UNGEGN Information Bulletin Number 41
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UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn BBuulllleettiinn NUMBER 41 (Rev1) October 2011 Important notice: United Nations Group of Experts on Please note that the dates for the 10th UN Geographical Names Information Bulletin Conference for the Standardization of (ISSN 1014-798) is published by United Geographical Names and the 27th Session Nations Statistics Division, Department of of UNGEGN are: Economic and Social Affairs. The designations employed and the UNCSGN: 31 July – 9 August 2012 presentation of the material in this UNGEGN: 30 July and 10 August 2012 publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Inside this issue: Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city . Preface or area, or of its authorities or concerning the Message from the Chairperson 3 delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. From the Secretariat Previous issues of the Bulletin (formerly Message from the Secretariat 5 Newsletter) can be found at High-Level Forum on Global Geospatial Information 6 Management http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn_in fo_bulletins.htm . From the Divisions Arabic Division 8 Asia South-West Division 10 East Central and South-East Europe Division 11 Norden Division 13 . From the Working Groups Working Group on Country Names 14 Working Group on Exonyms 15 Working Group on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers 17 Task Team for Africa 18 . From the Countries Brazil 20 . Special Projects and News Items Progress in the foundation of a joint ICA/IGU Commission on Toponymy 22 The Gazetteer Framework of the Centre of Excellence for UN Spatial Data Infrastructure Project 23 – an UNGEGN-supported initiative The XXIVth ICOS Congress, Barcelona, Spain 5 – 9 September 2011 28 A place, a toponym, a cultural heritage: The legendary story of the foundation of CARTHAGE-BYRSA 29 . Upcoming Meetings of Groups Associated with Geographical Names 41 U N G E G N The Information Bulletin of the United Tel: 212 963 4297 U N G E G N Nations Group of Experts on Fax: 212 963 4569 Geographical Names (formerly E-mail: IInformation UNGEGN Newsletter) is issued [email protected] twice a year by the Secretariat of the [email protected] BBulletin Group. The Secretariat is established within the Statistics Division (UNSD), Department for Economic and (formerly NEWSLETTER) f 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 Now that the 26th Session of UNGEGN is for names standardization processes in successfully behind us, I thank members of the African countries. We look forward to UNGEGN Secretariat and all of you who were the advances that should result from involved in its organization, in preparing this initiative (see report from papers or workshops, and in participating in Chukwudozie Ezigbalike, pages 18- the discussions and assorted activities. The 19). Working Group on Evaluation and Implementation will be reviewing your (3) The UN Spatial Data Infrastructure evaluations of the Session and your (UNSDI) Gazetteer Framework, as suggestions will be taken into account in introduced to us during the 26th planning the 10th UN Conference on the Session, is now presented in more Standardization of Geographical Names (New detail (see report from Suha Ulgen, York, 2012). pages 23-28). The Working Group on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers In following up work from the Session, I will collaborate with the CoE4UNSDI would particularly like to mention: Project, but all experts are invited to follow the Project and to provide input. (1) The proposal for a joint Toponymy Commission of the International Early in September, the XXIVth International Geographical Union (IGU) and the Congress of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS) was International Cartographic Association held in Barcelona, Spain. The organizers were (ICA) is moving forward. Discussion keen to interweave the research of academics and planning advanced at the ICA in onomastics with the practicalities of names Congress in Paris in July (see report standardization and the use of names in daily from Peter Jordan, pages 22-23). This life. A plenary session, discussion groups, and will be further worked out at the IGU various individual presentations were all Conference to be held in Santiago, linked to UNGEGN activities (see report from Chile in November. Those of you Botolv Helleland, page 28). Materials will be interested in being involved are still available as a web publication of ICOS and invited to add your names, if you have some parts directly relevant to names not already done so. authorities will be posted on the UNGEGN website. (2) The meeting of the Task Team for Africa in Vienna has led to an In the immediate future, we are turning our initiative of UNECA to hold