diff --git a/helper/geojsonify.js b/helper/geojsonify.js
index 63b3cd88..d1010962 100644
--- a/helper/geojsonify.js
+++ b/helper/geojsonify.js
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 var GeoJSON = require('geojson'),
     extent = require('geojson-extent'),
     outputGenerator = require('./outputGenerator'),
-    logger = require('pelias-logger').get('api');
+    logger = require('pelias-logger').get('api'),
+    type_mapping = require('./type_mapping');
 
 // Properties to be copied
 var DETAILS_PROPS = [
@@ -22,22 +23,9 @@ var DETAILS_PROPS = [
 ];
 
 
-var SOURCES = {
-  'geoname': 'gn',
-  'osmnode': 'osm',
-  'osmway': 'osm',
-  'admin0': 'qs',
-  'admin1': 'qs',
-  'admin2': 'qs',
-  'neighborhood': 'qs',
-  'locality': 'qs',
-  'local_admin': 'qs',
-  'osmaddress': 'osm',
-  'openaddresses': 'oa'
-};
-
 function lookupSource(src) {
-  return SOURCES.hasOwnProperty(src._type) ? SOURCES[src._type] : src._type;
+  var sources = type_mapping.type_to_source;
+  return sources.hasOwnProperty(src._type) ? sources[src._type] : src._type;
 }
 
 function lookupLayer(src) {
diff --git a/helper/query_parser.js b/helper/query_parser.js
index b60ebcd8..cee589b0 100644
--- a/helper/query_parser.js
+++ b/helper/query_parser.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 
 var parser     = require('addressit');
 var extend     = require('extend');
-var layers_map = require('../query/layers');
+var type_mapping = require('../helper/type_mapping');
 var delim      = ',';
 
 module.exports = {};
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ module.exports = {};
 module.exports.get_layers = function get_layers(query) {
   if (query.length <= 3 ) {
     // no address parsing required
-    return layers_map.coarse;
+    return type_mapping.layer_to_type.coarse;
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/helper/types.js b/helper/types.js
index 249c27a0..c057345f 100644
--- a/helper/types.js
+++ b/helper/types.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-var valid_types = require( '../query/types' );
+var type_mapping = require( '../helper/type_mapping' );
 
 /**
  * Calculate the set-style intersection of two arrays
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ module.exports = function calculate_types(clean_types) {
    * perform a set intersection of their specified types
    */
   if (clean_types.from_layers || clean_types.from_sources) {
-    var types = valid_types;
+    var types = type_mapping.types_list;
 
     if (clean_types.from_layers) {
       types = intersection(types, clean_types.from_layers);
@@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ module.exports = function calculate_types(clean_types) {
   }
 
   throw new Error('no types specified');
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+};
diff --git a/query/layers.js b/query/layers.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 7f16d1fb..00000000
--- a/query/layers.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Mapping from data layers to type values
- */
-
-module.exports = {
-  'venue': ['geoname','osmnode','osmway'],
-  'address': ['osmaddress','openaddresses'],
-  'country': ['admin0'],
-  'region': ['admin1'],
-  'county': ['admin2'],
-  'locality': ['locality'],
-  'localadmin': ['local_admin'],
-  'neighbourhood': ['neighborhood'],
-  'coarse': ['admin0','admin1','admin2','neighborhood','locality','local_admin'],
-};
diff --git a/query/sources.js b/query/sources.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 3715be86..00000000
--- a/query/sources.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Mapping from data sources to type values
- */
-
-module.exports = {
-  'gn'            : ['geoname'],
-  'geonames'      : ['geoname'],
-  'oa'            : ['openaddresses'],
-  'openaddresses' : ['openaddresses'],
-  'qs'            : ['admin0', 'admin1', 'admin2', 'neighborhood', 'locality', 'local_admin'],
-  'quattroshapes' : ['admin0', 'admin1', 'admin2', 'neighborhood', 'locality', 'local_admin'],
-  'osm'           : ['osmaddress', 'osmnode', 'osmway'],
-  'openstreetmap' : ['osmaddress', 'osmnode', 'osmway']
-};
diff --git a/query/types.js b/query/types.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 5f8cfab7..00000000
--- a/query/types.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-
-// querable types
-
-module.exports = [
-  'geoname',
-  'osmnode',
-  'osmway',
-  'admin0',
-  'admin1',
-  'admin2',
-  'neighborhood',
-  'locality',
-  'local_admin',
-  'osmaddress',
-  'openaddresses'
-];
diff --git a/sanitiser/_ids.js b/sanitiser/_ids.js
index 0194da02..da509b0d 100644
--- a/sanitiser/_ids.js
+++ b/sanitiser/_ids.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 var _ = require('lodash'),
     check = require('check-types'),
-    types = require('../query/types');
+    type_mapping = require('../helper/type_mapping'),
+    types = type_mapping.types_list;
 
 var ID_DELIM = ':';
 
