UPDATED SECTION 3.2.2.3 OF INDEXING GUIDELINES (GEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTORS)
3.2.2.3 Geographic Descriptors
Geographic location is an important concept in many scientific documents. Therefore, records prepared for inclusion in the ASFA database should be geographically indexed whenever geographic location is an important criterion for the work being reported. The types of papers that require geographic indexing include (but are not necessarily restricted to):
Biological collections and check lists Distribution records Surveys, cruises and expeditions Descriptions of new species All types of ecological papers Fisheries papers (e.g. for descriptions of ports and fishing grounds, fishing surveys and fishing statistics) Aquaculture papers (e.g. species, diseases, culture methods, statistics etc. when in reference to a particular location). Papers on the physical environment (oceanography, limnology, geology, meteorology, etc.)
Second stage of indexing (Geographic descriptors)
Note - Papers dealing purely with anatomy, ultrastructure, and experimental work under laboratory or controlled conditions should not normally be geographically indexed.
3.2.2.3.1 ASFIS Geographic Authority List (ASFIS-7) and the Geographic String Pick List in the www-ISIS-ASFA input software
The ASFIS Geographic Authority List (ASFIS-7) is the ASFIS Reference Series document that contains examples of the Geographic descriptors used to index documents in the ASFA Database. These examples cover all the different geographical concepts (sea codes, regions, countries, geographic features, etc.) arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced.
The Geographical String Pick List in the www-ISIS-ASFA software includes all the strings that form the examples in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List plus many thousands more that have been used in indexing papers for ASFA over the years.
However, neither the ASFIS Geographic Authority List nor the Pick List can list all of the geographical locations in the world. The indexer, therefore, must sometimes construct the appropriate Geographic descriptor using the format suggested by the existing terms in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List. .
LANGUAGE - It should be noted that for geographic names with different language versions, the English form is preferred, i.e. for Autriche use Austria; for Bayern use Bavaria; for Lac Leman use Lake Geneva; for Bretagne use Brittany.
For geographic names without English equivalents the original language form should be used directly for example “Argentina, Buenos Aires, Laguna Grande”
3.2.2.3.2 Selection of Geographic Descriptors
Each relevant concept (geographic location) identified in a document by the indexer should be "translated" into the most relevant Geographic descriptor available in the www-ISIS-ASFA Geographical Pick List. Many will be self evident. However, as stated in 3.2.2.3.1 above, neither the ASFIS Geographic Authority List nor the Pick List can list all of the geographical locations in the world.
If the correct Geographic descriptor is not available in the Pick List, the indexer will have to construct an appropriate descriptor. This is best achieved by selecting the nearest equivalent string from the Pick List and amending it using the GUIDELINES given below in conjunction with the examples suggested by the existing terms in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List.
The indexer should consult the printed version of the ASFIS Geographic Authority List because the pick-list in www-ISIS-ASFA does not contain the complex cross- referencing structure and explanatory notes present in the printed Authority List.
The ASFA indexer may assign as many Geographic Descriptors as required, but usually 1 to 5 terms are sufficient.
Geographic descriptor(s) are entered in the www-ISIS-ASFA worksheet field called (Geographic descriptors). The method is described in 4.3.3.
GUIDELINES:
LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY - The level of specificity should normally be that mentioned in the paper being indexed (i.e. if a specific feature or area is mentioned, it should be entered as a descriptor).
Second stage of indexing (Geographic descriptors)
To permit retrieval at either broad, intermediate or specific levels, the Geographic descriptors in the Pick List have been constructed to contain all such levels, as appropriate (in descending order from broadest to the most specific).
For example:
(i) ANE, UK, England, Devon, Taw Estuary, (ii) INW, Japan, Honshu, Shizuoka, Suruga Bay (iii) ANE, Baltic Sea, Russia, Nortwestern Federal District, Kaliningrad Region, Gulf of Gdansk
Please note the order of the string in example (iii). Here, Russia comes after the Baltic Sea since the Russian coastline of the Baltic Sea is more specific than the total coastline of the Baltic Sea. The descending order from broadest to the most specific then continues with Nortwestern Federal District being a more specific part of Russia.
ABBREVIATIONS AND WORD ORDER – geographic indexing strings should not now (after 2010) contain abbreviations.
