GeoNames Home | Postal Codes | Download / Webservice | About 

GeoNames Forum
  [Search] Search   [Recent Topics] Recent Topics   [Groups] Back to home page 
[Register] Register / 
[Login] Login 
New admin2 for Victoria,Australia  XML
Forum Index -> Administrative Divisions
Author Message
BlueMM



Joined: 07/09/2007 08:40:50
Messages: 4
Offline

I'd like to specify admin2 options for some geonames, but there are only 3 listed in the state of Victoria, Australia (why only 3?). There are 79 Local Government Areas in Victoria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Government_Areas_of_Victoria.
These are shires/cities etc.
How does one enter these into Geonames so they show up as options in the edit dialog for a geoname entry?
[WWW]
marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
Offline

Hi

Second order administrative divisions for Australia have not yet been fully integrated into GeoNames. If you just care about one or two divisions you can add them with the google maps interface. In order for them to show off on the drop down list and work properly we will need a code for the administrative division. Normally we use the official code used by local authorities.

I have some official data files for Vic, SA and NSW, but I did not yet have the time to integrate them in GeoNames. The main work is tolook at the featurecodes in these datasets and map them to the GeoNames codes before we can insert the data. We could need help with this. Would you like to help us with Australian data?

Regards

Marc

[WWW]
BlueMM



Joined: 07/09/2007 08:40:50
Messages: 4
Offline

I'd be happy to help, what do you need done?
BTW, I couldn't seem to find the feature to add a division using the google maps interface, maybe I missed something
[WWW]
marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
Offline

How to add new places is described in the user manual :
http://www.geonames.org/manual.html#create

For Victoria we have to map the codes used in the official gazetteer to the featurecodes used by GeoNames. Afterwards we have to map the existing GeoNames toponyms with the toponyms in the VICNAMES gazetteer : http://services.land.vic.gov.au/vicnames/

The GeoNames featurecodes are here : http://www.geonames.org/export/codes.html

Here the featurecodes used in VICNAMES with the number of times they occur.

Code:
 count | featurecode 
 -------+-------------
     62 | AF
      2 | ANCH
     29 | BANK
      3 | BAPL
      2 | BAR
    192 | BAY
    193 | BCH
      2 | BCST
    239 | BEND
     34 | BGHT
   1024 | BLDG
      3 | BNDY
     12 | BORE
    644 | BRDG
      4 | BRKW
      2 | BTRY
     26 | CAPE
     53 | CAVE
     27 | CEM
    555 | CHAN
      3 | CHCH
      1 | CLAY
     73 | CLIF
     18 | CNAL
     37 | CNTY
      1 | COMM
      2 | COST
    150 | COVE
    152 | CPST
      9 | CRPK
      7 | CRRD
     35 | CUT
    246 | DAM
      1 | DEEP
      9 | DEPR
      7 | DOCK
     71 | DRN
      3 | DSRT
      5 | DUNE
     12 | ENTR
     22 | FARM
     12 | FLD
     48 | FORD
     28 | FRBK
      5 | FRNG
    120 | FRST
    826 | FSTA
     82 | FTRY
     10 | GATE
     43 | GORG
     77 | GRDN
      1 | GULF
     12 | HBR
   1526 | HILL
      1 | HLPT
    165 | HOSP
     49 | HWY
     10 | INTL
    222 | IS
      4 | ISTH
     41 | JUNC
     96 | LAGN
    553 | LAKE
     78 | LGA
     10 | LH
     12 | LNDG
   3210 | LOCB
      7 | LOCK
      3 | MALL
     47 | MILL
    238 | MINE
     47 | MONU
      7 | MRKT
      1 | MSSN
    923 | MT
     40 | NAVB
   1263 | NBHD
   1711 | PARK
    301 | PASS
    207 | PEAK
      4 | PEN
     48 | PIER
     14 | PIPE
     18 | PL
     38 | PLAN
    358 | PLN
     69 | PLNA
    439 | PO
      4 | POND
      7 | POOL
      1 | PORT
      1 | PROM
   2004 | PRSH
      8 | PRSN
    365 | PSTA
    518 | PT
     12 | QUAR
     34 | RCH
     91 | RDGE
     44 | REEF
    214 | RES
    319 | RESV
      1 | RH
     60 | RLY
    169 | RNGE
    239 | ROCK
    864 | RSTA
     36 | RTRK
      2 | RUIN
   2898 | SCHL
      1 | SEA
     45 | SHCE
     25 | SHOL
      3 | SHR
     41 | SITE
      6 | SLP
      2 | SND
      2 | SOAK
      3 | SPAN
      8 | SPIT
     35 | SPRG
    329 | SPUR
      3 | STDM
      9 | STR
   7387 | STRM
    510 | SWMP
     44 | TANK
     42 | TOWR
   1199 | TPEX
    371 | TRIG
    176 | TRK
     12 | TUNN
      1 | TVST
     21 | VAL
     14 | WELL
      4 | WOOD
      1 | WTR
    184 | WTRF
     29 | WTRH
      6 | YD
 (140 rows)
 
 

[WWW]
BlueMM



Joined: 07/09/2007 08:40:50
Messages: 4
Offline

Yeah, I've seen the manual before, but it doesn't show how to add a new Admin2.

