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Sorry for the cross posting (maps-l, carta, and gans-l).
 
I lent a copy of a report from the Inter-Agency Committee on Geomatics
("Barriers to the Use of Geomatics Data") to my library director.  Overall,
it is a well produced and clear document; it is a rare sight in Canada to
have so many issues covered so well and so honestly.
 
However (and here's the debate), in several sections of the paper, terms and
concepts seem to be mixed and matched.  With all the discussion about
standards, is there or can there be a standard way to talk about ?????data.
 
Is it...
 
"geomatics data"
"georeferenced data"
"geospatial data"
"spatial data"
"geographically referenced digital data"
"spatially referenced data"
 
???
 
I have a picture in my mind for each of these terms.  However, when the
'non-expert' is exposed to this many terms (within the space of a couple of
paragraphs!), do we not face more problems ?
 
I would be interested to know what others think  (and having followed
several on-line discussions about the terms GIS and Geomatics, I wonder if
this is more a Canadian issue).
 
Thanks....
 
James
 
 
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"The more complex and sophisticated our systems of
lateral access,  the more we sacrifice in the way of depth."
Sven Birkerts (in The Gutenberg Elegies, 1995)
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James Boxall (Map Curator)
Map Collection, Science Services
Killam Library, Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada    B3H 4M8
(t) 902-494-3757
(f) 902-494-2062
(e) [log in to unmask]
 
 
Host Site for the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives 1996
Annual Meeting
 
http://is.dal.ca/~gsbrown/acmla96.html
 
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"What in observation is loose and vague
is in information deceptive and treacherous"
Francis Bacon, 1621
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