It would be really cool to have a program that would semi-automate the process of geocoding textual data within a document in preparation for GIS analysis. Given the complexities of place names, such a program would require some user validation for each data item. As far as I know, there is no free software that does this. A really ambitious program would also be able to map the data and expose the strengths of relationships among places for any set of text documents. My particular interest in such a tool would involve the use of oral history transcripts. I realize this is a pie-in-the-sky proposal.
Nov 07
Build a Semi-Automated Geocoding Program for Text Documents
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3 comments
Brian Marston
November 7, 2013 at 3:30 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You might be able to use OpenCalais to parse the text and find place names, and then feed them to the Google Geocoding API.
Aaron Addison
November 7, 2013 at 4:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
One of the more successful efforts I have seen was presented at the FOSS4GNA conference this year. clavin.bericotechnologies.com/
CLAVIN is also an entity resolution engine, meaning that it can often discern which state you are talking about when it processes “Springfield”.
Andrew Hurley
November 7, 2013 at 6:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks. The Clavin software looks promising, based on the demo. It also looks like it takes more computer knowledge than I have to actually get it running.