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Names and Geographic Features: An Internship with the U.S. Geological Survey

Bedocs, Justin A
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3442-494X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1452529967

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, Environmental Sciences.
Place names are vital to orienting ourselves in the world. In ancient times, people must have had names for places like hunting grounds or berry groves. This act of naming roughly delineates geographic features which can be revisited and described to others, affixing an added cultural meaning to that place. Place naming has since come a long way. Official place names for the United States and its territories are managed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC). This report details my experience working in the Geographic Names Unit. As a Pathways Career Intern, my main duties were to manage the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database containing official place names for features outlined on federal topographic maps. Most of the work involved duplicate names; an issue where there are two name records for one feature, often indicating that one record is a copy and should be deleted. Sometimes the two records were not copies, and the correct locations were identified by visually analyzing historic and recent maps. The coordinates were then updated respectively in the GNIS. I gained valuable experience reading topographic maps, identifying features and managing a large database of geographic names.
Robbyn Abbitt, MS (Committee Chair)
Suzanne Zazycki, JD (Committee Member)
Mark Allen Peterson, PhD (Committee Member)
49 p.
Cartography; Computer Science; Cultural Anthropology; Earth; Environmental Science; Geographic Information Science; Geography; History; Information Science; Information Technology; Language; Native American Studies
Places; Names; Place Names; Geographic Features; Geography; Cultural Anthropology; Linguistics; Topography; Naming Disputes; Denali; Sense of Belonging; Community; Topographic Maps; Stakeholder Groups; GNIS; Geographic Names Information System

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bedocs, J. A. (2016). Names and Geographic Features: An Internship with the U.S. Geological Survey [Master's thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1452529967

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bedocs, Justin. Names and Geographic Features: An Internship with the U.S. Geological Survey . 2016. Miami University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1452529967.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bedocs, Justin. "Names and Geographic Features: An Internship with the U.S. Geological Survey ." Master's thesis, Miami University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1452529967

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1452529967
578
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.