Geocoding and Geoparsing are Easy

Geocoding and Geoparsing are EasyFOWA London, October 2009Gary Gale, Yahoo! Geo Technologies

PLACES, PEOPLE and THINGS
atibens on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/atibens/2616899638/

Knowing where our users are, and the places that are important to them
Knowing the geographic context of everything we index, manage and publish
Knowing
geographic locations, and the names of places
We Connect
Places, People and Things

UNLOCK YOUR APIs
https://developer.apps.yahoo.com/wsregapp/
sam.d on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/samd/65693717/

ECONOMIC WITH THE TRUTH
niznoz on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/niznoz/4233333/

MAPS ARE EASY
normanbleventhalmapcenter on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/normanbleventhalmapcenter/2674855383/

http://developer.yahoo.com/maps/

GEOCODING USED TO BE EASY
inF! on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanbarrow/3339245753/

What?
Where?

What? (Maybe) Where? (Maybe)

http://local.yahooapis.com/MapsService/V1/geocode

SOME NUMBERS
KoenVereeken on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/koenvereeken/2088902012/

85% of all data stored is unstructured
This doubles every 3 months
80% of all data contains a geo reference
Mr Faber on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrfaber/247946146/

GEOPARSING IS NOT SO EASY
szim90 on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/szim90/272670479/

cheap flights from london to paris in october

1) Tokenize
2) Remove common words
3) Remove words not in gazeteer
london!
paris!

1) Tokenize
2) Remove common words
3) Remove words not in gazetteer
london!
paris!

THE END – THANKS FOR LISTENING
brr7 on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/18732924@N00/244974394/

THAT’S NOT RIGHT
adobemac on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/adobemac/294078052/

IN … INDIA?
bodhitjal on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodhithaj/361857780/

IN … INDIANA?
OZinOH on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/505688957/

TO … TONGA?
j_buswell on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_buswell/3683814556/

FRUSTRATED YET?
paloaltosoftware on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/paloalto/3038701605/

Thé?
a town in Burgundy, France
IN?
ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2
for India
To?
a town in Ibaraki
prefecture, Japan
Is?
another town in Burgundy, France
IT?
ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2 for Italy
AND?
ISO 31660-1 Alpha-3
for Andorra
You?
a town in Yatenga, Burkina Faso
Å?
a town in NorlandFylke,
Norway
That?
a town in Rajasthan, India

The same place!

THIS IS PERU …

THIS IS ALSO PERU … IN ARGENTINA

THIS IS ALSO PERU … IN BOLIVIA

SEMANTICS REQUIRED
dullhunk on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/3525013547/

Hilton, Paris
Paris Hilton

Orlando
Joe Orlando

London
Jack London

Panama
Panama Hats

Yorkshire
Yorkshire Puddings

WHO USES OFFICIAL NAMES ANYWAY?
takomabibelot on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/234301712/

Museum of Modern Art, New York
MOMA NYC
paulamoya on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/40351463@N00/745012335/

London Eye
Millennium Wheel
hismith83 on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/hismith83/200701961/

City and County of San Francisco
San Francisco
SF Brit on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnbattson/192162591/

PLACE BASED THINKING
alxndr on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/alxndr/16750001/

52° 11' 33.396”, -1° 42' 10.7064"

WOEIDs
stevefaeembra on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevefaeembra/3567750853/

Unique
Permanent
Global
Language Neutral
London = Londra = Londres = ロンドン
United States = États-Unis = StatiUniti = 미국
Ensures that geography can be employed consistently and globally
straup on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/straup/3504862388/

GeoPlanet
A Global Location Repository
Names + Geometry +Topology
WOEIDs for

cities and towns
postal codes, airports
admin regions, time zones
telephone code areas
marketing areas
points of interest
colloquial areas
neighbourhoods

woodleywonderworks on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2222523978/

United Kingdom
23424975
VereinigtesKönigreich
Europe
24865675
Country
Continent
Royaume Uni
England
24554868
Great Britain
28298150
Country
Colloquial
イギリス
Warwickshire
12602190
Worcestershire
12602192
County
County
Earth
1
Supername
Stratford-on-Avon
12696101
District
Stratford-upon-Avon
36424
Warwick
39228
Town
Town
CV37
26787646
ZIP

HOW?
laurakgibb on Flickr :http://www.flickr.com/photos/38299630@N05/3635356091/

Data, Data
LaForge
Picard
Worf
LOTS OF DATA
dunechaser on Flickr :http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunechaser/163959411/

MACHINE LEARNING
agustina on Flickr :http://www.flickr.com/photos/cositasdeagustina/1372394032/

HUMAN EDITORIAL
vicchi on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuddland/12747989/

DIG DEEPER?
dvd3141 on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuddland/12747989/

http://developer.yahoo.com/maps/

http://developer.yahoo.com/geo/geoplanet
http://where.yahooapis.com/v1/

http://developer.yahoo.com/geo/placemaker
http://wherein.yahooapis.com/v1/document

http://slideshare.net/vicchi

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
Paul Keleher on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkeleher/1658311814/

www.ygeoblog.com
twitter.com/yahoogeo
twitter.com/vicchi