Find nearby places and details

Learn how to find places around a location with a keyword search, then get detailed place information.

A nearby search finds places within a given radius of a location using the places service. The location typically represents a point on a map or the geolocation of a device.

To perform a nearby search, you use the places package from ArcGIS REST JS. With the results of the search, you can make another request to the service and return place attributes including the name, categories, ratings, and store hours.

In this tutorial, you use ArcGIS REST JS to perform a nearby search to find points of interest and return all available attributes associated with a place. The tutorial includes starter code that uses Calcite components to create a basic search interface.

Prerequisites

Steps

Get the starter code

To get started, . It contains the Calcite Components necessary to create this application, as well as an initial Leaflet map.

Get an access token

You need an access token with the correct privileges to access the resources used in this tutorial.

Go to the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s):
- Privileges
  - Location services > Basemaps
  - Location services > Places
Copy the API key access token to your clipboard when prompted.

In CodePen, update the accessToken variable to use your access token.

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      const map = L.map("map", {
        minZoom: 2
      })

      map.setView([34.02, -118.805], 13);

      const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

      const basemapEnum = "arcgis/streets";

      L.esri.Vector.vectorBasemapLayer(basemapEnum, {
        token: accessToken
      }).addTo(map);

Run the code to ensure the basemap is displayed in the map.

To learn about the other types of authentication available, go to Types of authentication.

Reference ArcGIS REST JS

Reference the routing and request packages from ArcGIS REST JS.

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    <!-- Load Leaflet from CDN -->
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://unpkg.com/leaflet@1.9.4/dist/leaflet.css" crossorigin="" />
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/leaflet@1.9.4/dist/leaflet.js" crossorigin=""></script>
    <!-- Load Esri Leaflet from CDN -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/esri-leaflet@3.0.12/dist/esri-leaflet.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/esri-leaflet-vector@4.2.5/dist/esri-leaflet-vector.js"></script>
    <!-- Calcite components -->
    <script type="module" src="https://js.arcgis.com/calcite-components/2.12.1/calcite.esm.js"></script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://js.arcgis.com/calcite-components/2.12.1/calcite.css" />

    <!-- ArcGIS REST JS: request and places -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-request@4/dist/bundled/request.umd.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-places@1/dist/bundled/places.umd.js"></script>

Create a REST JS ApiKeyManager using your API key.

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  const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

  const basemapEnum = "arcgis/navigation";
  L.esri.Vector.vectorBasemapLayer(basemapEnum, {
      token: accessToken
  }).addTo(map);

  map.zoomControl.setPosition("bottomright");

  const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(accessToken);
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Set a category and search area

To perform a place search, you typically need a category ID. Each category ID corresponds to a unique category of place, such as "Chinese Restaurants" (13099) or "Sports and Recreation" (18000). A Calcite category selector is included in the . It includes the default top-level categories as selectable options.

Declare global variables to track the active place category and clicked location. Set the active category to 16000, which corresponds to the Landmarks and Outdoors category of places.

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  const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(accessToken);

  let activeCategory = "16000";
  let userLocation;

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Create a click event handler that saves the location of clicks on the map.

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  const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(accessToken);

  let activeCategory = "16000";
  let userLocation;

  map.on('click', function (e) {
      userLocation = e.latlng;

  })

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When a click is registered, create a Circle at the clicked location to represent the area that will be searched. Set the radius to the search radius in meters.

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  const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(accessToken);

  let activeCategory = "16000";
  let userLocation;

  const searchRadius = 750;
  const clickedPoint = L.layerGroup().addTo(map);

  map.on('click', function (e) {
      userLocation = e.latlng;

      clickedPoint.clearLayers();
      L.circle(e.latlng, {
        color:"#000000",
        stroke:true,
        weight:2,
        opacity:0.5,
        fill:true,
        fillOpacity:0.25,
        fillColor:"#aaaaaa",
        radius: searchRadius
      }).addTo(clickedPoint);

  })

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Create another event handler for the Calcite category selector. Update the activeCategory when a new option is selected from the dropdown.

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  map.on('click', function (e) {
      userLocation = e.latlng;

      clickedPoint.clearLayers();
      L.circle(e.latlng, {
        color:"#000000",
        stroke:true,
        weight:2,
        opacity:0.5,
        fill:true,
        fillOpacity:0.25,
        fillColor:"#aaaaaa",
        radius: searchRadius
      }).addTo(clickedPoint);

  })

  categorySelect.addEventListener("calciteComboboxChange", e => {
    console.log(activeCategory)
      activeCategory = categorySelect.value;
      map.closePopup();

  });
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Find places near a point

Once a location and category have been set, make a request to the places service to find places near a point.

