CAcert is using a Location Database to locate Assurers

Aim/Goals

One of the main problems if you don't already have any assurance points is getting them, and in trying to hone our location based services CAcert has implemented a number of features, such as an AJAX based location system which allows you to locate people within a certain amount of distance from any place you specify. The datasets we're using however are not perfect but are a good start and since this is a non-geocentric community we though who better to ask on updates for a partiular area then those users that live in those areas.

Current Data

There has been an import of data from various datasets, some areas are better covered then others.

Location Database Editors at CAcert

Current Database Format

CC

REG

LOC

LONG

LAT

(Country)

(Region)

(Location)

(Longitude)

(Latitude)

While we realise there are many languages around the world we have an issue of making things as simple for others to find as possible, in general this means resorting to the english language character set of 26 letters, and the reason for this is because people travel to different countries, this includes both assurers and assurees and so everyone can be on equal footing in terms of search terms we should try to limit what letters are used.

This doesn't mean we can't include place aliases however, which means a second place name and the same longitude and latitude information is entered into the database and because everything is based on distance searching everyone will still end up finding each other.

Discussion List

CAcert currently maintains a number of mailing lists, and in discussions early it was thought that rather then creating yet another list for people to subscribe to it might be a better idea to combine discussions on the location database with the translation mailing list.

http://lists.cacert.org/wws/info/cacert-translations

Databases found on the web

http://drupal.org/node/19983

Article about available databases

http://www.asu.edu/lib/hayden/govdocs/maps/geogname.htm (Page Not Found)

Listing of available databases

http://www.mindspring.com/~mjfriedman/freeworldaddressdb.html (Page Not Found)

Databases

http://www.maxmind.com/app/products , http://www.maxmind.com/download/worldcities/

Database (see at the bottom of the page)

http://opengeodb.sf.net/

Database for german speaking countries

http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntyfile/nl.zip

Database for Netherlands


CategorySoftware

Software/Database/LocationDatabase (last edited 2010-08-25 15:20:49 by UlrichSchroeter)