The following abbreviations which were used in previous indexing guidelines are no longer used for geographical index strings:
Dem. (Democratic); I. (Island); Is (Islands); L. (Lake); Mt. (Mountain or Mount); Natl. (National); Prov. (Province); R. (River); Rep. (Republic); St. (Saint); Terr. (Territory or Territories)
Whenever possible, the normal word order (that is the word order in common use) should be used for these areas and features. This now also applies to such features as:
Bay – for example “Bay of Biscay” but “Delaware Bay” Gulf – for example “Persian Gulf” but “Gulf of Alaska” Strait – for example “Strait of Gibraltar” but “Bass Strait”
Lakes – the word order can be critical. For example, in the USA, North Carolina has two different lakes – one called “Lake James” and a different lake called “James Lake”
Rivers – the word order tends to be less specific – for example the “River Nile” is sometimes called the “Nile River” and often just called “the Nile”. For the geographic indexing strings, as a general rule, use the order “name river” for consistency, for example “Rhone River”. However, there will be some instances where the common use is so strong that it should be retained for example “Rio de la Plata”.
INDEXING FEATURES BY TYPE
Inland areas
The lead entry must be a country name, or, if a number of countries is to be referred to in the same continent, by the name of the continent. Sometimes it is necessary to index a paper by using the Continent name, and also by using one or more of the country names separately e.g. Europe: France; Germany; Luxembourg (Please note: (i) that an entry of the type "Europe, France" is not permitted. (ii) that inland areas do not start with or incorporate a Sea Code)
In order to be more specific when dealing with large countries, the name of a state, province, or county should be included if known. The country or continent name is always followed by a comma and space before the state, province or county:
example 1, a country (i) Italy (ii) UK (iii) Senegal example 2, a continent (i) Europe example 3, an island, or island state
(i) USA, Hawaii (ii) Japan example 4, an island of an island state
(i) USA, Hawaii, Maui Island example 5, types of subentries for state, province or county
(i) UK, England, Devon, (ii) Kenya, North Eastern (iii) Indonesia, Kalimantan, East Kalimantan (Please note that the words state, prefecture, province, and county have been omitted. This guideline can be over-ruled if omitting the administrative division name will cause confusion. For example “Nigeria, Cross River State, Cross River”)
example 6, types of subentries for city (note - ports need a Sea Code)
(i) USA, New York, New York (ii) Italy, Lazio, Rome, Rome (iii) ASW, Uruguay, Colonia, Nueva Palmira Port Lakes
It is worth repeating the notes relating to Lakes in the “ABBREVIATIONS AND WORD ORDER” section above - the word order for the name of a lake can be critical. For example, in the USA, North Carolina has two different lakes – one called “Lake James” and a different lake called “James Lake”
Since the abbreviation of L. is no longer being used, country variations on the word Lake (for example Llyn, Loch, Lough) can be used. If such variations are used in the Geographic Descriptors Field, it is recommended that the indexer consider adding the subject term “Lakes” in the Subject Descriptors Field (not the Geographic Descriptors Field). An example of such a variation:
example 7, (i) Eire, Clare, Lough Atorick (It is recommended that the term “Lakes” is also added to Subject Descriptor Field)
Terms such as “Laguna” which may have a specific meaning (in this case, a particular type of shallow lake formation) can be used with the same recommendation relating to the use of an additional Subject Descriptor such as “Lakes”.
example 8, (i) Argentina, Buenos Aires, Laguna San Miguel del Monte
Names of lakes in many countries may have a prefix or suffix which donate “lake” for example the German lake “Titisee”. If there is no English equivalent name the original form can be used. In which case, it is again recommended that the indexer consider adding the subject term “Lakes” in the Subject Descriptors Field
example 9, (i) Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Titisee
Documents dealing with lakes falling within two or more countries must be indexed as subentries of the continent:
example 10, (i) North America, Lake Ontario
Entries of this type may be made more specific by using the appropriate country as entry point, e.g. a study dealing only with the USA waters of Lake Ontario may be indexed:
example 11, (i) USA, Lake Ontario
Lakes which fall wholly within a single country should be indexed as a subentry of that country with a state, province or county included if known and appropriate:
example 12, (i) UK, Scotland, Highland, Loch Ness
The specificity of the entry point may need to be increased even further to a more specific level if there are many lakes with the same name
example 13, (i) Poland, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Olecki, Kowale Oleckie Commune, Lake Glebokie (ii) Poland, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Olecki, Olecko – obszar wiejski Commune, Lake Glebokie
Ponds, Tarns and small water bodies
Individual names of ponds and small water bodies are now permissible as subentries [They are now recognized as environmentally very important habitats for biodiversity]. The entry should be made as specifically as possible in relation to the land area since, as in example 10 for lakes, there are many ponds and tarns with the same name.
