With Text DAta, Locations are everything

Location are a key part of a lot of the data work that we do, and being able to extract locations from texts can give your analysis an incredible boost. The context of where geological or engineering events is one of the most significant factors in how successful it will likely be.

Below are some examples of geographic coordinate systems that we look for in text data.

The Geographic Coordinate System is directly related to geographic locations on Earth. It is specifically designed for describing positions on the Earth's surface using latitude, longitude, and sometimes altitude.

1. Geographic Coordinate System

• Representation: Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude.

• Description:

  • Latitude and longitude specify a location on the Earth's surface, while altitude can describe height above sea level. This system is used in mapping, GPS, and other geospatial applications.

• Example:

  • "The city of Paris is located at approximately 48.871728, 2.350468 which places it in the northern hemisphere near the Prime Meridian. The Eiffel Tower, one of Paris's most famous landmarks, rises to an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level."

2. Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Coordinate System

• Representation: Easting, Northing, and sometimes elevation, along with the UTM zone.

• Description:

  • UTM divides the Earth into a series of zones, each with its own coordinate system. The coordinates are based on meters, making them useful for precise measurements and mapping.

  • To map this you need to know the ZONE!

• Applications:

  • Commonly used in topographic maps, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and military applications.

• Example using the Mercator Projection:

  • "On a Mercator projection map, the position of Tokyo, Japan, is approximately 35.6824° N, 139.7594° E, UTM 31U. This projection preserves local angles and shapes, making it useful for navigation, though it distorts areas further from the equator."

3. Projected Coordinate Systems

• Representation: Varies depending on the projection (e.g., Mercator, Lambert Conformal Conic, etc.).

• Description:

  • These systems project the curved surface of the Earth onto a flat map. Different projections are used depending on the purpose of the map (e.g., minimizing distortion in area, shape, or distance).

• Applications:

  • Widely used in cartography and mapping applications.

• Example using the Lambert Conformal Conic Projection:

  • "When mapping the United States, a Lambert Conformal Conic projection is often used to reduce distortion. In this projection, the city of Denver, Colorado, is located at around 39.7392° N, 104.9903° W, and appears proportionally accurate on state-level maps."

These coordinate systems are all designed to map positions on the Earth’s surface, though they each approach the problem in different ways. The Geographic Coordinate System is the most direct and universally recognized, while UTM and various projected coordinate systems are specialized for certain types of mapping and spatial analysis.

Understanding the formatting of each and the essential pieces of information required for each system to map to a spot on earth, will help you create better algorithms for extracting this information from text.