Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 19:17:14 -0500 To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Subject: Release of TGN -Reply
>Introducing the >Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names > > >The Getty Information Institute is pleased to announce the release of its >latest vocabulary tool, the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names >(TGN). Described as *an important and promising start in efforts to create >a unified source for geographic name information around the globe* the >TGN is intended to be a source of geographic names for documenting >and retrieving cultural heritage information. For example, geographic >names may be used to record the current location of an art object, its >place of origin and the sites of an artist's birth, activity and death. >The TGN is the product of eight years of research and is based on data >provided by several Getty projects. The nearly 900,000 places in the >TGN are arranged in a hierarchical structure representing all nations of >the modern world. This hierarchy is arranged from broader to narrower >context (e.g., continents, nations, states, provinces, cities etc.). The >TGN provides vernacular and English names of places, variant names in >other languages, and whenever possible, historical names. The record >for a place may also contain geographical coordinates, dates, and notes. >The TGN is available in three formats: on the Web, as tagged ASCII files, >and in relational tables. The Web version is available at >http://www.gii.getty.edu/tgn_browser. The relational tables and tagged >ASCII files will be available upon request in early 1998. >The TGN will be expanded with the addition of new names and historical >places. While we continue to collaborate with various Getty contributors, >the growth of the TGN depends on our forming partnerships with other >institutions interested in contributing their expertise to the development of >the resource. If you are interested in becoming a contributor to the TGN, >please contact the Getty Information Institute's Vocabulary Program at >(310) 440 6364 or send e-mail to [email protected]. Comments and >questions about the TGN may be sent to [email protected]. The Vocabulary >Program also plans to host several training sessions on the TGN. If you >are interested in training, please e-mail [email protected]. >