example 14, (i) UK, England, Cumbria, Coniston, Blind Tarn (ii) UK, England, Cumbria, Eskdale, Blind Tarn (iii) USA, Connecticut, Litchfield, Mohawk Pond
Reservoirs and Dam Lakes
Reservoirs and dam lakes with proper names of their own should be indexed as subentries of the country:
example 15, (i) Egypt, Lake Nasser (ii) Egypt, Aswan, Aswan High Dam Reservoir (iii) Russia, Central, Yaroslavl, Rybinskoe Reservoir
It is not necessary to enter the river as a separate entry, although one is not precluded from doing so if important for the document. For reservoirs/dam lakes without proper names, make an entry for the river (see Rivers below).
Inland seas
The major inland seas and the ways in which they should be indexed are noted below. For the whole of the inland sea, the entry term should be the continent or the country:
example 16,
(i) Eurasia, Aral Sea (ii) Eurasia, Caspian Sea (iii) USA, California, Salton Sea (iv) Levant, Dead Sea
For more specific areas of the inland sea, the guideline of descending order from broadest to the most specific is followed hence:
example 17,
(i) Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan (ii) Caspian Sea, Iran (iii) Caspian Sea, Iran, Gorgan Bay (iii) Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan etc.
Rivers
It is worth repeating the notes relating to Rivers in the “ABBREVIATIONS AND WORD ORDER” section above - for the geographic indexing strings, as a general rule, use the order “name river” for consistency, for example “Rhone River”. However, there will be some instances where the common use is so strong that it should be retained for example “Rio de la Plata”.
A river, if it exists wholly within a single country, should be entered as a subentry of the country. The word "River" follows the name of the river, separated from it by a space:
example 18, (i) UK, England, Thames River (ii) Italy, Po River
A river within, or constituting the border between, two or more countries should be entered as subentry of the continent if the intention is to refer to the whole length of the river, e.g.:
example 19, (i) Europe, Danube River
The word "River" should be inserted in the entry, even if it does not appear on the document. For example, a study relating to “the Nile” would be indexed:
example 20, (i) Africa, Nile River
If the intention is to refer to a length within a single country, the river name should be entered as a subentry of that country, e.g.:
example 21, (i) Hungary, Danube River
Streams
Individual names of streams are now permissible in geographic indexing. The entry should be made as specific as possible. If the stream is a tributary of a river, it is recommended that the river name be given followed by a comma and a space and then the name of the stream e.g.
example 22, (i) UK, England, Hampshire, Itchen River, Brandy Stream
River basins or floodplains
If the river basin or floodplain has a proper name of its own, this should be entered as a subentry of the appropriate country (or continent if the river basin occurs in more than one country). If there is no proper name for the basin, the word "Basin" or "Floodplain" is inserted after the last part of the river entry, e.g.:
example 23 , (i) UK, England, Thames River Basin (ii) France, Seine River Floodplain
Drainage Basins or Catchments (or in North America, Watersheds)
Catchments can now be indexed. The name of the river, lake or reservoir should appear before the word “Catchment” or in North America “Watershed” if possible e.g.
example 24, (i) UK, Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway, Bladnoch River Catchment (ii) USA, Maine, Bear Brook Watershed
Inland Waters and Lake Districts
One of these may be used as a subentry of a continent or country name. Use sparingly, and do not use them if particular named features can be indexed instead. "Inland Waters" is primarily intended to include waters of all types as a single, unified system, and is not used for distribution papers, when either proper names of features should be indexed or a land area entry used.
