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Home , Endonym and exonym

UNITED GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn BBuulllleettiinn

NUMBER 43 December 2012

Inside this issue: Group of Experts on Geographical Names Information Bulletin

 (ISSN 1014-798) is published by United Preface Nations Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Message from the Chairperson 3

 The designations employed and the News from the Secretariat presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of Message from the Secretariat 5 any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning  From the Divisions the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities or concerning the Norden Division 6 delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

 From the Working Groups Previous issues of the Bulletin (formerly Newsletter) can be found at Working Group on Exonyms 7 Working Group on Publicity and Funding 10 http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn_in Working Group on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers 10 fo_bulletins.htm Working Group on Training Courses in 13

 From the Countries

Burkina Faso 19

 Special Projects and News Items

Names boards – dealing with VGI, crowd-sourcing, web harvesting, 3rd August 2012 21 Explaining GeoNyms 25

 Upcoming Meetings of Groups Associated with Geographical Names 26 U N G E G N The Information Bulletin of the United Tel: 212 963 4297 Nations Group of Experts on Fax: 212 963 4569 IInformatiion Geographical Names (formerly E-mail : UNGEGN Newsletter) is issued [email protected]

BBulletiin twice a year by the Secretariat of the [email protected] Group. The Secretariat is established within the Statistics Division (UNSD), (formerly NEWSLETTER) Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Secretariat of

the United Nations. It publishes

contributions/reports from the Experts of the Group, its Linguistic/ Geographical Divisions and its Working Groups. Contributions for the Information Bulletin can only be considered when they are made available in digital form. They should be sent to the following address:

Secretariat of the Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) Room DC2-1682 United Nations New York, NY 10017 USA

2 Preface

Message from the Chairperson

Dear Colleagues I believe it is also appropriate to offer a vote of thanks from all the delegates to Ms. Helen This is my first message to you as Chair of Kerfoot for her 20 years of involvement with UNGEGN. I hope that all were able to return the UNGEGN Bureau. This conference and safely home following our largely successful session gave us an opportunity to express our Tenth UN Conference and 27 th UNGEGN appreciation in a number of ways for the Session. I found the range of papers and support and encouragement Helen has given presentations very informative and hope that us. She and her husband Ken have been each of us gained some valuable knowledge unselfish in their efforts on our behalf. I feel I and insight that can be applied in our own can speak for us all when I wish Helen and environments. Ken all the best for their future. Thankfully, Helen has indicated that she will still be Tenth Conference and 27 th Session involved with UNGEGN in some capacities.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a On a more formal note, the final versions of number of people for the work they undertook report of the Conference and the 27 th Session in relation to the two meetings. are now available on the web site in all six . The resolutions of the conference • The UNGEGN Secretariat did their will be added to the compendium of usual excellent task behind the scenes resolutions. to organise these meetings, and I am sure that their efforts are greatly The Future appreciated by us all. • Thanks to Ferjan Ormering and Botolv The relevance of place names, particularly in Helleland for their willingness to step association with spatial data, is increasing. As into the roles as Chair of the Session such, I believe that the pressure of place and President of the Conference names authorities and processes will increase respectively at such short notice. The as the demand for accurate and comprehensive fact that both meetings flowed so data increases. I feel this will require us to smoothly is a tribute to their efforts. work smarter in the future.

I would also like to thank all the delegates for To this end, I would encourage the working the trust placed in me as the new Chairperson. groups and divisions to continue and indeed It is a trust I take very seriously. I would also accelerate the efforts you are making. I would offer sincere thanks to Ferjan Ormerling and also encourage individuals and countries to Naima Friha who have accepted the roles of become more involved in both the working Vice Chairpersons and Peder Gammeltoft and groups and division to provide a greater Trent Palmer who have agreed to take on the resource base, focus and momentum for the role of rapporteurs. work carried out in these valuable forums.

3 ensure that the technical focus is maintained I was encouraged to see the efforts of the Task and that greater efforts be made to ensure that Team for Africa being rewarded with we do not inadvertently or deliberately measurable progress, and look forward the introduce issues and examples that will detract seeing this continue. There are lessons to be from the technical nature. learnt from this initiative that will be applicable in other parts of the world. Conclusion

I would like to take this opportunity to echo I look forward to working with you over the the thoughts expresses by the previous coming years. Please feel free to pass on to Chairperson in relation to the terms of myself or any member of the Bureau any reference and focus of UNGEGN. This body suggestions you have in relation to the next is a technical committee and I would seek the UNGEGN Session. This will aid in the support of all delegates to ensure this focus is planning for 2014. maintained. It is noted that there was an increase in the interventions that can only be Bill Watt classed as political. This has the effect of UNGEGN Chair drawing the focus from those important Australia technical issues that require our attention. I Email: [email protected] would therefore encourage all delegates to

4

News from the Secretariat

Message from the Secretariat

Dear UNGEGN Experts,

From the feedback we received during and We are also happy to inform you that the after the 10 th Conference on the National Geographic Information Institute of Standardization of Geographical Names (31 the Republic of has, with permission July – 9 August), the Conference was well from the United Nations, translated some received. We would like to thank all of you publications into Korean. They are available who made this possible through your active on the UNGEGN website at participation, through your interesting http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/p documents, your interventions, your posters, ublications.html . your contributions to side events etc. This message would not be complete without The 10 th Conference and the 27 th Session are thanking Ms. Helen Kerfoot for her tireless now well behind us and we can now report efforts and great cooperation with the that as of December both reports are available secretariat over the past years. The Secretariat in their final version on our website. It’s also staff wish her all the best and we now look worthwhile to note that the Economic and forward to working very closely with Mr. Bill Social Council (ECOSOC) has taken note of Watt, the new UNGEGN chair, on current and both reports in resumed sessions in November future activities of the Group of Experts. and as recently as mid-December. Sabine Warschburger Our focus has now shifted to exploring the UNGEGN Secretariat possibility of organizing the 28 th Session in E-Mail: [email protected] in 2014. In this context, we are working closely with the newly elected UNGEGN chair, Mr. Bill Watt.

