Cognised existence: A geographical name is a human-assigned label for a location or feature — a city, an island, a forest, a lake. Names are how humans refer to places in natural language, making them essential for search and discovery.
Question: What is the official name of a place or feature?
Realisations
1. Stednavne
Stednavne is the authoritative Danish gazetteer.
Spatial Access Path
stednavn → geometri (point or polygon — direct, no joins needed)
Each place name carries its own geometry directly — a point for small features, a polygon for areas.
Key Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
navn | Place name text |
stednavntype | Feature type (by, ø, skov, sø, å, …) |
geometri | Point or polygon geometry |
sprog | Language (Danish, Greenlandic) |
2. OpenStreetMap
OSM carries name tags on all named features (places, natural features, administrative areas).
Spatial access: Direct geometry on the named node/way/relation.
Role in Data Discovery
A gazetteer enables natural-language geographic search — “find data near Roskilde” requires resolving “Roskilde” to coordinates. This leaf is a bridge from human queries to spatial operations.
Classical Theme References
| Standard | Theme | Link |
|---|---|---|
| INSPIRE | Geographical Names | |Geographical Names |
| UN-GGIM | Geographical Names | |Geographical Names |
Realised By Links
- Stednavne (collection)
Unmatched Realisations
- OpenStreetMap
Realised By Links
- Stednavne (collection)
Unmatched Realisations
- OpenStreetMap