Wetlands Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The world's largest wetland is the Pantanal which straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America
example 25, (i) South America, Pantanal Wetland (ii) USA, Arkansas, Cache River, Black Swamp (iii) UK, England, Kent, Romney Marsh (iv) UK, England, North Yorkshire, Pulfin Bog
Coastal zones
Coastal areas are entered with the sea area code. In all cases, the lead entry is the sea area code. The preferred subentry is the country name:
example 26, (i) ASE, Angola
If a more general area, e.g. the coast of Europe, is to be entered, then use "Europe" as subentry for all the appropriate sea area codes:
example 27, (i) ANE, Europe (ii) MED, Europe
For the Mediterranean coast of Europe only the latter entry would be needed (Example 27(ii)). The permissible codes are given in the "ASFIS Geographic Authority List" in the "Land area and coast codes" listing under the particular country required. For more specificity, a country (but not a continent) name may be followed by the coastal area name (e.g. state or county):
example 28, (i) ANW, USA, Virginia (ii) ISW, India, Kerala
Estuaries (Rias and Fjords)
The entry point is the appropriate coast code (see below for discussion). This is followed by the name of the river and then by the word "Estuary", “Ria” or “Fjord” instead of “River”:
example 29, (i) ANE, UK, England, Thames Estuary (ii) ANE, Spain, Galicia, Ponteverdra, Ria de Arosa (iii) ANE, Norway, Hordaland, Lindaaspollene Fjord
(Rias are drowned river valleys and are usually estuaries whilst fjords are created not by rivers but by glaciers)
In cases where both the freshwater and estuarine part of a river system are discussed, it will be necessary to make an entry for both the river and the estuary. The river entry does not have a sea code but the estuary or ria does. For an estuary or ria which borders 2 or more countries, use the continent name instead of the country name:
example 30, (i) ANE, Europe, Elbe Estuary
and if appropriate also make an entry for the river:
example 30, (ii) Europe, Elbe River
Deltas
Most deltas are coastal deltas. The entry point for coastal deltas is the appropriate coast code. This is followed by the name of the country and province (if appropriate) and finally the river name and then by "Delta" instead of River
example 31, (i) ISW, India, West Bengal, Ganges Delta
Remember that there is also an entry India, West Bengal, Ganges River if the study also includes the West Bengal freshwaters of the Ganges.
For coastal deltas within or forming a border between two or more countries the sea code is followed by the name of the continent followed by the delta name:
example 32, (i) MED, Europe, Danube Delta
More detailed national studies of the Danube Delta could use the country instead of the continent for example MED, Romania, Danube Delta or MED, Ukraine, Danube Delta
For references to freshwater bodies or other inland features on large coastal deltas an entry for the delta’s inland feature would not have the sea code (example 33 (i)) but a reference to the whole delta would (example 33 (ii))
example 33, (ii) Viet Nam, Mekong River Delta Region, Mekong Delta, Dong Thap Muoi Wetlands (ii) ISEW, Viet Nam, Mekong River Delta Region, Mekong Delta
However, some deltas are inland deltas. These deltas are not given sea codes: - deltas formed when rivers enter lakes (e.g the delta of Saskatchewan River at its fall into Cedar Lake in Manitoba); - deltas formed when rivers split and then reform before going on to the sea (e.g. The Inner Niger Delta in Malawi); - and sometimes rivers that split and do not get to the sea (e.g. the Okavango Delta in Botswana).
example 34, (i) Mali, Tombouctou, Inner Niger Delta
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs)
Papers dealing with the EEZ of a country or countries are indexed by the land area and/or coastal area concerned.
Index using the coastal area when the paper deals with the actual fishing, assessment, mining, etc. of a given resource. Index using the land area when the paper deal with the EEZ as a concept (i.e. the policy and legal aspects).
Coastal sea areas (Bays, Gulfs, etc.) and related land areas (Promontories)
For estuaries, rias and fjords please see the Estuaries (Rias and Fjords) section above.
Many coastal sea areas are listed in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List. If the particular case is listed, follow the instructions given there. If the case is not given, use the following guidelines.
Coastal sea Areas: If the sea area has more than one country bounding it then it should be entered as sea code, feature. The commonly used name and name order of the feature type should be used (the English form is preferred if there is one) e.g.:
example 35, (i) ANE, Bay of Biscay (ii) ANW, Long Island Sound (iii) ANW, Delaware Bay
Terms such as Bay, Gulf, etc. are never abbreviated and the first letter should always be capitalized.
If the sea area has only one country bounding it then it should be entered as the sea code, followed by country name (and county name if appropriate) then the sea area name:
example 35a, (i) INW, Japan, Kyushu, Beppu Bay (ii) ANE, UK, England, Cornwall, Saint Ives Bay (iii) MED, Italy, Liguria, Gulf of Genoa
Promontories: These features (peninsulas, headlands, capes etc.) may have a coastal entry (commencing with the relevant sea code) if the study relates to the coastal part of the promontory or an inland entry (without a sea code) if the study relates to an inland feature of the promontory:
example 36, (i) PSE, Australia, Victoria, Mornington Peninsula, Cheviot Beach (ii) Australia, Victoria, Mornington Peninsula, Coolart Wetlands
Open oceans
The majority of oceanic areas are cited in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List, where individual details for entry are given. See map in section (3.2.2.3.4).