The UNGEGN Secretariat has also been able to virtually complete the scanning and uploading of documents for all past UNGEGN sessions. This was achieved with the help of many experts, in particular Helen Kerfoot, Ferjan Ormeling and Hubert Bergmann. In the coming months we will work on scanning and making available online documents from past Conferences.

5

From the Divisions

Norden Division

The Norden Division has held two meetings hold the next Norden Division Meeting in this summer, one in on 10 June cooperation with the Baltic Division, taking 2012 and the next on 6 August 2012 during an opportunity to have a joint seminar at the the UNCSGN Conference in New York. same venue. This is still in the early stages of Eleven members were present at the first planning but a meeting towards the end of meeting and eight at the second. It was September 2013 is being planned at the time particularly nice to have Greenland, the of writing. Faeroe Islands and the Sami communities represented at the Copenhagen meeting and We in the Norden Division were proud to see much valuable information was relayed and our long-time member Botolv Helleland as discussed there. One of the main points of that the president of the 10 th UNCSGN meeting was the election of the Chair of the Conference. It is nice to know that the Norden Division for the next five years. The division is playing a central role in UNGEGN chair should have been passed on to Norway and one we hope to be able to maintain in the but owing to a request from Norway that their future. chairmanship be postponed, it was decided Denmark retain the Chair for another period. Peder Gammeltoft The New York meeting focused on the status Chair of Norden Division of the EuroGeoNames and INSPIRE projects Email: [email protected] and on where to hold the next Norden Division Meeting. It was decided to try and

6

From the Working Groups

Working Group On Exonyms

12 th Meeting of the Working Group on Exonyms, Gda ńsk, , 16-18 May 2012

The meeting had the character of a workshop and Małgorzata MANDOLA (/Poland). and was kindly hosted by the Polish Main All of them except BELL and MANDOLA Office of Geodesy and Cartography, complained about insuffiencies of the current Katarzyna PRZYSZEWSKA being the definitions of the and responsible organizer in place (Fig. 1). It was made partly new proposals. organized jointly with the UNGEGN Figure 2 Working Group on Systems (Convenor: Peeter PÄLL ). After opening speeches by Peter JORDAN , Peeter PÄLL , Helen KERFOOT and a representative of the host institution, Jan WENDT , professor of at the Gda ńsk University, conveyed a geographical and historical introduction to city and region of Gda ńsk (Fig. 2).

Figure 1

The historical port at the Motlava River

The two sessions on the second day of the meeting were devoted to trends in exonym use and minority toponyms. On trends in exonym use reported Béla Pokoly (), Sungjae Choo, (Republic of Korea), again Paul Woodman (United Kingdom), Maria del Mar Battle (Spain), Bogusław R. Zagórski (Poland), Ivana Crljenko (Croatia) and Pavel Bohá č (Czechia). To names in minority Ms. Katarzyna PRZYSZEWSKA's welcome address languages referred Zsombor Bartos-Elekes (Romania), Ewa Wolnicz-Pawłowska The first session on the endonym/exonym (Poland) and András Dutkó in a common divide filled the first day of the meeting paper with Mónika Mándoki (both Hungary). completely and saw papers presented by Peter JORDAN (), Paul WOODMAN (United A general discussion on goals and tasks of the Kingdom, two papers), Phil MATTHEWS (New WG chaired by the convenor highlighted Zealand), Oj ārs BUŠS (Latvia), Maciej ZYCH once more the prevailing dissatisfaction with (Poland), Herman BELL (United Kingdom) the current definitions of the endonym and

7 the exonym. It was repeatedly critized that It was not time enough to discuss all the they were not practicable (esp. ZYCH ). various proposals for new definitions Especially WOODMAN and the convenor held thoroughly. But it was found that this should the opinion that not primarily , but be done in a next workshop and as carefully the community-feature relation were the as possible. It should be avoided that the WG essential criterion for defining this divide and comes up with new definitions “every other that the differentiation between official and year”, since this would not throw a good light unofficial names or languages had nothing to on the WGs reliability (KERFOOT ). Viable do with the endonym/exonym divide. definitions ready for the purposes of Figure 3 standardization, however, were the primary task of the WG.

A bus excursion to the bilingual Kashubian region nearby Gda ńsk including visits to a university for education in minority culture, a bilingual school with teaching and dancing performances (Fig. 3) and a broadcasting station emitting also features in Kashubian language as well as a dinner invitation by the Polish hosts to a brewery (Fig. 4) completed the program in the most interesting and convenient way. School children performing Kashubian dances Figure 4 The proceedings of this meeting will be published soon.