Define a new function showPlaces. Use the ArcGIS REST JS findPlacesNearPoint function to submit a request to the places service. Pass the searchRadius, userLocation, and activeCategory, as well as your authentication object.

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  categorySelect.addEventListener("calciteComboboxChange", e => {
    console.log(activeCategory)
      activeCategory = categorySelect.value;
      map.closePopup();

  });

  function showPlaces() {

      arcgisRest.findPlacesNearPoint({
          x: userLocation.lng,
          y: userLocation.lat,
          categoryIds:activeCategory,
          radius:searchRadius,
          authentication
      })

  };
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Call the showPlaces function inside both of the event handlers.

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  map.on('click', function (e) {
      userLocation = e.latlng;

      clickedPoint.clearLayers();
      L.circle(e.latlng, {
        color:"#000000",
        stroke:true,
        weight:2,
        opacity:0.5,
        fill:true,
        fillOpacity:0.25,
        fillColor:"#aaaaaa",
        radius: searchRadius
      }).addTo(clickedPoint);

      showPlaces()

  })

  categorySelect.addEventListener("calciteComboboxChange", e => {
    console.log(activeCategory)
      activeCategory = categorySelect.value;
      map.closePopup();

      if (userLocation) showPlaces();

  });
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Display results on the map

The places service will return a list of places near your location that match the specified category. Display these results as points on your map.

Create a Leaflet LayerGroup to display results and add it to your map. Clear the contents of the group when a new request is made.

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  const layerGroup = L.layerGroup().addTo(map);

  function showPlaces() {

      layerGroup.clearLayers();
      resultPanel.innerHTML = "";

      arcgisRest.findPlacesNearPoint({
          x: userLocation.lng,
          y: userLocation.lat,
          categoryIds:activeCategory,
          radius:searchRadius,
          authentication
      })

  };
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Access the service response. Create a new addResult function and call it for each search result.

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      arcgisRest.findPlacesNearPoint({
          x: userLocation.lng,
          y: userLocation.lat,
          categoryIds:activeCategory,
          radius:searchRadius,
          authentication
      })

      .then((response)=>{
          response.results.forEach((result)=>{

              addResult(result);

          });
      });

  };

  function addResult(place) {

  }
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Create a Leaflet Marker at the location of each place. Display the markers in your layer group.

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  function addResult(place) {

      const marker = L.marker([place.location.y, place.location.x], {
        title:place.name
      }).addTo(layerGroup);
      marker.id = place.placeId;

  }
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Display results in a list

To show more information about each place, you will also display place results as an element in a Calcite list. The template for this list is included in the starter code.

Create a new calcite-list-item element to display place information. Set the item properties to display the place name, category, and distance from the user's click. Add the element to the list of results.

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  function addResult(place) {

      const marker = L.marker([place.location.y, place.location.x], {
        title:place.name
      }).addTo(layerGroup);
      marker.id = place.placeId;

      const infoDiv = document.createElement("calcite-list-item");
      resultPanel.appendChild(infoDiv);

      const description = `
          ${place.categories[0].label} -
          ${Number((place.distance / 1000).toFixed(1))} km
      `;

      infoDiv.label = place.name;
      infoDiv.description = description;

  }
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When the HTML element is clicked, display a popup at the associated marker.

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  function addResult(place) {

      const marker = L.marker([place.location.y, place.location.x], {
        title:place.name
      }).addTo(layerGroup);
      marker.id = place.placeId;

      const infoDiv = document.createElement("calcite-list-item");
      resultPanel.appendChild(infoDiv);

      const description = `
          ${place.categories[0].label} -
          ${Number((place.distance / 1000).toFixed(1))} km
      `;

      infoDiv.label = place.name;
      infoDiv.description = description;

      infoDiv.addEventListener("click",e => {
          map.openPopup(place.name,marker.getLatLng(), {
            offset: [0, -25]
          });

      })

  }
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Run the app. Clicking on the map should perform a place search and display results as markers on the map. Result names and categories should display in the results panel to the left.

Get place details

The user of your application should be able to click on a result in the panel in order to see more information about it. Perform an arcgisRest.getPlaceDetails request to obtain detailed attributes about a specific point of interest.

Create a new function getDetails. When a result is clicked, call getDetails and pass the ID of the clicked result.

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      infoDiv.addEventListener("click",e => {
          map.openPopup(place.name,marker.getLatLng(), {
            offset: [0, -25]
          });

          getDetails(marker);

      })

  }

  function getDetails(marker) {

  }
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Call arcgisRest.getPlaceDetails to get more information about a specific POI. Pass the place id to the placeId parameter and provide authentication.