The preferred method of entry is to use only the appropriate sea area code (see Example 37). Many such codes will need to be supplemented with the name of the sea areas (see Example 38); in most such cases, the proper name is always placed first, and the word "Sea" (also used for non-English equivalents) comes last.
Note the inherent hierarchy of the Sea area codes:
ANE + ANW = AN ASE + ASW = AS AN + AS = A
ANE + ASE = AE ANW + ASW = AW AE + AW = A
INE + INW = IN ISE + ISEW + ISW = IS IN + IS = I
INE + ISE = IE INW + ISEW + ISW = IW IE + IW = I
PNE + PNW = PN PSE + PSW = PS PN + PS = World Polar Seas
A + I + PN + PS + MED = World Oceans
Note, however, that ISE + ISEW do not combine, since IS also includes ISW (the Indian Ocean). Similarly, INW + ISEW do not combine since IW also includes ISW (the Indian Ocean).
Therefore, to refer to the South Pacific but exclude the Indian Ocean, it is necessary to use:
IS, South Pacific
Similarly, to refer to the Pacific Ocean and to exclude the Indian Ocean, it is necessary to use:
I, Pacific
example 37, (i) MED (=Mediterranean Sea) (ii) ISEW (=Southwest Pacific) (iii) I, Indo-Pacific (=Indo-Pacific) (iv) AN, North Atlantic (=North Atlantic)
example 38, (i) PNE, Kara Sea (ii) MED, Ionian Sea (iii) PS, Ross Sea (iv) AE, East Atlantic
World Ocean/World Oceans
Please note the distinction between "World Ocean" and "World Oceans".
World Ocean: used for papers treating the oceans as a single, unified system. It is not used for papers on biogeography.
World Oceans: used for papers dealing individually with the major oceans of the world (e.g. for papers on biogeography of a species occurring in all the oceans).
Straits, Currents and undersea features (Basins, Ridges, Trenches etc.)
These are always entered as subentries of a sea area code. The code may be cumulated (see Open Oceans section above) if the sea area involved is large:
example 39, (i) INE, USA, Alaska, Chatham Strait (ii) INE, USA, California, Santa Barbara Channel
(Note, the terms Strait, Channel, Passage and Sound all mean a relatively narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water)
example 40, (i) IW, Kuroshio Current (ii) IN, North Pacific Current
example 41, (i) PSW, Meteor Deep (ii) A, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Note that in the case of Example 41 (ii), had the paper referred only to the north part of the ridge, it might have been entered as "AN, Mid-Atlantic Ridge".
Island Countries (States) and Archipelagos
Island countries can be: (a) part of a larger island (b) centred on one or two main islands (c) spread over a group if islands (d) spread over a group if islands as part of an even larger group of islands
An example of (a) is the island of Borneo which is divided administratively by three countries – Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Hence, a study of the coast of the whole island would be indexed:
example 42, (i) ISEW, Borneo whilst studies relating to the coasts of the constituent countries would be: (ii) ISEW, Brunei (iii) ISEW, Indonesia, Kalimantan (iv) ISEW, Malaysia, Sabah (v) ISEW, Malaysia, Sarawak
An example of (b) is the island country of Greenland, which is based on one major island and is an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is situated astride four sea areas in the ASFA Sea Code classification hence, a study of the coast of the whole island country would need two index strings:
example 43, (i) AN, Greenland (ii) PN, Greenland whilst studies relating to particular stretches of the coast could be a combination of four possible strings: (iiii) ANE, Greenland (iv) PNE, Greenland (v) ANW, Greenland (vi) PNW, Greenland
Australia can be considered an example of (b) as well as a continent. Although comprising two major islands, the second (Tasmania) is now indexed as part of the island country of Australia:
example 44, (i) PSE, Australia, Tasmania studies relating to the coast of the complete island country would need 3 entries: (ii) ISEW, Australia (iii) ISW, Australia (iv) PSE, Australia
An example of (c) is the island country of Indonesia (over 17,000 islands), which is based on seven major provinces each of which may be one or more islands. Hence, a study of the coast of the whole island country would be indexed:
example 45, (i) ISEW, Indonesia studies relating to the coast of the provinces would be in the form: (ii) ISEW, Indonesia, Lesser Sunda Islands studies relating to the coast of a particular island in one of the provinces would be in the form: (iii) ISEW, Indonesia, Lesser Sunda Islands, West Lesser Sunda Islands, Lombok Island
An example of (d) is the island country of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is based on two major islands in the larger group of the Leeward Islands archipelago. Hence, a study of the coast of the whole island country would be indexed:
example 46, (i) ASW, Leeward Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis whilst studies relating to the coasts of the constituent islands would be: (ii) ASW, Leeward Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Kitts (iii) ASW, Leeward Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Nevis
Island names and Atolls
Islands vary in the use of the term “Island” in their name. Many do not include it (examples include Chorao (India), Rupat (Indonesia) and Kalsoy (Faroe Islands)) and yet many do (Easter Island (Chile), Holy Island (Wales, UK) for example).
