Developing Geodetic Search Interface Through Auto-Generation of Geographic Name Authority Datasets

Abstract

This research study is an attempt to develop a MARC-formatted authority dataset for Indian geo-administrative units given the inadequate coverage of Indian place names in global authority datasets. It starts with an authenticated place names file in CSV format and applies data wrangling tools and techniques to fetch geospatial data and other related datasets from open access data sources to develop a geographic name authority file for Indian place names with geocoordinate data values. Later, this research also demonstrates how that authority dataset can be implemented in an open-source ILS and how retrieval features of a library discovery system can be enhanced through a geodetic search interface by utilizing that authority dataset. The entire methodologies are based on open data, open-source software, and open standards.