Input Dataset

NSW GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES REGISTER (GNR)

Theme 
Place Names
Jurisdiction 
NSW

The Geographical Names Register (GNR) is a database of the authoritative place names in NSW. Since its inception in 1966 the Geographical Names Board has recorded information in relation to NSW geographical names within in the GNR. There are currently over eighty thousand place names recorded in the GNR. On average, six hundred new place names are assigned and added to this database every year. Every record in this database has the provision for over thirty attributes ranging from spatial location information in respect to co-ordinate, map tile, parish etc. to cultural information on history, meaning and origin. The GNR also holds official information such as the names status and feature type and temporal information dealing with the gazettal date of the name.

Dataset Purpose

Organisations such as local councils and map publishers rely heavily on the Board to provide authoritative toponyms for use on signs and maps. The Board’s determinations with respect to official suburbs and localities are used by the Real Estate industry for describing property locations.

Funding Support

Access Format

{csv,xls}

Dataset Lineage

Since its inception in 1966 the Geographical Names Board (the Board) has maintained an index card system listing all recorded geographical names within NSW along with relevant details relating to location, legal status, type and other cultural / historical information in accordance with the Geographical Names Act 1966. In the mid-eighties the Board’s data was transferred from these cards and placed in an oracle database. The database platform has been constantly updated since this time to its current stage, Oracle 8I (Version 10.2.0.4). Although the platform has been updated, the data model used for the database has changed little since initial implementation. The model itself is made up of several relational tables, however, data redundancy and normalisation issues do exist. The Board is committed to providing NSW with the best possible service. As such, the Board is at the forefront of international ‘best practice’ methodologies in the field of toponymy. The Board ensures its practices, guidelines and policies adhere to international standards in this area. By doing this, issues dealing with duplication, orthography, position and extent in regards to place names are minimised. The database identifies the placename, designation, status, previous names, LGA, latitude, longitude, respective topographic maps, Parish, County, Description and Origin for each registered placename in NSW. For further information, refer to the GNB website (www.gnb.nsw.gov.au).

Access and Licensing

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Identified Mandate

Yes

Content Source