> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.geoprismregistry.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.geoprismregistry.com/version/v2.0.0/configure/source-authorities.md).

# Source Authorities

A **Source Authority** defines who is responsible for a piece of data and what type of organization they are, such as a government agency, a mapping agency or an NGO. Recording the Source Authority is a first step toward understanding how authoritative the data is.

Source Authorities are used in other parts of Geoprism Registry:

* A [Data Source](/version/v2.0.0/configure/data-sources/add-a-data-source.md) names the Source Authority that has authority over it.
* When you [import a spreadsheet](/version/v2.0.0/curate/import-geospatial-data/import-a-spreadsheet.md), you can map alternative ID columns in your file to a Source Authority.

See [Add a Source Authority](/version/v2.0.0/configure/source-authorities/add-a-source-authority.md) and [Managing an Existing Source Authority](/version/v2.0.0/configure/source-authorities/managing-an-existing-source-authority.md) for more detail.