-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Searching by coordinates questions
Date:   Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:05:50 -0500
From:   Jimmie Lundgren <[log in to unmask]>
To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>


Dear MAPS-L Subscribers,

        Regarding the MARC Discussion Paper 2006 DP01 on adding
geographic coordinates to authority records for places, the following
message was sent to the MARC discussion list by Karen Coyle. I am hoping
that some of you or your associates will be willing to help address
these questions. Thanks in advance for any help!

"I would like to see discussion about the use of coordinates for
searching. This DP says: "Searching by geographic coordinates is offered
as a mode of access by only a few library catalog systems vendors at
this time, although it may be offered more frequently in the future."
The one time that I was involved in an attempt to define a search based
on coordinates, we ended up not doing it because we couldn't find a
clear definition of how such a search would work. Would the coordinates
of a search query have to match the coordinates in the record exactly?
Would a record be retrieved if query coordinates were within the
coordinates in the record? Overlapping with the coordinates in the
record? Would a record be retrieved if the coordinates in the record
were within the coordinates of the query? Does map scale matter?

So if someone has a query algorithm to offer, I, for one, would be
interested in seeing it."

Best regards,
Jimmie

Jimmie Lundgren
U of Florida
POB 117007
Gainesville, FL 32611
[log in to unmask]
352-392-0351



--

.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._

ANGIE COPE
American Geographical Society Library
UW Milwaukee
2311 E. Hartford Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/AGSL/index.html
Hours: M-F 8:00am-4:30pm
[log in to unmask]
(414)229-6282 / (800)558-8993 (US TOLL FREE) / (414)229-3624 (FAX)

.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._