If common usage includes the term Island (or other language equivalents) then it should be included in the string. If common usage does not include the term then it should not be added (although “Islands” can be added to the Subject Descriptor Field if appropriate). If common usage is unclear (that is the name occurs both with the term island and without), then include the term island in the string.
example 47, (i) French Polynesia, Gambier Islands, Mangareva
(Mangareva is the central and most important island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia but common usage in French Polynesia does not include the word island) (ii) Kiribati, Line Islands, Christmas Island
(Common usage in Kiribati does tend to include the word island)
Atolls
An atoll is a ring shaped reef surrounding a lagoon. It usually has a string of "Islands" along it but normally the land area of the islands is much smaller than the area of the complete atoll (much of which is submerged). Some studies relate to the complete atoll whilst others to just the coast of one of the islands on the atoll. If possible, therefore, in the geographic string, the name of the atoll should precede the name of the island on the atoll
For example, Bikini Atoll is an atoll with 23 islands - most of these islands do not have "island" as part of the name - and to add confusion, one of them is called Bikini:
example 48, for studies relating to the whole atoll: (i) ISEW, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll for studies relating to the coast of the individual islands on the atoll: (ii) ISEW, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Bikini (iii) ISEW, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Enink (iv) ISEW, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Enyu Etc.
Tectonic plates, zoogeographic ecozones (regions), "World entries"
These are entered exactly as they appear in the relevant listing of the "ASFIS Geographic Authority List". No subdivision is permitted, nor any cumulation (except that all tectonic plates may be referred to as "World tectonic plates", and all zoogeographic ecozones (previously called regions) may be referred to as "World zoogeographic regions").
Note also the distinction between "World Ocean" and "World Oceans" given above.
3.2.2.3.3 Notes on Geographic descriptors pick-list
As already mentioned the terms in the ASFIS Geographic Authority List (GAL) are included as a "pick-list" of geographic indexing strings in the www-ISIS-ASFA software, however the pick-list does not contain all of the cross-references or "relationships" and notes that are contained in the printed version. The pick-list also contains many extra strings that have been previously entered and validated by the Geographic Working Group.
The geographic terms may be viewed in KWOC (key word out of context) order or alphabetical order. The KWOC view is very useful in locating compound terms in any word order.
The pick-list does not appear automatically. You must
Obviously, all of the geographic locations in the world are not listed in this pick-list, so you will often have to enter the location names in this field by typing. In this case follow the style of the terms found in the pick-list.
See section 4.3.3 and 4.3.3.1 for actual instructions on how to input Geographic descriptors using the pick-list.
3.2.2.3.4 Map of Geographic Areas
ASE/ANE division touches Strait of Gibraltar
ASW/ANW division touches USA at the Georgia/South Carolina border
ASW/PSW division touches South America at the Argentina/Uruguay border
ASE/PSW division touches Africa at the Angola/Namibia border
PSW/ISW division touches Africa at the South Africa/Mozambique border
ISEW/ISW division touches Asia at the Myanmar/Thailand border
ISEW/ISW division touches Australia at the Western Australia/Northern Territory border
ISEW/PSE division touches Australia at the Queensland/New South Wales border
ISEW/INW division touches China at Shanghai
INE/ISE division follows latitude 30 N but Baja California is all included in ISE
ISW/PSE division touches Australia at the South Australia/Victoria border
ANE/PNE division touches Europe at the Norway/USSR border
ANW/PNW division adopts limits between FAO Fishing Areas 21 and 18
The map should be used to determine the codes for sea areas; the above definitions refer to coasts.