# Custom place location will not populate with observations

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [November 9, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759 "2021-11-09T20:12:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jyoung2399](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jyoung2399/32/54881_2.png) [@jyoung2399](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jyoung2399)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759/1 "2021-11-09T20:12:43Z")

</div>

I am working on a project where I am comparing two cities for biodiversity. In doing this, I have created two custom places in google maps and downloaded them as KML’s. I then created two places in iNaturalist and used these KML files for the boundaries. When I look up these places then, it says there are no observations in these locations. When i try to create a project with these places as constraints on observations, still no observations. I was wondering what I might be missing?

Google Drive Folder with KML files:  
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sn76qt5D2m4sqOlClblSp9hPGMs3ldQ6?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sn76qt5D2m4sqOlClblSp9hPGMs3ldQ6?usp=sharing)

Places on iNaturalist:  
-Detroit:  
[https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place\_id=177467](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=177467)

-Ann Arbor:  
[https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place\_id=177465](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=177465)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759/2 "2021-11-09T20:24:45Z")

</div>

It takes time to populate places, check links now, they show observations, probably will show even more over time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thomaseverest](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thomaseverest/32/63220_2.png) [@thomaseverest](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thomaseverest)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759/3 "2021-11-09T21:06:17Z")

</div>

Place editing is one of the biggest iNat slowdowns, so expect it to take awhile. Also, we now have 2 places for Ann Arbor. If they can be merged that would be ideal.  
[https://www.inaturalist.org/places/city-of-ann-arbor](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/city-of-ann-arbor)  
[https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ann-arbor-us-mi](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ann-arbor-us-mi)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/custom-place-location-will-not-populate-with-observations/27759/4 "2022-01-08T21:07:05Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.