[microformats-discuss] Re: [Geowanking] geo microformat BOF session at Where 2.0

[Bud Gibson]

On Jul 7, 2005, at 10:38, Ryan King wrote:

> I think we are. However, its seems that we need to make  
> accomodations for #2, as well as #1.

Let me challenge this.  My main observation is that there is a  
difference with a tension.  #1 is providing a systematic interface  
for humans and #2 is providing precise geo coordinates (street  
addresses or "geometric" per the Tantek sense).  Would we be better  
off with a divide and conquer strategy?  That's the question I mean  
to raise.

>
>> The google maps search interface as one of the referents for the  
>> location microformat.  Should we study in closer detail how that  
>> interface works?
>>
>
> I'm not sure what you're talking about. Are you talking about the  
> search interface? or the new Google maps api?

I'm talking about the search interface.  I think there is a lot to  
learn there because that is what lots and lots of real users use.   
It's how these people express location, or at least one semi- 
systematic way here in the US.

Given this last observation, why couldn't I have a microformat for  
expressing location that is like this:

1.  A tagging method based on the reltag standard, perhaps with an  
extra "geo" class attribute value or some other way of indicating we  
are talking about tagging a location.
2.  Tag values that are equivalent to search terms that produce  
unique results in any one of a set of commercial search services.

Let's call this geotag, or if that name is taken, bdgeotag (brain  
dead geotag).

That way, bumpkisses like me who are generally aware of city and  
sometime street (almost always place name) would have a chance of  
producing data that could go in there.  We could check whether we had  
a legal value by using a search service.  You could even make a  
geotag creator that had people do searches and once they were  
satisfied slide the search term as a valid tag value into the geotag.

Some might object to the idea of using commercial search services.   
Well, why not some interface to the Tiger database

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/

Like reltag, geotag could apply to the whole blog post or some  
portion thereof as delineated by enclosing elements.
>
>
>> I expect that this is the level of detail most people are going to  
>> be able to give on their location.
>>
>
> Yes. That is the majority case, but the  minority case is large  
> enough to be supported.
>
> -ryan
>

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