Getting Serious About Original Place Names

The April Edition of Spatially Speaking (PDF), the FGDC's monthly update, includes a short article on a grant from the USGS National Geospatial Program Office to the Hawaiian Geographic Information Coordination Council (HIGICC) to enhance the web site of the Hawaii State Board on Geographic Names (HBGN).

The Hawaii names folks have been working through USGS place-name data for the island state (at the USGS' request) and making suggestions on updating the typography and spelling of those names to help users towards a more correct pronunciation of traditional names. The new grant will go towards adding audio files to the HBGN web site to demonstrate proper pronunciations.

The idea is borrowed from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in Idaho, who have added written and recorded traditional names information on their web site. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe GIS Program has created a Native Names Project (with some USGS funding) that presents information on original names in a searchable database and in several map formats, including as a Google Earth KML.

The project is open to input on names outside of traditional Couer d'Alene areas. Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, for example, is at the same spot as what was once known as Tsi wahswèn:to (MP3) which translates as "at the coal forked mouth."

The projects are expected to expand to include video presentations, additional history, and other information.

Draft Agenda Posted for National Geospatial Advisory Committee Meeting

The FGDC web site has a draft agenda up for the initial meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for April 15 and 16, at the American Institute of Architects Building, on New York Avenue in Washington, DC.

The NGAC is a Federal Advisory Committee set up to "review and comment upon geospatial policy and management issues and will provide a forum to convey views representative of non-federal stakeholders in the geospatial community." It includes members from the private sector, nonprofits, and Academia.

The agenda includes a variety of introductory remarks, briefings on federal geospatial data activities, planning for future study and discussions, and public comment.

The meeting is also announced (PDF) in the March 31 issue of the Federal Register.