a working attention to the first High Level Forum on session of some 15 individuals from Global Geospatial Information Management Africa this November. The aim will be (GGIM) to be held in Seoul in October (see to develop a strategic work plan for report on pages 6-7). The Working Groups UNECA to create a better framework on Evaluation and Implementation and on 3 Publicity and Funding will hold a joint 2012 is the year we shall be holding the 10th meeting to coincide with the forum, and so UN Conference and I encourage Divisions and will be offering a small exhibition and short Working Groups to make as much progress as lunch-time presentations on UNGEGN issues possible in the months between now and to forum participants. A common July/August next year! understanding of UNGEGN’s work in geographical names standardization is important for our future cooperation with Helen Kerfoot GGIM. Chair, UNGEGN Ottawa, Canada Email: [email protected] 4 News from the Secretariat Message from the Secretariat 26th Session of UNGEGN The secretariat would like to thank delegates UNCSGN: 31 July – 9 August 2012 of the 26th Session as well as experts UNGEGN: 30 July and 10 August 2012 working in the preparation of the Session and its various side events for their This difficult decision was reached to avoid contributions and great cooperation. The the problems inherent in an overlap between report of the session has been available in all UNCSGM/UNGEGN and the second languages on the UNGEGN website since session of the Committee of Experts on June this year. The website serves as the GGIM, which is now scheduled for 13-15 repository of all material related to the August 2012. event. The Working Group on Evaluation and Implementation is currently reviewing We are looking forward to your active feedback provided in the evaluation forms at participation in the 10th Conference and the the end of the Session. This feedback will be 27th Session as planned. We expect that the very valuable in preparation of the 10th UN Note Verbale for the two events will be sent out Conference on the Standardization of early next year. As usual we will post all Geographical Names (New York, 2012). material (including the Note Verbale) on our event website as it becomes available. If you 10th UN Conference on the Standardization have any questions, please contact the of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) and secretariat. 27th Session of UNGEGN World Geographical Names Database th (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ geonames/) As recommended by the 26 Session of UNGEGN in Vienna, the Economic and Updates are now done on a quarterly Council in July this year decided to hold the th schedule, the next of which is due 1 10 UN Conference on the Standardization December 2011. We would like to of Geographical Names in New York from encourage you to send us your material for 7 – 16 August 2012 and, in conjunction with th the online database by 18 November for it, to hold the 27 session of UNGEGN in inclusion in the next update, namely: New York, 6 and 17 August 2012 (ECOSOC decision 2011/251). However, - Names of cities with a population over the timeframe originally planned has 100,000 (original writing system and provided issues with conference romanized form) management. Following the input from the - Coordinates in degrees and decimal UNGEGN Bureau, after consultation with a degrees wider group of experts and the Secretariat, - Audio files (.wav) for each city name the decision was taken to move the dates for the 10th UN Conference and the 27th Session of UNGEGN one week earlier: 5 Please check the website and contact us if database. Sybille has left UNSD and your country’s information needs additions relocated to Australia with her family. or corrections! Sabine Warschburger We would like to take this opportunity to UNGEGN Secretariat thank Sybille Marxgut for her work on this E-Mail: [email protected] High-Level Forum on Global Geospatial Information Management The ECOSOC made history in its last Institute (NGII) of the Republic of Korea, a substantive session in July 2011 by High Level Forum on Global Geospatial establishing a new intergovernmental Information Management at the COEX mechanism: the UN Committee of Experts Convention Centre in Seoul, 24-26 October on Global Geospatial Information 2011. The Forum will provide a first-of-its- Management. At a time when few new type opportunity for in-depth discussion of intergovernmental bodies are being created, current critical geospatial information issues this decision reflected ECOSOC’s concern and consultations by over 400 for promoting greater and wider use of representatives including ministers and other geospatial information globally for high-level Government officials, mostly sustainable development and humanitarian heads of National Mapping Authorities and assistance.