Peter JORDAN Convenor, Working Group on Exonyms Email: [email protected]

Ms. Helen Kerfoot and Mr. Peter Jordan

8

13 th Meeting of the Working Group on Exonyms, New York, 6 th August 2012

The Working Group met on 6 th August 2012 quite a number of meetings and workshops during the 10 th UN Conference on the and publishing books, the WG had not Standardization of Geographical Names in reached its goals as defined by its terms of the UN Headquarters in New York. The reference yet. So he felt the challenge to Working Group’s acting convenor, Peter accomplish at least some of them as, e.g., JORDAN , chaired the meeting. new, precise and applicable definitions of the endonym and the exonym as well as He first gave an overview on activities of the guidelines for the use of exonyms. He was working group since the last UNGEGN thus willing to run for another term as Session in [Wien] (Austria) in May convenor. OROŽEN ADAMI Č resigned as a 2011 highlighting the 11 th meeting held co-convenor, because he had been elected during the Session in Vienna, 4 th May 2011, chair of his Division. He suggested that th and the 12 meeting of the WG, held in JORDAN should become the one and only th th Gda ńsk (Poland) May 16 to 18 2012 in convenor of the WG. JORDAN asked the conjunction with the WG on Romanization audience whether a secret vote was Systems (for more detail see the separate demanded. This was not the case and report in this Bulletin). He thanked JORDAN has been elected unanimously Katarzyna PRZYSZEWSKA and her colleagues convenor of the WG. JORDAN then from the Institute of Geodesy and announced that he will establish a steering Cartography in [Warszawa] for her committee, which is to consult proposals in great and so successful efforts in organizing more detail and present them commonly in this meeting. WG meetings.

Topics discussed in these meetings were Regarding agenda item “future activities” primarily the endonym/exonym divide, the the convenor highlighted three of them: (1) a definitions of the endonym and the exonym, thorough discussion of new definitions, (2) criteria for a politically sensitive use of criteria for a politically sensitive use of exonyms as well as the question whether a exonyms, (3) categorisation of exonyms. third term for international waters was Referring to the definitions, he argued that needed. the current definitions operated with language and officiality as essential criteria, Under the item “elections” JORDAN first while the only essential criterion for the mentioned, that Milan OROŽEN ADAMI Č endonym/exonym divide was the () had been the first convenor of the community-feature relation. This initiated a WG from 2002 to 2005, the person who lively discussion documented by the minutes “made the engine run”. In 2005 JORDAN of the 13 th Meeting, which will soon be became co-convenor. With the appointment available at the WG website (http://www.zrc- of OROŽEN ADAMI Č as ambassador of sazu.si/ungegn/WGE/exonyms.htm ).In general, Slovenia in JORDAN became the de however, the three agenda items were facto convenor of the WG which was approved by the WG. confirmed by vote in Nairobi 2009. For a next WG meeting three proposals (two According to JORDAN , in spite of organizing from Romania, one from Greece) were on

9 the table. Upon invitation of Greece, a next Peter JORDAN workshop of the WG will take place on the Convenor, Working Group on Exonyms island of Corfu [Kérkura] (Greece) in May Email: [email protected] 2013. It will have the structure of a workshop and mainly be devoted to the endonym/exonym divide and the discussion of new definitions for the endonym and the exonym.

Working Group on Publicity and Funding

The Working Group on Publicity and commission there. Additionally, a Funding held a joint meeting with the Toponomy Training Course is planned for Working Group on Evaluation and Madagascar in 2013, for which funding is Implementation in New York on 7th August also sought. The Toponymic Terminology 2012, in conjunction with the 10 th Database which was presented as a proof-of- UNCSGN. concept at the conference was also discussed as a possible funding project. At the Working Group meeting, the new Convenor, Peder Gammeltoft and the new It was also decided that the UNGEGN entry rapporteur Hubert Bergmann were presented in Wikipedia should be updated and and welcomed to the Working Group, and augmented, which Hubert Bergmann both kindly thanked for the honour of promised to take charge of, as was a greater becoming part of this important Working focus on the UNGEGN Information Bulletin Group. and updates to the Working Group’s page on the UNGEGN website discussed. Among the items discussed at the meeting were items completed since last meeting in in 2011 and future funding activities. Peder Gammeltoft Under this item, Burkina Faso had requested Convenor, Working Group on Publicity and an Expert to help with the start-up phase of Funding the newly established new place-names Email: [email protected]

Working Group on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers

10 th UNCSGN - Technical Committee II - establishing geographical names databases, agenda item 11 services, applications and other products. Two C.Ps described multi-national In summary 20 Conference Papers (C.P.s) activities. One C.P. addressed a broader submitted by 14 countries have been context for gazetteers, namely the “Four submitted under item 11. Generally it was faces of Toponymic Gazetteers”. identified that most C.P.s have addressed national activities on developing and

10 There is a trend of activities in the countries Within the 10th UNCSGN (conference and focused on the establishment of GN side events) three new tasks/issues have databases, services and applications to make been proposed to be added to the “Scope of GN data usable for different purposes - e.g. work” and to the “Work plan” of the WG for GIS, for map production or for the TDFG respectively: support of specific services like land management, health, address or other 1) During a lunchtime presentation services. Sometimes countries do already about the topic “volunteered use web services technologies for the GN geographic information data provision/dissemination and by that (VGI)/crowd-sourcing” it was supporting a vision of a general Spatial Data recommended that investigations Infrastructure (SDI). about VGI/crowd-sourcing shall be commenced within the WG TDFG. This trend of supporting multi- Within the UNGEGN session (item usage/purposes of GN data is fully 9) the convenor emphasized that this compliant and recognizing Res VIII/6 of the can only be a starting point for some 8th UNCSGN, which recommends activity. After some initial technical integrating GN better into national, regional work within the WG TDFG, at the and international SDIs. next UNGEGN session 2014, the discussion of VGI and crowd- The convenor would like to thank the sourcing should be continued within rapporteur, Ms Laura Konstanski and her the topics national policies and assistant, Mr Sungjae Choo as well as the promotion of standardization. Vice-Chair of this TC II, Ms Eman Orieby 2) During the first session of Technical for their contributions. Committee II (E/CONF.101/57 and Add.1) it was recommended by Meeting of the WG within the 10 th Australia that the WG TDFG may UNCSGN, UN Headquarters, New York, consider to commence 2 August 2012 investigations into defining appropriate definitions for The Working Group on Toponymic Data gazetteers and data types as this is Files and Gazetteers of UNGEGN held its obviously an issue for the WG meeting during the Tenth UN Conference on TDFG. With the support of the WG the Standardization of Geographical Names the “Scope of Work“ and the “Work (UNCSGN) at the United Nations plan” will be updated in due course Headquarters, New York, 09:00 – 09:45, 2 concerning the definition of types of August 2012. gazetteers. 3) During a session of Technical The minutes and the initial presentation of Committee IV (E/CONF.101/56 and the meeting are available through: Add.1) it was recommended by https://wiki.gdi-de.org/display/wgtdfg/2012- Australia that the issue of 08+meeting+in+New+York developing general feature types/categories could be an item to New tasks addressed to the WG within be discussed further in the WG the 10 th UNCSGN TDFG too. It is worth noting that different feature type classifications

