Hi Colleen and All, Here is a quick attempt to contrast a couple of digital coordinates forms: the Alexandria Digital Library and OCLC MARC.

I hope I it's OK to copy and paste from the Alexandria Digital Library Gazetteer website. An example for entering coordinates there:

<longLat longitude="-110.5" latitude="32.26883"/>

<longLat longitude="-110.86778" latitude="32.15"/>

<longLat longitude="-110.6" latitude="32.12278"/>

<longLat longitude="-111.00278" latitude="32.186"/>

<longLat longitude="-110.75" latitude="32.2"/>

So, this decimal form appears to show hemisphere as minus or plus with the actual plus sign being omitted. There does not appear to be a requirement for a leading zero when the number of degrees is less than 100, nor a requirement for a particular number of places to the right of the decimal.

The OCLC Bib Formats examples:

Decimal degrees: hddd.dddddd (hemisphere-degrees.decimal degrees): 034 1 a ‡d E079.533265 ‡e E086.216635 ‡f S012.583377 ‡g S020.419532

Decimal degrees: + -ddd.dddddd (hemisphere[+/-]-degrees.decimal degrees [+ for N and E, - for S and W with + being optional]): 034 1 a ‡d +079.533265 ‡e +086.216635 ‡f -012.583377 ‡g -020.419532

Decimal degrees without the optional +: 034 1 a ‡d 079.533265 ‡e 086.216635 ‡f -012.583377 ‡g -020.419532

Decimal minutes: hdddmmm.mmmmm (hemisphere-degrees-minutes.decimal minutes): 034 1 a ‡d E07932.5332 ‡e E08607.4478 ‡f S01235.5421 ‡g S02028.9704

Decimal seconds: hddmmss.sss (hemisphere-degrees-minutes-seconds.decimal seconds): 034 1 a ‡d E0793235.575 ‡e E0860727.350 ‡f S0123536.895 ‡g S0202858.125

So, it seems optional to use letters or minus and plus for hemisphere in

OCLC. The usage here includes a leading zero for degrees less than 100.

Hoping this helps a little with the communication.

Jimmie Lundgren

-----Original Message----- From: Subject Coordinates Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Elliott Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 11:10 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [SUBCOOR] Question on form of coordinates (no vcard)

There are standards for the digital encoding of coordinates and other related essential information (e.g., coordinate systems, datums, spheroids). Two places to start:

One of the major bodies dealing with the establishment of such standards is the Open Geospatial Consortium ( http://www.opengeospatial.org/ ), which publishes relevant specifications.

One also might care to look at the work of the Alexandria Digital Library Gazetteer project, whose gazetteer protocol includes specifications for the encoding of coordinates ( http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/gazetteer/ ).

Best, Tom

Tom Elliott, Ph.D. Director, Ancient World Mapping Center http://www.unc.edu/awmc

CB#8110 5010 Davis Library University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8110 U.S.A.

No VCARD this time.