Sources:
•Google/Bing web search to locate official source
•Official Company Websites, often on the About/About Us section of the website, or for chain businesses, on business locator page
•Official Social Media Pages, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
•Signs and storefronts as seen on official sites or claimed social media pages
•For Transit POIs, such as Stations, Bus Stops, EV Charger, of Parking POIs, the Name can be
verified using any of the following resources:
o The name on official maps, official websites, electronic signage on bus, signage at the bus stop, or on voice announcements
Other Reliable Sources:
•Signs and storefronts as seen on recent street or online imagery or crowdsourced user review sites (ie. Yelp/TripAdvisor/Foursquare)
•Recent news articles in primary publications
•Official restaurant menus (user photos from crowdsourced user review sites or scanned images from restaurants)
URL Accuracy Resources
•Google/Bing – to search for an official website. (On the official website, the address can often be found at the bottom of the Contact Us page, or for larger chain businesses, by using the Store Locator.)
•Official Social Media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) – If no official site can be found, then an official social media page that has been updated within the last 6 months can be used. Also, if there is an official website available for the POI, it will usually be listed on the social media page, such as the About section of a Facebook page.
Address Accuracy Resources
•Official Websites/Social Media pages of the POI
•Official Websites of the Parent company for POIs within POIs, such as shopping malls, hospitals, universities, stations, and department stores
•Recent Street Imagery in Google Maps or other official sources, which is helpful for confirming the POI’s street name, street number, or unit number, for example, when there is no other official source available
Do not use automated responses from an SERP (Search Engine Review Page) to confirm address information. Always confirm information through official sources.
Phone Accuracy Resources
•Official Company Websites, often on the Contact Us page, or for chain businesses, on business locator page
•Official Social Media Pages, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
•Official Websites of the Parent company for POIs within POIs, such as shopping malls, hospitals, universities, stations, and department stores
Hours Accuracy Resources
•Official Company Websites, often on the Contact Us page, or for chain businesses, on business locator page
•Official Social Media Pages, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. On a Facebook page, for example, hours are usually posted in the About section. (Clicking on the hours shown will display the full hours for each day of the week.)
If the listed hours on an official website do not match the hours on an official social media page, rate based on the information posted on the official website.
Do not use information from unofficial social media pages, crowdsourced user review sites, online street imagery, or SERPS. These are not considered reliable sources for verifying POI hours.
Category Accuracy Resources
•Official Websites – review the website to understand and identify the main business/category.
•User Reviews – read user reviews using these sources:
o Social Media Pages, such as Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
o Crowdsourced User Review sites, such as Yelp/TripAdvisor/Foursquare
•Official POI Name – When multiple categories equally describe the POI, use the business name to decide
Do not rely on categories designated by SERPs or crowdsourced user review sites. If information the official site and social media/user reviews have conflicting information, refer to the information provided on the official site.
Pin & Entry Point Accuracy Resources
•Reliable online map resources, including vector/hybrid views and street-level imagery where available. These resources include:
o Google/Bing Maps
o Official Websites/Social Media Pages – maps showing the POI’s location are often on the contact us or directions page of the official site
o For POIs within POIs – Official maps and directories of the parent POI
o User review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor
o Articles in primary publications, such as newspapers
o Official venue maps and directories
o Government business and property registries, such as: https://beta.canadasbusinessregistries.ca/search
o Official government maps (land registry, GIS Maps), such as:
https://atlas.gc.ca/toporama/en/index.html