GeoNames Forum

Hi,

We are using the country code resolution API to resolve the countries for assets we are tracking and have noticed some issues whereby the asset is clearly in a country (as per the position), but the CountryCode API returns "no country code found".

We are using the CountryCode API via an HTTP request as so:

Code:

http://<DOMAIN>/countryCode?username=<USERNAME>&lat=xxxx&lng=yyyy

Some examples are;

1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France (43.550513, 7.017444)

Keewatin Region, NU, Canada (60.32364, -94.24824)

Hillesøyvegen, 9110 Sommarøy, Norway (69.625897, 18.035966)

I've also attached a file containing all of the problematic locations with resolved location names we have so far.

Why would this be? Internally do you guys store the data as country polygons and query within them? Would it be possible to tweak the polygons where necessary to fix these? These locations appear to often be costal, as though the country "zones" are slightly clipped.

cheers,

Rob Harwood
Vismo

Hi Rob,

The Webservice Documentation says >>
'radius (buffer in km for closest country in coastal areas, a positive buffer expands the positiv area whereas a negative buffer reduces it)'

Try with a buffer extension. Your Norway position with a 5km buffer works perfectly >>>
> http://api.geonames.org/countryCode?lat=69.625897&lng=18.035966&radius=5&username=demo

The same for Cannes.
As for your Canada position >> It is really offshore, 23km into the Hudson Bay.

Up to you, to decide about the buffer radius...

Cheers,
Urs

Ah thankyou! We were recently made aware of this just before I read your post but that's really useful.

We've found that trying a radius of 1 then upping to 5 on failure seems to work well (I assume this is in km?)

thanks again

Hi Rob,

Yes it is a km-radius.

I guess it is about cellphones ???

If your Canada position was a real one, then the cellphone was aboard a ship.

My personal experience with cellphones in the Mediterranean on a low sailboat says: At 20km offshore there may be a connection, further away not.
A better cellphone, a higher onshore station, a higher cellphone (on a large ship or an offshore unit) and a special atmospheric situation may extend this distance.

Then the fallback distance should be much larger...

Cheers,
Urs