Editorial Policy

This page describes how SimpleMapLab creates content, selects data sources, maintains accuracy, and handles corrections. It applies to all tool descriptions, blog posts, FAQ answers, and map metadata on the site.

Accuracy standards

Every factual claim on SimpleMapLab must be traceable to a specific data source. We use only established, publicly verifiable sources:

US geographic data: US Census Bureau — the authoritative source for county boundaries, population, demographics, and ZIP code areas
International boundaries: Natural Earth — a public-domain dataset maintained by the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS)
Road network: OpenStreetMap — the largest open geographic database, with over 10 million contributors worldwide
Elevation: Copernicus 30m DEM via Open-Meteo — satellite-derived elevation data from the European Space Agency

For technical details on how we process this data, see our Methodology page.

Content creation process

Research: We identify the question or task the content needs to address. For tool pages, this means understanding how people search for the functionality (e.g., "how to draw a radius on Google Maps," "what county am I in").
Data verification: All statistics are verified against primary sources. Population figures come from Census ACS data. County counts are validated against TIGER/Line boundary files. Drive time methodology is documented from the Valhalla source code.
Writing: Content is written to be clear, concise, and useful. We avoid jargon unless defining it. Paragraphs are kept short (3–4 sentences). Claims are specific and verifiable.
Internal linking: Every page links to related tools and content. This helps readers find the tool that best fits their need and helps search engines understand the relationship between our pages.
External sourcing: Where we reference external data or concepts, we link to the authoritative source — Census Bureau, Wikipedia, official government websites, or the open-source project documentation.

What we don't do

We do not fabricate data. If we don't have authoritative data for a claim, we don't make it.
We do not present estimates as facts. When numbers are approximate, we say "approximately" or use "~".
We do not copy content from other websites. All text is original.
We do not use AI-generated content without human review and fact-checking.
We do not accept paid content, sponsored posts, or paid link placements.

Corrections policy

If you find an error — a wrong county count, an incorrect population figure, a mislabeled boundary — please contact us with:

The page or tool where the error appears
What the current content says
What you believe is correct, with a source if possible

We investigate every report and publish corrections promptly. Significant corrections are noted inline on the affected page.

Update frequency

Tool functionality: Updated continuously as we add features and fix bugs.
Census data: Updated when new ACS releases are published (typically annually).
Map tiles: Updated continuously by OpenStreetMap contributors via OpenFreeMap.
Blank maps: Regenerated when boundary source data is updated.
Blog posts: Reviewed periodically for accuracy. Data tables are rebuilt from source data at each site build.

Independence

SimpleMapLab is an independent website. We are not affiliated with the US Census Bureau, OpenStreetMap Foundation, Google, or any government agency. Our tools use public data but are not endorsed by the data providers.

The site is monetized through display advertising (Google AdSense / Raptive). Advertising does not influence our content, tool design, or data presentation. We do not accept sponsored content.

Transparency

We believe geographic tools should be transparent about their data sources, methods, and limitations. Every tool page includes a "Data sources & methodology" section. Our full technical methodology is published on the Methodology page. Our data limitations are documented on the Disclaimer page.

Questions

Questions about our editorial standards? Contact us.