-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: MAPS-L: Searching by coordinates; lists of coordinates
Date:   Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:03:29 -0800
From:   Mary Larsgaard <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:       [log in to unmask]
Organization:   UCSB Map & Imagery Lab, Library
To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>




a. searching by coordinates in ADL -
http://webclient.alexandria.ucsb.edu
I do realize the interface is difficult
to use, and honestly, we are working
on improving it.
The most effective limitation beyond
coordinates is limiting by what collection
you'd like to search. I discourage searches
using "Words to search by", because
the bib records are different in many
ways from our standard AACR/MARC21
records - and one important one is
that the records don't have the kind
of subject headings we're accustomed
to; and also the concept of added entry
isn't the same situation.

b. lists of coordinates:
There is a coordinates email reflector maintained
by the Geography and Map Division of LofC,
and we're certainly looking for digital versions
of all the hardcopy lists many of us have.
There is a counties list, but the coordinates
are in decimal degrees, so a cataloger
would either have to use decimal degrees
(MARC21 permits this) or convert each coordinate
to D/M/Seconds. Colleen Cahill of LCG&M
does if my memory serves now have this
list of county coordinates available over the Web
(?maybe only by ftp??)

Mary

Angie Cope, AGSL wrote:

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject:        RE: MAPS-L: Searching by coordinates questions
> Date:   Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:26:53 -0600
> From:   Kadri, Carolyn J <[log in to unmask]>
> To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
> <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
> Paige,
>
> Can that chart be copied and distributed?
>
> I would like to have a copy if you can bring it to San Antonio.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Carolyn Kadri
> UT Arlington
>
> ****
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angie Cope, AGSL
> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 1:15 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: MAPS-L: Searching by coordinates questions
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject:        MAPS-L: Searching by coordinates questions
> Date:   Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:51:30 -0500
> From:   Paige Andrew <[log in to unmask]>
> To:     Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
> <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jimmie,
>
> I don't have an algorithm to offer, but some years ago I did see a demo
> at
> LC G&M showing what Voyager was capable of doing using coordinate-based
> searching. It was a bit clumsy and needed some refinement, but I do not
> know where the company has gone with this capability, it is my
> understanding that they developed this as a "package" or "unit" of
> Voyager
> that the institution had to choose to pay extra for at one time. That
> said,
> the best way to make this useable would be to plug in a set of
> coordinates
> and have all items that overlapped within the given geographic area be
> retrieved. Map scale would not matter, what you are attempting to do is
> retrieve all items that touched upon or fell within a polygon (which
> could
> be a bounding box too) of coordinates and then allow the patron to sort
> through that set by some other parameter, one of which might be scale. I
> believe the coordinates searching capability on the Alexandria Digital
> Library works this way, and if not I'm sure Mary L. can straighten me
> out
> in a hurry!
>
> I see this as a very powerful means of retrieval, and more exact than
> textual combinations as well. In my workshops that I teach I always tell
> attendees that putting coordinates in a given record is an option withon
> our current standards, that the "LC practice" is to input coordinates
> when
> they appear on the map, but that in reality we should all be inputting
> coordinates at the very least when they do appear on the map because the
> time is coming when coordinate-based searching is going to really take
> off
> and thus we will be contributing to the good of such a mechanism. Its
> still
> up to each cataloger, but I have always input coordinates when they
> appear
> on the map, and will also input U.S. state coordinates even when they
> are
> not on the map simply because of a handy chart I still have from the map
> cataloging workshop I took from Arlyn Booth back in 1987!
>
> Paige
>
> At 11:28 AM 1/17/2006, you wrote:
>
>> -------- 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
>>
>>
>>