diff --git a/sanitiser/reverse.js b/sanitiser/reverse.js
index dd9eeb1d..11937bbc 100644
--- a/sanitiser/reverse.js
+++ b/sanitiser/reverse.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 
+var type_mapping = require('../helper/type_mapping');
 var sanitizeAll = require('../sanitiser/sanitizeAll'),
     sanitizers = {
       singleScalarParameters: require('../sanitiser/_single_scalar_parameters'),
-      layers: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', require('../query/layers')),
-      sources: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('sources', require('../query/sources')),
+      layers: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', type_mapping.layer_to_type),
+      sources: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('sources', type_mapping.source_to_type),
       size: require('../sanitiser/_size'),
       private: require('../sanitiser/_flag_bool')('private', false),
       geo_reverse: require('../sanitiser/_geo_reverse'),
diff --git a/sanitiser/search.js b/sanitiser/search.js
index e1b79528..dd46f419 100644
--- a/sanitiser/search.js
+++ b/sanitiser/search.js
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
+var type_mapping = require('../helper/type_mapping');
 
 var sanitizeAll = require('../sanitiser/sanitizeAll'),
     sanitizers = {
       singleScalarParameters: require('../sanitiser/_single_scalar_parameters'),
       text: require('../sanitiser/_text'),
       size: require('../sanitiser/_size'),
-      layers: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', require( '../query/layers' )),
-      sources: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('sources', require( '../query/sources' )),
+      layers: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', type_mapping.layer_to_type),
+      sources: require('../sanitiser/_targets')('sources', type_mapping.source_to_type),
       private: require('../sanitiser/_flag_bool')('private', false),
       geo_search: require('../sanitiser/_geo_search'),
       boundary_country: require('../sanitiser/_boundary_country'),
diff --git a/test/unit/helper/query_parser.js b/test/unit/helper/query_parser.js
index ad669ece..c1e3fd52 100644
--- a/test/unit/helper/query_parser.js
+++ b/test/unit/helper/query_parser.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-
 var parser = require('../../../helper/query_parser');
-var layers_map = require('../../../query/layers');
+
+var type_mapping = require('../../../helper/type_mapping');
+var layers_map = type_mapping.layer_to_type;
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
diff --git a/test/unit/query/types.js b/test/unit/query/types.js
deleted file mode 100644
index eee830a6..00000000
--- a/test/unit/query/types.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-
-var types = require('../../../query/types');
-
-module.exports.tests = {};
-
-module.exports.tests.interface = function(test, common) {
-  test('valid interface', function(t) {
-    t.true(Array.isArray(types), 'valid array');
-    t.equal(types.length, 11, 'valid array');
-    t.end();
-  });
-};
-
-module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {
-
-  function test(name, testFunction) {
-    return tape('types ' + name, testFunction);
-  }
-
-  for( var testCase in module.exports.tests ){
-    module.exports.tests[testCase](test, common);
-  }
-};
diff --git a/test/unit/run.js b/test/unit/run.js
index 6b24259f..a95764e5 100644
--- a/test/unit/run.js
+++ b/test/unit/run.js
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ var tests = [
   require('./sanitiser/_layers'),
   require('./sanitiser/reverse'),
   require('./sanitiser/place'),
-  require('./query/types'),
   require('./query/search'),
   require('./query/autocomplete'),
   require('./query/reverse'),
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
index 02e25f18..26445018 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/_ids.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 var sanitize = require('../../../sanitiser/_ids');
 
 var delimiter = ':';
-var types = require('../../../query/types');
+var type_mapping = require('../../../helper/type_mapping');
 var inputs = {
   valid: [ 'geoname:1', 'osmnode:2', 'admin0:53', 'osmway:44', 'geoname:5' ],
   invalid: [ ':', '', '::', 'geoname:', ':234', 'gibberish:23' ]
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ var formatError = function(input) {
 var lengthError = 'invalid param \'ids\': length must be >0';
 var defaultMissingTypeError = function(input) {
     var type = input.split(delimiter)[0];
-    return type + ' is invalid. It must be one of these values - [' + types.join(', ') + ']';
+    return type + ' is invalid. It must be one of these values - [' + type_mapping.types_list.join(', ') + ']';
   };
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/_layers.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/_layers.js
index 12d2cfd3..50117c08 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/_layers.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/_layers.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+var type_mapping = require('../../../helper/type_mapping');
 
-var sanitize = require('../../../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', require('../../../query/layers'));
+var sanitize = require('../../../sanitiser/_targets')('layers', type_mapping.layer_to_type);
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/_sources.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/_sources.js
index 05507a36..d2ef405f 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/_sources.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/_sources.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-var sanitize = require( '../../../sanitiser/_targets' )('sources', require('../../../query/sources'));
+var type_mapping = require('../../../helper/type_mapping');
+var sanitize = require( '../../../sanitiser/_targets' )('sources', type_mapping.source_to_type);
 
 var success_messages = { error: false };