11 increase the complexity of any Regarding the methods to be used to start interpretation or searching process. actions the following suggestions has been Interpreting these references is a accepted by the WG: in 2011 the existing significant and pressing need for separate Working Group website was re- better using information to support launched. It is linked to the section available decisions, and gazetteers were within the UNGEGN website. The software considered to be the source of the used for the website potentially allows information needed to interpret these implementing Wiki functionality and set up references. Obviously this topic a discussion forum within the website . relates with the agenda of the WG TDFG. This discussion forum could be utilized to commence investigations on these three With the support of the WG the “Scope of issues mentioned before within the WG by Work“ and the “Work plan” of the WG creating separate Wiki “rooms” / pages for TDFG will be updated in due course. The these specific topics and upload initial convenor noted that tackling these new and documents to it. Registered members will quite complex issues a strong support and start to comment on the initial documents contributions by the WG members is and extend the content of the Wiki “rooms” / needed. pages respectively.

The discussion forum is accessible through: and contributions by the WG members. https://wiki.gdi- Volunteers from the WG are most welcome de.org/display/wgtdfg/Discussion+forum to provide content and initial documents, besides the C.P.s submitted within the 10 th It is obvious that tackling these new and UNCSGN. If WG members or other quite complex issues needs a strong support UNGEGN experts are interested in

12 contributing to these issues, please contact data maintenance, production and the convenor of the WG. distribution in the context of Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs). • set up a discussion forum as part of the Upcoming Actions for 2012 – 2014 Working Group website by utilizing Wiki • participate at and/or contribute, if required, functionality in order to commence to the yearly organized United Nations investigations on issues and specific topics Geographic Information Working Group like e.g. volunteered geographic information (UNGIWG) meetings and report back to and crowd sourced data; UNGEGN and in particular to this WG; • update, if required, the content of Part II of • participate at and/or contribute, if required, the UNGEGN Technical Reference to the GGIM forum, documents, Manual and assist the UNGEGN secretariat discussions with the publication of an amended version; • promote and provide consultancy and • assist in raising awareness about the lack of technical advice to the UNSDI Gazetteer availability of standardized names by Framework Project through the Science participating and presenting toponymic data and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) topics at national and international • provide consultancy to the developments conferences organized in the fields of related to the UNGEGN database, UNECA geospatial information management “UNECA Africa GeoNyms (comprising spatial data infrastructures), database/gazetteer initiative”, the cartography and remote sensing; INSPIRE initiative , the EuroGeoNames • arrange Working Group meetings , at least project ,UN gazetteer and projects of one between the two UNGEGN Sessions developing countries through toponymic conducted in preparation of the respective training courses ; UNCSGN. • monitor the development of the Best Practice Gazetteer Service profile of Web Feature Service (WFS) of the Open Pier-Giorgio Zaccheddu Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Standards Convenor, Working Group on Toponymic Working Group and report back to Data Files and Gazetteers of UNGEGN UNGEGN and in particular to this WG; email: [email protected] • expand the content of the Working Group website and promote it through the UNGEGN Information Bulletin, referencing recently presented documents and including information on data modeling and database design, on general issues in the context of

Working Group on Training Courses in Toponymy

Report on the 4 th BIG-UNGEGN International Toponymy Course held in Yopgyakarta, Indonesia, September 17-21, 2012

75 participants, 9 of which from foreign Informasi Geospasial (BIG, formerly countries (Oman 2, Philippines 2, Malaysia 4, Bakosurtanal) and the UNGEGN Working 1) attended the fourth international Group on Training Courses in Toponymy. The toponymy course, organized by Badan local participants represented 33 Indonesian

13 provinces and a number of local government The new Pilot Gazetteer Framework project areas - as the task of collecting and processing in Indonesia, that was reported upon at the geographical names has been decentralized in 10 th UNCSGN in New York in August Indonesia since 2008 - and some universities. 2012, was also dealt with, as it also requires The course was opened by representatives of participation from regional and local the Special Administrative Area Yogyakarta, government and the various ministries. past UNGEGN chairperson Helen Kerfoot and the director of Bakosurtanal, Dr. Asep Karsidi. Optimal teaching conditions, with coffee, tea and lunches provided on site (so that participants need not leave the premises) made it possible, also thanks to the extremely motivated audience, to have a exacting 9-6 lecturing program.

