"Tony Proctor" <tony@proctor_NoMore_SPAM.net> wrote in message news:... > > "Tom Wetmore" <ttw4@verizon.net> wrote in message > news:d0200e0f-68c2-4451-b47b-51c3cbbddb7a@googlegroups.com... >> Tony, >> >> The language field is not for the type but for the name itself. Sorry for >> the confusion. >> >> Alternate spellings in the same language can be handled by allowing name >> fields to to contain >> comma-separated lists. Alternate spelling in different languages can be >> handled by either: >> >> 1) adding language namespaces to names; or >> 2) adding a new line in the gazetteer for each language. >> >> I would suggest that "official" names and "short form" names be handled >> by new columns. >> >> The example is only a suggestion intended to get some discussion going. I >> was interested >> is demonstrating how easy it is to specify multiple-containment data in a >> way that would >> allow a sophisticated place authority to operate. > > Comparing the STEMMA spec > (http://www.familyhistorydata.parallaxview.co/home/document-structure/place/place-names) > with your gazetteer format, Tom, the only substantial difference is that > STEMMA supports date ranges on the alternative names in order to cope with > renames as opposed to simply alternative spellings or colloquialisms. > > There are some smaller differences such as: STEMMA provides a canonical > name to be used for display purposes (as distinct from the alternatives > accepted during input and matching algorithms), and STEMMA's dates can be > from alternative calendars (not just Gregorian). > > Tony Proctor > ...oops! Almost forgot Tom - STEMMA's temporal ranges (used for both hierarchies and alternative names) can include the IDs of events as well as plain dates. This may be less useful for places but the relevant STEMMA structures are designed to support both place names and personal names in a consistent way. A good example for a person is where a person's name changes at the event of their marriage. Simply duplicating the date may lead to errors later if the date is modified, and it also loses the association with the event itself. Tony Proctor