Gazetteer
Introduction
A gazetteer is a data set in which a link is established between a toponym and its geographic coordinates.
gvSIG has a catalogue client which allows you to search by toponyms and centre the view on a specific point.
Connecting to a server
Create a view first and open it. The following button will appear automatically in the gvSIG tool bar.
Click on the button. A wizard opens to help you to carry out a search. The parameters to be input are:
- The server address.
- The server protocol, which in the case of the gazetteer can be:
- WFS-G: Toponym search protocol defined by the OGC.
- WFS: Although this protocol was created with a different purpose in mind, it can be used for a toponym search, as long as it has a text attribute in one of the tables. This protocol also allows you to carry out a “Feature” search in any other field, but not necessarily a text attribute.
- ADL: Protocol specified by the Alexandria Digital Library.
- IDEC/SOAP: Protocol that uses the Catalonian Cartographic Institute (ICC) gazetteer web service.
When you have input all the parameters, click on the "Connect" button and wait until the server is found and accepts the specified protocol. If it is accepted, a new window will appear to start the search. If not, an error message will appear.
Searching
To carry out a search, you will need to fill in the criteria that appear in the following form. You can see the simplified form or carry out an advanced search by clicking on the button in the top right hand corner. This drops down the window.
If you change the view zoom, the new coordinates will be reflected in this form. If you wish to restrict the search area activate the corresponding check box. There are also three options in the “Aspect set up” box which you can use to set up the search view:
Zoom to search: This puts the toponym found in the centre of the gvSIG view.
Delete old searches: This deletes all the texts found in the previous searches from the view.
Draw result: This draws a point and a text label in the place the resulting toponym has been found.
When you have filled in all the fields in the form, click on “Search” and wait for the search to be carried out.
Viewing the results
A new window containing the search results will open. Use the “Previous” and “Next” buttons to move through the different pages of results.
Finally, select the toponym required and click on “Localise”. The gvSIG view will centre on the point the toponym is located in.