Figure 1: Fieldwork participants interviewing the chief of Desa Kliwong

The program that had been prepared after Figure 2: Fieldwork participants consultation with the local organizers consisted interviewing local inhabitants of sessions on the following items: • session 1 Names standardization and SDI The first part of the fieldwork was held in • session 2 National names programmes the Cangkringan district high on the slopes • session 3 Regional names database of the smoking Mount Merapi. Here, we initiatives (UN, SEAsia-SWPacific, could still witness the destruction wrought EuroGeoNames servers) by the eruptions that took place in 2010, • session 4 Fieldwork preparation, with houses still partly covered by the preliminary office processing debris of pyroclastic flows. After • fieldwork instruction and a consultation by the district • session 5 Database design and chief, the participants split up into 6 groups, management, gazetteers, name servers each armed with gps and recording equipment, and visited the different parts of • session 6 Names as part of the cultural the district for collecting the names, as well heritage as the required attribute data (next day • session 7 Standardized names these were incorporated into databases from dissemination. Evaluation of current names which both gazetteers and named maps sites derived). All fieldwork participants had • session 8 Names for the Media; Name been issued with special T-shirts, so that planning they were recognizable as an official party.

In order to announce the purpose of the

14 visit beforehand, and to get local The lecturing team consisted of experts informants, the area had been visited earlier from Australia (1), Canada (1), by the local organizers. (1), Indonesia (2), (3). Local organizer was Widodo Edy Santosa, from The second part of the fieldwork took place BIG, who is now producing the in two nearby archeological complexes, the proceedings, that will also be used as a Ratu Boko 8 th century extensive acropolis manual for the provinces and local overviewing the Prambanan plain, and the government to help with their toponymic 9th century Banyunibo Buddhist temple tasks. An indication of the weight Indonesia close by, stressing the role of geographical assigns to its toponymy programme is the names standardization as a means of fact that just prior to the course a separate preserving the cultural heritage. toponymy division was set up within BIG.

Ferjan Ormeling Convenor, UNGEGN WG on training courses in toponymy Email: [email protected]

Figure 3 – classroom circumstances

Advanced Toponymy Course programme and matching manual

At the 10 th UNCSGN the realization of an During the discussion on this proposal to advanced toponymy programme ( Advanced realize an advanced toponymy course and Cartography Courses, E/CONF.101/30) matching manual at the meeting of the was proposed, directed at toponymy staff Working Group on Training Courses in already familiar with the material contained Toponymy, a number of those present in the online toponymy webcourse volunteered to produce texts for some of (UNGEGN-ICA Toponymy Webcourse, the manual chapters proposed. In order also E/CONF.101/33). Although no to cater for the remaining chapters, the list arrangements have been made as yet to of chapters and subchapters is given below, provide such a course, it seems to be a with an indication whether they are still logical outcome of the finalization of the open to be selected by potential online toponymy webcourse. Ideally, such contributors, or are already provided for. an advanced course should be supported by a manual. As the intended audience The need for standardized geographical possibly is too small to warrant a printed names as part of the national geospatial version of an advanced toponymy manual, data infrastructure . for the time being a digital version is aimed In this first chapter the eminence of the for, to be accessible from the UNGEGN national toponymic database, and its website. benefits for administration, development, emergency mapping and preserving the

15 cultural heritage are highlighted (Helen • World names database UN (Helen Kerfoot). Kerfoot)

Examples of applications of the national Concordance between statistical and names database in emergency mapping, topographical names administration and development • Standardization of names for • The National names database and statistical enumeration areas (still emergency mapping (examples open. Someone from from UNSDI, Haiti, crowd flowers, Mexico/Brazil?) time-ou)t (still open) • Reduction of differences between • National names database and tourist statistical and topographical areal activities/hotel reservations (still object names (still open. Someone open) from Brazil/Mexico?) • Integration of crowd-sourced or Management of a national names volunteered geographic information programmes: (VGI)/crowd-sourcing (Pier • Finances, administration, legal Zaccheddu) issues, human resources in maintaining and publishing the Technical issues : database management* geographical names database (Pier • Preliminary discussions on structure Zaccheddu) and contents of toponymic • Exercise on logistics, production databases and gazetteers (Pier time needed, necessary upkeep costs Zaccheddu) (Pier Zaccheddu) • Database design and management (Pier Zaccheddu) Different geographical names • Database Open source options vs applications: commercial options: criteria for • Geographical names for selection (Pier Zaccheddu) hydrographic charts (Australian • Requirements for a school atlas Navy?) names database (Tjeerd Tichelaar) • Geographical names for tourist maps (Tjeerd Tichelaar or Bettina Software packages: Wobek) Preliminary discussions on structure and • Urban street naming (still open) contents of toponymic databases and • Tourist /road map exercise (Tjeerd gazetteers (Pier Zaccheddu) Tichelaar) Names databases and gazetteers (Zaccheddu) Regional and global datafile and gazetteer initiatives Technical issues: internet, web service • Small islands names project (BIG?) infrastructure and applications* • Regional datafiles (for instance • Web services and applications – ASEPSW) (Wendy Shaw) open source options vs commercial • Regional names services such as options: criteria for selection (Pier Eurogeonames (Ferjan Zaccheddu) Ormeling/Pier Zaccheddu)

16 • Publishing names databases in the • Assessing optimal object Google Earth application (Pier positioning procedures: best Zaccheddu) practices (still open) • Working with African GeoNyms - a • Hands-on GPS exercise (still open) desktop application (someone from UNECA or Pier Zaccheddu) Cartographic aspects: paper and digital • UNSDI Gazetteer Framework map series project (CSIRO) • Updating names sheets and Assessing optimal names density Evaluation of current Internet products for map sheets (Romanian • Evaluation of current web services colleagues) and applications (Ferjan Ormeling) • Dealing with areal names on • Evaluation of current names servers adjoining map sheets; multiple (Ferjan Ormeling) naming (Romanian colleagues) • Digital/automatic place name Cultural aspects labeling (still open) • Place names as cultural heritage • Jumping place names on monitor (Botolv Helleland) screens (hierarchical aspects)(still • History of place names (Tjeerd open) Tichelaar) • Assigning street names (still open) Audit of existing records • Collecting indigenous names (WG • in order to coordinate toponymic on Indigenous names?) information from different parts of the country (still open) Toponymic research • in order to coordinate toponymic • Onomastics and lexicology (still information from different survey open) periods (and therefore collected • and the historic study of • according to different standards, place names (still open) processes and procedures) (still • Internet sources for linguistic open) research (Tjeerd Tichelaar) • in order to coordinate names record from different national institutions Toponymic documentation (Laura Kostanski) • Study of linguistic and toponymic sources (Hubert Bergmann) Communication issues • Preparing briefs for place name • Interview techniques for collecting guides (still open) geographical names (still open) • Collating sources and maps (still • Role play for names board meetings open) (Maputo Video/ still open)

