Place Names
Theme Sponsor
Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM)
Description
Place Names are the names of cultural and physical features and their associated spatial identifiers, location and extent. Place Names constitute the most commonly used spatial references and can be approved, unapproved, commonly used or historical.
Committees
ICSM
Standards
No standards are currently directly applicable, but the contents of the place names data bases are in line with the directions set by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names.
The spatial content has the following standards:
- AS/NZS ISO 19115 – ANZLIC Profile Version 1.1
- AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications
Datasets
The National Gazetteer of Australia holds an amalgamation subset of all jurisdictions' official naming databases.
Description
Place Names are the names of cultural and physical features and their associated location and extent.
Place Names can include approved, unapproved, commonly used, alternate and historical place names.
Datasets
National Gazetteer of Australia - A subset of jurisdictionally supplied data aggregated through PCPN by Geoscience Australia. This subset is both a smaller list of fields of information and a limited set of features compared to some jurisdictional holdings.
Purpose
Place Names are used to consistently identify and record the official and/or commonly-used names for the location of places and features and gazetted or historical information associated with those names.
Place Names are integral to:
- Emergency response
- Economic, social and environmental analysis
- Cultural identity and heritage
- Mapping and navigation
- Providing a link / index function to other spatial and aspatial data
Current Status
Place Names are delivered by each jurisdiction but a national coverage is delivered by PCPN through Geoscience Australia as the Gazetteer of Australia portal. The data updated bi-annually.
This national gazetteer contains a harmonised subset of the datasets held by the:
- States and Territories
- Australian Antarctic Division
- Australian Hydrographic Office
Future Status
Long Term Objectives include:
- provide all officially named localities and features into the one foundation theme database. This would allow the production of specific and general gazetteer product to be created from that comprehensive data
- contain points, lines and polygon data to bring a greater spatial sense to a place name where suited. i.e. A road is not a point, it is either a line or a polygon. If that road is depicted as a point without length or width you have lost or never collected useful information associated with that road. A reserve is not a point it is an area, so should be represented as a polygon
- have a greater ability to allow the theme to deal with unofficial, alternative (alias) names and repetition of names across the nation.
- be delivered as an openly available real-time service
Standards
No standards are currently directly applicable, but the contents of the place names data bases are in line with the directions set by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names.
The spatial content has the following standards:
- AS/NZS ISO 19115 – ANZLIC Profile Version 1.1
- AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications
Access and Licensing
Products and Services relating to this theme are is under open access and no cost policies. The current version is Creative Commons License 3.0
Related Websites
- http://www.ga.gov.au/place-names/index.xhtml
- http://www.antarctica.gov.au/?casid=5675
- http://www.icsm.gov.au/
- http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/
- http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/Geographic+Feature+Names
- http://data.gov.au/dataset/gazetteer-of-australia-2010-release
- http://data.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/foundation-spatial-data-framework-place-names-theme
- https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/place-names-gazetteer-queensland
- http://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing-property-and-land/local-government/suburb-road-and-place-names/place-names-search
- http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/
- http://maps.land.vic.gov.au/lassi/VicnamesUI.jsp
- http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/tools_resources/place_search
- http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/ThemeNodes/JGAY-53N55M?open
Coverage
Complete, current and continuous coverage of agreed Water data set(s) for all Australia.
Sponsor
Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM)
Key Users
Federal, State and Territory Governments, industry and research communities and Business and community at large.
Version
1.0
Gazetteer of Australia
Description
A geographical index or dictionary of the names of cultural and physical features and their associated location in Australia.
These names can include approved, unapproved, commonly used, alternate and historical place names.
Purpose
The use of consistent and accurate geographic names is extremely important across daily activities in every sector; as the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) recognise: ‘Place names can identify and reflect culture, heritage and landscape.’
Dataset Uses
Correct use of accurate place names can provide benefits to local, national and international communities engaged in:
- Trade and commerce
- Population censuses and national statistics
- Property rights and cadastre
- Urban and regional planning
- Environmental management
- Natural disaster preparedness, relief, and aid
- Security strategy and peacekeeping operations
- Search and rescue operations
- Map and atlas production
- Automatic navigation
- Tourism
- Communications, including postal and news services
Current Status
The current Gazetteer of Australia is totally reliant on the accuracy of the data supplied by each jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction has different requirements and legislation for the collection of their place name data which means that accuracy varies between jurisdictions.
Future Status
The Gazetteer of Australia will:
- Deliver all formally identified place name data and information from government in real time and as points, lines and polygons where appropriate
- Be delivered as a spatial accurate product containing formal, informal and place name aliases, including but not limited to:
- Road names
- Government office locations, business and service delivery points
- Indigenous locations
- Alias and historical place names
- Environmental, business and cultural information
- As much as possible be integrated into the United Nations Spatial Data Infrastructure (UNSDI) Gazetteer Framework
This dataset will provide:
- Open access to this information using a simple to use, single point of access
- A two-way mechanism for users to feedback information on perceived errors, omissions or other issues
A clear distinction between official and unofficial (including historical) names.
Standards
No standards are applicable, but the data contents of the place names data bases are in line with the directions set by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical names.
Access and Licensing
Products and Services relating to this dataset are made available under open access policy and guidelines. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Coverage
Australian mainland, offshore islands, territories and adjacent seas, including the Australian Antarctic Territory
Quality
Accuracy within the current Gazetteer of Australia is a
- construct of each jurisdictions data collection
- function of when the data was collected or revised
Originally the gazetteer had a specified accuracy of nearest ½ degree. While most jurisdictions have far superseded such a broad precision, there is still no defined positional accuracy established.
Metadata
https://www.ga.gov.au/products/servlet/controller?event=GEOCAT_DETAILS&catno=76695
Custodian Agency and Contact
Geoscience Australia - gazetteer@ga.gov.au
Aggregator
Geoscience Australia
Distributor(s) and Products
Geoscience Australia - http://www.ga.gov.au/place-names/index.xhtml
Formats
- tiff
- xml
Key Users
Federal, State and Territory Government Departments, industry and research communities and business community at large.
Additional
There is a standard accepted “Guidelines for the Consistent Use of Place Names” documented as part of the gazetteer.
Consistent Place Names Guidelines on PDF
Version
1.0 Draft for Consultation
Roadmap for Place Names
Purpose:
The roadmap outlines the development goals for the following three years, for all national foundation datasets within each theme. The goals are to be achieved in order to meet the defined end-state for the theme.
Owner:
Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM)
Click here for full version of the roadmap
Details:
- Goals are owned by the theme sponsor to achieve within the FSDF governance framework
- Goals are designated as funded/unfunded
- The roadmap is approved by ANZLIC annually
- The roadmap will be referenced as a benchmark in work plans and updates to ANZLIC
- The roadmap is updated annually or on a major change as required
Notes:
1. The roadmaps (and goals) are agreed by ANZLIC and FSDF sponsors. An unfunded goal indicates that the sponsor is actively seeking to resolve the funding issue. Where this cannot be resolved the sponsor may elevate the issue for the attention of ANZLIC.
2. Dataset custodians are identified in the Dataset Profiles available on this website and their role in the delivery of the roadmaps is critical. State/Territory jurisdictions are also integral to the implementation of the roadmaps.
3. Engagement with custodians and/or jurisdictions in the FSDF and roadmaps is an ongoing process through 2015.