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<DIV>These are excellent. I think the coordinates themselves have to be
justified by using the same techniques used in other areas of genealogical
research. So I can see the coordinates themselves being cited
separately. Where did the coordinates come from? What evidence or
facts justify attaching a particular name to a particular set of
coordinates? And so on.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So would the coordinates be cited say to having been sourced from
a particular map. Or use of a gps at the actual spot being given the
coordinates in the field? Or from a text description that then
was interpreted using a historical overlay or map? Or all of the above if
applicable, but separately cited? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I like your analogy to photos though. GPS is really taking a
'snapshot' of coordinates in a field. That's a nice creative way to get at
it</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Larry</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=terry@reigelridge.com href="mailto:terry@reigelridge.com">Terry
Reigel</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=apgpubliclist@apgen.org
href="mailto:apgpubliclist@apgen.org">apgpubliclist@apgen.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, October 28, 2010 9:04
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [APG Public List] [APG
Members] place names</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Elizabeth wrote:<BR><BR>> Thanks for all your input on this
subject. It's been a<BR>> very informative discussion. Would you like to
suggest<BR>> the kind of citation that might be useful, going
forward<BR>> into the unknown, based on the variables that have
been<BR>> discussed?<BR><BR>Elizabeth,<BR><BR>For the moment I'll stop
short of specifics but will offer some thoughts that might guide how a
citation might be constructed. I see three separate aspects
involved:<BR><BR>1. Describing the source of the coordinates itself. In my
experience, there are at least three distinct ways that coordinates are
obtained:<BR><BR>- By a database search. One can search on an online mapping
site, like Google Maps, for a specific place and if it is identified the
coordinates can be obtained. Other types of websites list places, sometimes
with their coordinates. I think you can do the same with various computer
programs. There may be books that do so as well, though I've not found them.
It seems to me that citing such websites or books is well covered by existing
models. It seems to me rather like citing any other bit of data found in such
a database.<BR><BR>- By locating a place on a map. One can use an online
mapping site, a mapping program, or even a physical map, to locate a place,
then obtain the coordinates. This method requires describing the source as
above, but also introduces the issue of the user having identified the
location. Unless one is dealing with a point named on the map, shouldn't the
citation say something about how one determined that the specific spot was the
right one?<BR><BR>- By going to the place and using a GPS device to determine
the coordinates. This seems to me rather like taking a photo of something. One
should describe who gathered the data, and perhaps, if not clear, how that
person determined that this was the correct location. It is not clear to me
that the details of the device used are important, any more than one would
record what type of camera was used. For very small points, like a specific
tombstone, the precision of the device might be relevant. But for anything
larger it is not.<BR><BR>2. Describing what was located. This is a point
addressed previously in this thread. For relatively small "places," like
tombstones or buildings, this is not an issue. But for larger places, such as
towns or counties, it seems to me important to include in the citation a
mention of what was located - the post office, center of town, or
whatever.<BR><BR>3. The practical aspects of citing coordinates. While not
necessarily relevant to the citation templates, the question remains about how
to attach the citation to the coordinates. One can attach the citation to the
appropriate part of the text in hand-written documents. But genealogy programs
seem to differ in their treatment of coordinates, and someone here reported
that at least one doesn't allow attaching citations to the coordinate field.
Other programs make the coordinates part of the larger place definition,
requiring that the citation note mention that it relates to the coordinates,
and not to the rest of the place description.<BR><BR>Terry
Reigel</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>