Positioning Special training for contacts with the • Theoretical aspects of positioning media (still open) • Toponymic requirements of the media (still open) • Media cartography (still open)

17 • Exercise on Producing media maps ([email protected] ) stating to which item or (still open) subject they are willing to contribute.

Those interested to cooperate with this Ferjan Ormeling initiative – especially those working in one Convenor, WG Training Courses in of the UNGEGN Working Groups - are Toponymy requested to contact Ferjan Ormeling Email: [email protected]

18

From the Countries

Exemple de revitalisation d’une Commission nationale de toponymie (CNT) : cas du Burkina Faso

Au Burkina Faso, normaliser les noms de expansion, a décidé de se doter d’une lieux devient un besoin réel en raison des nouvelle commission dont le statut est projets de cartographie topographique à précisé par un décret portant création, l’échelle du 1/200000 (échelle de référence) attributions et fonctionnement efficace d’une couvrant l’ensemble du territoire national et Commission nationale de toponymie (CNT) du 1/50000 couvrant la partie nord de notre placée sous la tutelle administrative du pays, en cours de réalisation par l’Institut ministère chargé de l’administration du Géographique du Burkina (IGB). territoire et la tutelle technique du ministère chargé de la cartographie. Le La toponymie du Burkina souffre fonctionnement de la Commission sera pris d’homogénéité selon le diagnostic suivant : en charge par une ligne budgétaire inscrite au budget de sa tutelle administrative. La - chaînon brisé entre documents CNT composée par des membres toponymiques anciens et actuels ; pourvoyeurs et demandeurs de toponymie, et - besoin de clarification entre langue ses missions sont entre autres de : administrative et langues régionales ; - adopter pour chaque nom de lieu - méconnaissance excusable des [nom administratif (division évolutions du système de administrative, chef-lieu), nom de transcription mis en place dans les lieudit habité (village, hameau, etc.), années 1960 et remanié dans les nom de lieudit non habité années 1980-1990. (oronymie, hydronymie, végétation, communication, etc.), odonymie Voulant être en mesure de déterminer la (rue, route)] sa forme linguistique graphie de ses noms de lieux – qui font officielle : la CNT fera des partie de son patrimoine culturel et propositions au gouvernement qui linguistique – dans des conditions se chargera de les entériner ; satisfaisantes, le Gouvernement du Burkina, - établir les critères de choix des constatant que l’ancienne Commission noms à attribuer aux noms de lieux nationale de toponymie (CONATOP), créée sur l’ensemble du territoire ; par le Kiti n°86-04 8/CNR/PRES/MATS du - participer aux travaux 13 février 1986, n’a pu produire les résultats internationaux de préservation ou escomptés alors que les besoins de réappropriation identitaire du d’harmonisation et de normalisation sont patrimoine national toponymique, grandissants pour la production fait vivant relevant de la culture et cartographique, la signalisation routière, le de la langue. tourisme et l’utilisation des technologies de l’information et de la communication en

19 L’adoption du décret vise d’une part à doter écritures figurant sur les cartes, en harmonie le Burkina d’une autorité nationale de avec la qualité des éléments techniques gestion des toponymes et d’autre part à qu’elles comportent, et dans toutes promouvoir son patrimoine culturel et publications ou documents publics traitant historique à travers le monde entier. de toponymie. Il a cependant besoin de l’expertise des nations qui jouissent d’une Ainsi, cette nouvelle CNT devient-elle grande expérience de gestion toponymique l’entité nationale chargée d’énoncer les pour atteindre le résultat escompté. règles et d’harmoniser les pratiques relatives à la toponymie au Burkina Faso. Elle se La clef de revitalisation d’une CNT passe pourvoit d’un secrétariat, coeur de la CNT , par : qui propose un programme de travail, prépare la tenue des sessions et assure le - l’ENGAGEMENT POLITIQUE fonctionnement continu de la Commission à d’un Gouvernement de faire de la travers un Bureau de toponymie, brasmoteur toponymie un outil de de la CNT , dont la charge est de suivre les développement socioéconomique et orientations données par la CNT, à savoir : de valorisation de son patrimoine culturel ; - élaborer des projets de - la VOLONTÉ d’un pays de monter recommandations en matière de et de suivre des projets (mise à jour toponymie (charte de toponymie, cartographique, constitution d'une système de transcription des noms) ; base de données toponymiques, - élaborer une base de données d’une charte...) ; toponymiques et sa mise à jour - l’ADOPTION D’UN TEXTE constante ; JURIDIQUE (officiel) régissant le - coordonner l’action des services fonctionnement de la Commission ; publics créateurs ou pourvoyeurs de - le RENFORCEMENT DES toponymes ; CAPACITES locales dans le - contribuer à l’étude des noms traitement et la gestion géographiques (glossaire) ; toponymique grâce aux outils - assurer la promotion de ses travaux adaptés parmi lesquels : la Fiche et favoriser la diffusion d’ouvrages Enquête [appelée aussi cahier de toponymiques de référence ; terrain ou État Justificatif des Noms - contribuer à la conservation et au (EJN)]. développement cohérent du patrimoine toponymique national ; À l’énoncé de ces attributions, il est clair - participer aux travaux qu’une CNT devient vivante, par le biais de internationaux sur la normalisation son organe interne le bureau de toponymie -, des noms géographiques ; et est appelée à jouer un rôle important pour - faire valoir sa toponymie au titre du la promotion de son patrimoine patrimoine culturel immatériel. toponymique.