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  function getDetails(marker) {

      arcgisRest.getPlaceDetails({
          placeId: marker.id,
          requestedFields: ["all"],
          authentication
      })

  }
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Display place details

Display the resulting place details in a new panel. The helper code for this panel is provided in the template file.

Access the response from the places service and create a new calcite-flow-item element to display results. Add the flow item to the <flow> element included in the template.

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  function getDetails(marker) {

      arcgisRest.getPlaceDetails({
          placeId: marker.id,
          requestedFields: ["all"],
          authentication
      })

      .then((result)=>{

          const placeDetails = result.placeDetails;
          map.setView(marker.getLatLng());

          infoPanel = document.createElement("calcite-flow-item");
          flow.appendChild(infoPanel)

      });

  }
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Set the name and description of the panel using the service response. Call the setAttribute helper function included with the starter code to display the rest of the attributes if they are valid. Select a Calcite UI icon for each attribute.

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      .then((result)=>{

          const placeDetails = result.placeDetails;
          map.setView(marker.getLatLng());

          infoPanel = document.createElement("calcite-flow-item");
          flow.appendChild(infoPanel)

          infoPanel.heading = placeDetails.name;
          infoPanel.description = placeDetails.categories[0].label;

          setAttribute("Description", "information", placeDetails?.description);
          setAttribute("Address", "map-pin", placeDetails?.address?.streetAddress);
          setAttribute("Phone", "mobile", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.telephone);
          setAttribute("Hours", "clock", placeDetails?.hours?.openingText);
          setAttribute("Rating", "star", placeDetails?.rating?.user);
          setAttribute("Email", "email-address", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.email);
          setAttribute("Website", "information", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.website?.split("://")[1].split("/")[0]);
          setAttribute("Facebook", "speech-bubble-social", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.facebookId) ? `www.facebook.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.facebookId}` : null);
          setAttribute("Twitter", "speech-bubbles", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.twitter) ? `www.twitter.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.twitter}` : null);
          setAttribute("Instagram", "camera", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.instagram) ? `www.instagram.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.instagram}` : null);

      });
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When the info panel is closed, close any open map popups.

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  function getDetails(marker) {

      arcgisRest.getPlaceDetails({
          placeId: marker.id,
          requestedFields: ["all"],
          authentication
      })

      .then((result)=>{

          const placeDetails = result.placeDetails;
          map.setView(marker.getLatLng());

          infoPanel = document.createElement("calcite-flow-item");
          flow.appendChild(infoPanel)

          infoPanel.heading = placeDetails.name;
          infoPanel.description = placeDetails.categories[0].label;

          setAttribute("Description", "information", placeDetails?.description);
          setAttribute("Address", "map-pin", placeDetails?.address?.streetAddress);
          setAttribute("Phone", "mobile", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.telephone);
          setAttribute("Hours", "clock", placeDetails?.hours?.openingText);
          setAttribute("Rating", "star", placeDetails?.rating?.user);
          setAttribute("Email", "email-address", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.email);
          setAttribute("Website", "information", placeDetails?.contactInfo?.website?.split("://")[1].split("/")[0]);
          setAttribute("Facebook", "speech-bubble-social", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.facebookId) ? `www.facebook.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.facebookId}` : null);
          setAttribute("Twitter", "speech-bubbles", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.twitter) ? `www.twitter.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.twitter}` : null);
          setAttribute("Instagram", "camera", (placeDetails?.socialMedia?.instagram) ? `www.instagram.com/${placeDetails.socialMedia.instagram}` : null);

          infoPanel.addEventListener("calciteFlowItemBack", e => {
            map.closePopup();
          })

      });

  }
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Close the info panel when a new search is performed.

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  function showPlaces() {

      layerGroup.clearLayers();
      resultPanel.innerHTML = "";

      if (infoPanel) infoPanel.remove();

      arcgisRest.findPlacesNearPoint({
          x: userLocation.lng,
          y: userLocation.lat,
          categoryIds:activeCategory,
          radius:searchRadius,
          authentication
      })

      .then((response)=>{
          response.results.forEach((result)=>{

              addResult(result);

          });
      });

  };
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Run the app

In CodePen, run your code to display the application. The app should display a map with a result panel on the left, which will populate with values when the map is clicked. Upon clicking on a place result, more information about the place should appear in the panel.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional ArcGIS location services in these tutorials:

Find places in a bounding box

Perform a text-based search to find places within a bounding box.

Find place addresses

Search for coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants and other nearby places with the Geocoding service.

Find a route and directions

Find a route and directions with the route service.