positioning vs locating

positioning and locating both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
positioning	Yes	Yes	No	No
locating	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, positioning and locating are synonyms defined as:

positioning and locating: the act of putting something in a certain place

Other synonyms of positioning include emplacement, location, placement, position.

positioning (noun)	locating (noun)
the act of putting something in a certain place	the act of putting something in a certain place
	a determination of the place where something is

positioning (adjective)	locating (adjective)
causing to fall into line or into position