Le processus de revitalisation de la Commission nationale de toponymie du Claude Obin TAPSOBA Burkina devrait faire école pour tout pays Élisabeth CALVARIN qui souhaite assurer une bonne fiabilité des Helen KERFOOT

20 Special Projects and News Items

27 th SESSION OF UNGEGN and 10th UNCSGN, 30 July – 10 August 2012

Names boards – dealing with VGI, crowd-sourcing, web harvesting, 3 rd August 2012

Chaired by Ms Annette Torensjö, The VGI in Canada’s North: Challenges and Swedish Mapping, Cadastre and Land Opportunities . Registration Authority Ms. Heather Ross, Toponymist, A side event was held on Names boards – Geographical Names Board of Canada dealing with VGI, crowd-sourcing, web Secretariat, Canada harvesting as part of the 10 th UN Conference New apps and social media present great on the Standardization of Geographical opportunities for name gathering despite the Names. Presentations were given on scale of Volunteered Geographical experiences from Canada, the UK, Sweden Information (VGI) and limited resources. A and Australia. There was plenty of interest pilot project was run in Nunavut in Northern in the topic and following the presentations Canada, a large and new territory with a it was proposed that a new item in the work small and scattered . The pilot plan of the Working Group on Toponymic was to create a specific map series for Datafiles and Gazetteers be created. The Northern Canada. four presentations will be published on the UNGEGN website. As part of the project experts travelled to Northern Canada and also collected Introduction information through emails to members of the community. They held consultations Field collection has been important to where they encouraged local people to national names authorities and to UNGEGN annotate maps with names. for the last century. There are now new opportunities for collecting information but The team concluded that while these the sheer volume of information, and the methods do create extra work for small numerous ways of collecting it, can be teams and raise expectations they also overwhelming. If care is not taken with provide current information and reach methodologies serious questions could be people with local knowledge. As wiki-type raised about the role of names authorities apps are here to stay the Geographical and the authority of their data. There is a Names Board of Canada will seek ways to need to ensure quality control and proper use them, without compromising evaluation of the information collected. authoritative standards.

21 Ordnance Survey, participation in Location New method of field collection of Place- Lingo and other research initiatives Names

Ms. Caroline Burgess, Head, Permanent Ms Annette Torensjö, Head of Place-Name Committee on Geographical Names, UK Section, The Swedish Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registration Authority, Sweden Ordnance Survey (OS) in the UK has been investigating the collection of names In response to the growing demand for place through crowd sourcing and web harvesting, names information, and the fact it is vital for with input from Cardiff University, and search and rescue operations to be able to participated in the English Project’s find locations, the Lantmäteriet in Sweden Location Lingo to collect unofficial names ran a crowd sourcing exercise by creating a used by the public. cell phone app that enabled the collection of names and they tested this in Gävle. Crowdsourcing: For the Location Lingo Project, a website Through this exercise they hoped to reach a was launched to collect names and was new, urban audience, and they received promoted by a national newspaper, the Daily around 200 new names, most of which do Telegraph, and through interviews with not appear on general maps. They also found local radio stations. Local press picked up differences in the names submitted by users on the story. The link on the Telegraph ’s of differing ages. They define crowd web page seemed to reach the most people. sourcing as when people other than the Not all of the data generated by the Project naming authority collect material, and stress were considered to be reliable and had to be the importance of being able to verify the closely evaluated. provenance of the information collected.

OS then developed initiatives with The Lantmäteriet hope this will provide a professional, expert and amateur groups basis for collaboration with the where mutual interests existed. This municipalities and with local heritage currently involves a joint project with the groups. Going forward they will be working UK coastguard focusing on collecting on ways to ensure the authority of this kind locally used coastal names. of methodology.

Web harvesting : Crowdsourcing Geospatial Information for Web harvesting involves visiting websites Government Gazetteers and extracting information through text analysis. Results were less encouraging. Ms. Laura Kostanski, Project Director, Geonaming Solutions; Secretary, Committee OS concluded that vernacular naming can be for Geographical Names of Australasia complex and that a number of differing strategies should be used as no single Ms. Kostanski was granted a scholarship method is fully effective. They found that through the Churchill Foundation to travel crowdsourcing using professionals is the for six weeks to visit key government most promising method. OS plans to run departments, agencies and organizations trials to include interest groups such as the which are involved in pilot studying or Ramblers and groups of amateur historians.

22 researching methods for crowdsourcing engage with communities to a wider scale geospatial information. than previously possible.

