Look Up Facts and Statistics — Wikipedia and Data Commons Search

Scribble, the built-in AI assistant, can look up real-world facts and statistics for you while you work on your map. It draws on two live sources: Wikipedia for general knowledge, and Google Data Commons for statistics and demographics. You ask a question in plain language, and Scribble fetches the answer, so you do not have to leave the editor or open a second tab.

Wikipedia Search

Ask Scribble a factual question about a place, person, landmark, event, or topic, and it checks Wikipedia for you. It returns a summary rather than the full article, so the answer stays brief and on point.

When the topic is a geographic place, Scribble also drops a marker on the map at that location. For example, ask "Where is Mount Kilimanjaro?" and Scribble returns a few sentences about the mountain and places a marker at its coordinates.

You can use it to:

• Get a quick description of a city, country, or landmark
• Find background on a historical site before you map it
• Confirm a fact without leaving Scribble Maps
• Place a marker on a well-known location by name

Example prompts:

• "Tell me about the Golden Gate Bridge."
• "What is the tallest mountain in Japan, and put it on the map."
• "Give me a summary of the Roman Colosseum."

Data Commons Search

For numbers rather than descriptions, Scribble queries Google Data Commons. This is a public source of statistics on population, household income, unemployment, education, housing, health, climate, energy, and more, covering locations worldwide.

Scribble returns the result as a chart or table with the source noted, so you can see where the figure comes from. Depending on the question you get:

• A single headline figure for one statistic
• A trend line when you ask about change over time
• A comparison table when comparing several places

Using a point on your map. If you want statistics for a specific spot, select a marker first and ask Scribble for data "for this location." Scribble resolves the marker's coordinates to the surrounding county or region and pulls the figures for that area. If no marker is selected, Scribble prompts you to pick one.

Example prompts:

• "What is the median household income here?" (with a marker selected)
• "Show me the population trend for Texas over the last 20 years."
• "Compare the unemployment rate of California, New York, and Florida."

Tips

• Be specific about the statistic you want. "Median household income" returns a cleaner answer than "money."
• For location-specific Data Commons figures, select the marker before you ask so Scribble knows where to look.
• Wikipedia search is best for descriptions and facts; Data Commons is best for numbers and trends. Ask in plain language, and Scribble picks the right source.

See also

• What Can Scribble Do? — AI Capabilities Overview
• Get Data for a Polygon