Data Sources & Methodology
LocalKS is built on open and authoritative public data. This page documents exactly where every listing comes from, the license behind it, how often we refresh it, and how results are ordered — so you can trust what you find and verify it yourself.
Data as of 2026-06-26. Each listing also carries its own "data as of" date drawn from the source dataset.
Where our data comes from
Every source below is public or openly licensed. We preserve the original attribution and record provenance on each listing.
OpenStreetMap
The base map: business names, locations, addresses, categories, and contact details across every Kansas city and town. This is the backbone of the directory.
- License:
- Open Database License (ODbL 1.0)
- Attribution:
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
NPPES NPI Registry
Healthcare provider organizations (clinics, practices, and groups) by specialty — speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy, ABA, mental health, family medicine, and more — with verified addresses and taxonomy.
- License:
- U.S. public domain (no restrictions)
- Attribution:
- NPPES NPI Registry, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Care Compare
Officially certified hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, home health agencies, and hospices — including CCN identifiers, ownership type, and overall star ratings where published.
- License:
- U.S. public domain (no restrictions)
- Attribution:
- CMS Care Compare, data.cms.gov
Kansas DASC
Authoritative Kansas geospatial reference data used to align listings to the correct city, county, and place boundaries across the state.
- License:
- Public Kansas state data
- Attribution:
- Kansas Data Access & Support Center (DASC)
NCES
Public and private school records used to populate and verify Kansas education listings with official identifiers and locations.
- License:
- U.S. public domain (no restrictions)
- Attribution:
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
US Census Geocoder
Geocoding for sources that ship street addresses but no coordinates (CMS, NPPES) — returning latitude/longitude plus county, place, and ZCTA so we can dedupe by proximity and attach clean geography.
- License:
- U.S. public domain (no restrictions)
- Attribution:
- U.S. Census Bureau Geocoding Services
Wikipedia / Wikidata
Supplementary descriptions and structured facts for notable places and cities to add context to directory pages.
- License:
- CC BY-SA (Wikipedia) / CC0 (Wikidata)
- Attribution:
- Wikipedia contributors and Wikidata
How often we update
Different sources move at different speeds. We re-import each on its own cadence and merge authoritative fields onto existing records by their permanent identifiers, so updates never create duplicates.
Open map data
OpenStreetMap-derived listings are refreshed on a recurring schedule so new and changed businesses flow in as the community maps them.
Regulated healthcare data
CMS Care Compare and NPPES NPI Registry data are re-imported on each official dataset release, replacing stale records by their permanent identifiers (CCN, NPI).
Owner corrections
Verified business owners can claim a listing to keep hours, contact details, and descriptions accurate between data refreshes.
How rankings work
Ordering is editorial and algorithmic, never paid. The signals below decide which listings appear first on a city or category page.
Relevance & location
Listings are matched to a city and category first; within a page, results that best fit the place and specialty surface ahead of looser matches.
Verification & completeness
Records backed by authoritative sources or a verified owner claim, and those with fuller details (address, phone, hours), are favored over thin entries.
Community signal
Real reviews, ratings, and recommendations contribute to ordering. We do not sell placement — rankings cannot be bought.
See something wrong?
Accuracy matters to us. If a listing is out of date or a data point looks off, tell us and we will fix it — or claim your business to manage it directly. Questions about sourcing or licensing? Emailhello@localks.com.