She too spoke of the increased demand for Discussions and conclusion geospatial information and asked what governments should be doing to standardize Discussions suggested digital posting with crowdsourced names. the dates collected rather than waiting for the print publication of, for example, There were 10 key findings from the Statistical Yearbooks, and highlighting exercise. Crowdsourcing tools should be whether or not information is official (ie user friendly and authorities should be open validated and verified) or not. The difference minded about the methods that they use. between raw data in a database and the There should be mechanisms in place to official output of a gazetteer was also check provenance of collected material and discussed as were the benefits of recording options for appointing ‘knowledgeable both official and unofficial names. notifiers’. Themes that stood out from the Ms. Kostanski emphasised a need to be presentations were the increased demand for aware that crowdsourced data may not geospatial information, the importance of necessarily fill all the gaps and underlined evaluation and authority, and the benefits of the importance of developing strong policies working with special interest groups, or for quality assurance, as well as stressing the ‘knowledgeable notifiers’. advantages of working with special interest groups and local experts, and of reaching out As there is strong interest in this emerging to existing as well as new platforms. She area it was proposed to create an interest also pointed out that contributors appreciate group to continue the discussion. It was recognition for their efforts. subsequently agreed that the subject would form a new item in the work plan of the Finally she suggested considering the Working Group on Toponymic Datafiles and redefinition of data collection interests, and Gazetteers. asked whether a gazetteer could include official next to non-official information. Bettina Hasan These new methods present opportunities to Information Resources Specialist, develop complementary data collection Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United systems and mean that naming agencies can Kingdom, 14 August 2012

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Explaining GeoNyms

What is GeoNyms? Are there any other tools to make data management easy? GeoNyms is a database application designed to assist in collecting, validating and Each geographical name record can be disseminating geographical names (place related to a national government names or toponyms). Currently two administration division. This will help to languages English and French are supported make it easy working on the data and skins of the application. An Arabic skin is generating reports by administrative division under development. category.

What attributes can it support? The application also has built-in data verification mechanisms. One is, a Google It has the capability of registering not only Map API module zooming to the location the geographical name, type of feature, attribute and so providing visual status of the record (as in approved by a confirmation of the feature. The application national body or in progress of being also has the capability to detect a location approved) and its location attributes falling outside the boundary of the country. (latitude, longitude, elevation, and related What is exciting is that you can register attributes such as map-sheet, coordinate toponyms one record at a time as well as by system and UTM Grid) but also detailed bulk import from an MS. Excel data source. information such as multiple endonyms There is also a facility to export data to (different names used by locals) and Excel and CSV. exonyms (names for the place used by foreigners) with corresponding languages. Who is behind it? A note related to the location of the feature, and historic narrative can also be recorded as The United Nations Economic Commission part of the geographical name information. for Africa (UNECA)’s e-Applications In the audio-visual section the application section under the ICTs, Science and enables multiple picture files to be attached, Technology Division (ISTD) is developing possibly showing the feature from multiple and maintaining this application. The directions. One can also associate a development is being done by internal file and/or a video file experts inside UNECA. showing an event that takes place in the geographical location. How much does it cost?

Metadata information, such as date the name It costs Nil, Zilch, Zero, nothing because it was captured and who captured the data, is an open-source solution. Both the including the source of the record, are also installable and source codes are available for part of the supported attributes. free. All the tools used to make it are also freely available. The database engine is the famous open-source Sqlite . The main development took place on Adobe Flex AIR

24 which has an SDK (Software Development Has anybody used it? / Anybody using it? kit) freely available for developers. Other libraries such as Google Maps API are also Experts from African countries are freely available from Google. trying/using it. Ethiopia and Botswana are running primary tests using their own data. The fact that it is open-source gives users has tested it and is waiting to have a (particularly countries) the advantage of release that supports Arabic. Madagascar is each country being able to customize it for a front runner; they have imported their data their own use, while keeping within a and have started using the system. framework that would allow compatibility between the basic fields in their databases. Experts from Egypt and Madagascar presented their experience with GeoNyms at What kind of platform does it run on? the GeoNyms workshop held during the Adobe has released Flex AIR runtime for 10th UN Conference on the Standardization every platform; this means that an of Geographical Names held in New York application made of Adobe AIR can run on last August. all known platforms. Other countries such as Cameron, Kenya Who should use it? and Burkina Faso have expressed their interest to test and use the application. There Primarily, GeoNyms has been developed as is also a strong belief that the application part of ECA’s mandate to provide technical can be useful in other corners of the world support to its members by giving a tool to where there is less progress on collection facilitate the management of data on and verification of geographical names. geographical names that reflect their culture and heritage. It is therefore devoted to Is there somebody that can be contacted related national authorities; however with it for support? being open-source, any national toponymic officer from any country in any continent or ECA’s team of experts looks forward to anybody wanting to work on geographical assist you with any of your requests. You names can use it. can contact the team through e-application- [email protected] or the section chief Mr. Where do you get it? Makan Faye at [email protected] or the senior GIS officer Mr. Andre Nonguierma at http://geoinfo.uneca.org/geonyms is the [email protected] or contact the lead official website of the application. You can developer Mr. Yoseph Mekasha at get downloads of all the releases of the [email protected]. The ECA encourages application from this website. It is advised to anyone who is interested to use GeoNyms, use the latest release for best results. in fact we will be happy to hear from users Currently GeoNyms has reached version 2.1. and to support any user from any corner of The website also contains the necessary the world. documentation that helps install and utilize some of the functionalities. Yoseph Mekasha ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD), UNECA Email: [email protected]

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Upcoming Meetings of Groups Associated with Geographical Names

Some forthcoming meetings of organizations relevant to geographical names

Second High Level Forum on Global ICC 2013 – 26 th International Geospatial Information Management Cartographic (GGIM) Conference 4-6 February 2013, Doha, Qatar (http://www.icc2013.org/ ) 25-30 August 2013, Dresden, Germany 10th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas International Congress of Onomastic August 2013, New York, United States Sciences (ICOS) (http://www.icosweb.net/ ) American Association of Geographers 25-29 August 2014, Glasgow, Scotland (AAG) Annual meeting 2013, 2014, 2015 (http://www.aag.org/cs/calendar_of_events ) April 9-13, 2013, Los Angeles April 8-12, 2014, Tampa April 21-25, 2015, Chicago

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