I think your previous message was asking for me (or someone) to match the VICNAMES codes to the Geonames codes so you can import the VICNAMES dump. The mapping looks like the time consuming bit.

If so, I'll match up the codes and post them here or send them to you direct.
Let me know if I got all this right.
[WWW]
marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
Offline

Hi

Adding ADM2 to the dropdown list requires a bootstrapping task. GeoNames is using official codes for administrative entities and there is no entry field for this. If you only want to add a handful of them you can do so over the googlemaps interface in the same way you add other toponyms. You just have to tell me the official codes for these admin divisions and I enter it directly in the database to make it available in the drop down list.

It would be great if you could help mapping the VIC feature codes to the GeoNames feature codes. I will then map the VIC gazetteer toponyms to the GeoNames toponyms and insert the remaining records. It has been on my todo list for some months, but other tasks have always managed to get higher priority so far.

Regards

Marc

[WWW]
BlueMM



Joined: 07/09/2007 08:40:50
Messages: 4
Offline

Hi Marc,
Yeah, I worked out how to add ADM2's, I thought it was something special, then looked at an existing one, and realised I can add it like any other toponym. But the official ones would be better for me and everyone else interested in Victorian data.

I downloaded the full VICNAMES data from http://services.land.vic.gov.au/vicnames/placeName.html?method=exportList and selected "All Municipalities" & "All Feature Types", which produces a 3.3MB XLS file (really a TAB seperated file). I've started to create a separate table that matches the GeoNames codes with the VICNAMES codes.

As I'm working through it, I realise that some VICNAME codes are very broad (like BLDG Building), which on inspection, could match about 10 different GeoName codes (like Court houses, Huts, Schools etc.). So I started created notes like "For AF codes, if contains Aerodrome or Airport, geoname-code = AIRP otherwise use AF" But realised that was getting complicated and would be hard to import.

Would it be better if I took the VICNAME data and added a GeoName code column, which I fill in? Majority would be some direct mapping, but I'd look into items that didn't match well and provide a more accurate GeoName code (either by using the Place Name eg. "WODONGA MAGISTRATES COURT" to deduce code, or do a google search for difficult ones). Does that sound like a good plan?

Questions:
1. Some points are duplicated, with one having a Place Name Status = HISTORICAL or ALTERNATIVE, how should I structure that so you can import, or will the import script automatically add HISTORICAL/ALTERNATIVE items as alt names to Official items at the same location? (which I presume is the only way to get the current<->historical/alt relationship from VICNAMES data
2. What should I do with items with Place Name Status = PROPOSED CHANGE & PROPOSED NEW? (I guess remove them)
3. How should Place Name Status = UNOFFICIAL be represented?
4. Some items have no lat/lon, should they be left in? (where would they appear in GeoNames for people to correct their position?)
5. All items have a Municipality column. Some Municipalities listed don't have an associated item with a LGA feature code (Local Government Area). These are: UNINCORPORATED, UNKNOWN & FRENCH ISLAND (UNINCORPORATED). The FRENCH ISLAND one is an actual location, so I could manually add a dummy LGA for it, using the lat/lon of the French Island parish.
6. Everything is in UPPERCASE, which looks ugly. Does your import scripts handle that? If not, I could convert to Title Case, and check for exceptions like O'shannassy, McMillian etc.
7. I'm no lawyer, but looking at the copyright notice that has to be agreed to before downloading the VICNAME data, is it compatible with GeoNames?

I think that's all the issues I have found. Hopefully the answers to my questions means I can finish this all off for import!!
[WWW]
marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
Offline

Hi BlueMM

Thanks for your help. In general I would start top down and see that we can import the important data and less important data can wait till later. It is great if you can figure out the correct feature codes for buildings, at the other hand I think we could live with the generic feature code 'Building' for the time being.

1. The duplications will be added as alternate names by the import script.
2 and 3. There are only a handfull of records with these states, I think we can simply ignore them and forget them.
4. I don' t find records without lat/lng in my dump. I might have another version or I have already deleted them and forgot about them. I suggest to not load them. The UI is not optimized for moving places withouth lat/lng.
5. Do what you can do.
6. It is great if you can fix this. If not I will use the postgres 'initcap' command.
7. I have asked for permission some weeks back and the Registrar of Geographic Names has granted it to GeoNames.

Cheers

Marc

[WWW]
 
Forum Index -> Administrative Divisions
Go to:   
Powered by JForum 2.1.5 © JForum Team