1.1.8. Glossary¶
Definitions of key terms used in the World Historical Gazetteer.
1.1.8.1. Note to Documentation Team¶
This glossary should be:
Alphabetically organized with jump links
Cross-referenced heavily (link related terms)
Include examples for complex terms
Indicate whether term is WHG-specific or general
Include pronunciation guides for unusual terms
Link to detailed documentation pages
Consider visual aids for abstract concepts
Include “see also” sections
Make it searchable/filterable
Keep definitions concise (2-3 sentences max)
Add “technical” vs “user-friendly” definitions where appropriate
Include common synonyms and related terms
Mark deprecated or v3-specific terms clearly
1.1.8.2. A¶
1.1.8.2.1. Attestation¶
A source-backed claim that connects a Thing to information (name, geometry, type, etc.). Attestations are the fundamental unit of knowledge in WHG, capturing provenance, temporality, and uncertainty. Example: “The historical atlas states this Thing was called ‘Lutetia’ from 50 BCE to 300 CE” is an attestation.
1.1.8.3. B¶
1.1.8.3.1. Bounding Box¶
A rectangular geographic area defined by minimum and maximum latitude/longitude coordinates, used to constrain spatial searches or describe the extent of a geometry. Format: [min_lon, min_lat, max_lon, max_lat].
See: Spatial Search
1.1.8.4. C¶
1.1.8.4.1. Certainty¶
A quantitative (0.0-1.0) and qualitative (certain, probable, uncertain, speculative) assessment of confidence in an attestation. WHG explicitly models uncertainty rather than asserting false precision.
1.1.8.4.2. Chrononym¶
A name derived from or referring to a time period (e.g., “Edo period Japan”). One type in the Name Type vocabulary.
See: Name Type Vocabulary
1.1.8.4.3. Classification¶
A categorical assignment of a place to a type or category (e.g., “city”, “monastery”, “battlefield”). WHG uses controlled vocabularies for consistency.
See: Classifications & Types, Subject Classification Vocabulary
1.1.8.4.4. Collection¶
A curated set of place records grouped for research, teaching, or thematic purposes. Collections can be public or private and contain places from multiple datasets.
1.1.8.4.5. Contribution¶
Data submitted to WHG by a user or project, including new place records, edits to existing records, or curated collections.
1.1.8.4.6. Controlled Vocabulary¶
A standardized set of terms used consistently across WHG to ensure data interoperability. Examples include place types, name types, temporal precision levels.
See: Controlled Vocabularies Reference, Data Model: Vocabularies
1.1.8.4.7. Coordinate Reference System (CRS)¶
A framework for defining how coordinates relate to positions on Earth (e.g., WGS84, historical coordinate systems). WHG preserves original CRS but converts to WGS84 for display.
1.1.8.5. D¶
1.1.8.5.1. Dataset¶
A collection of place records contributed as a unit, typically from a single project, publication, or institution. Datasets maintain integrity and attribution as a group.
1.1.8.5.2. Diachronic¶
Concerned with changes over time; the opposite of synchronic. WHG is fundamentally diachronic, tracking how places change across history.
1.1.8.5.3. Disambiguation¶
The process of distinguishing between places with the same or similar names (e.g., multiple “Alexandrias”). Reconciliation and context (temporal/spatial) enable disambiguation.
1.1.8.5.4. DOI (Digital Object Identifier)¶
A persistent identifier assigned to datasets contributed to WHG, enabling formal citation in scholarly publications.
1.1.8.6. E¶
1.1.8.6.1. Embedding¶
A numerical vector representation of a name or text that captures phonetics, enabling similarity search across languages and scripts. WHG uses embeddings to find similar place names.
1.1.8.6.2. Equivalence Relation¶
An attestation asserting that two subjects are the same place (e.g., linking WHG record to external gazetteer record). Enables reconciliation and knowledge graph integration.
1.1.8.6.3. Ethnonym¶
A name referring to a people or ethnic group (e.g., “Aztec”, “Byzantine”). One type in the Name Type vocabulary.
See: Name Type Vocabulary
1.1.8.7. F¶
1.1.8.7.1. False Negative¶
In reconciliation, incorrectly rejecting a match between two records that do represent the same place. Less problematic than false positives but creates duplicate records.
1.1.8.7.2. False Positive¶
In reconciliation, incorrectly accepting a match between two records that represent different places. Creates erroneous data linkages.
1.1.8.7.3. Fuzzy Matching¶
Matching algorithm that tolerates minor differences in spelling, allowing for typos, transliteration variations, and OCR errors.
1.1.8.8. G¶
1.1.8.8.1. Gazetteer¶
A geographic reference work or database providing information about places, typically including names, coordinates, and classifications. WHG is a temporal historical gazetteer.
1.1.8.8.2. GeoJSON¶
A standard format for encoding geographic data structures using JSON, widely supported by mapping applications. WHG can import and export GeoJSON.
See: Export Formats, Data Formats
1.1.8.8.3. Geometry¶
A spatial representation of a place (point, polygon, line, multi-geometry). WHG allows multiple geometries per place to capture uncertainty and temporal change.
1.1.8.9. H¶
1.1.8.9.1. Has-Relation¶
Attestation type connecting a subject to its attributes (has_name, has_geometry, has_timespan, has_type). The most common attestation types in WHG.
See: Relation Types
1.1.8.9.2. Hierarchical Relation¶
Attestation expressing containment or part-whole relationships (part_of, contains). Used for administrative hierarchies and geographic containment.
See: Relations & Networks
1.1.8.9.3. Historiography¶
The study of how history has been written and interpreted. WHG captures historiographic complexity by preserving multiple scholarly perspectives as distinct attestations.
1.1.8.10. I¶
1.1.8.10.1. IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)¶
A standardized system for representing pronunciation. WHG can store IPA representations of place names to aid pronunciation and scholarly analysis.
1.1.8.10.2. Itinerary¶
An ordered sequence of places representing a journey or route. WHG models itineraries using sequential connection relations.
See: Routes & Itineraries, Working with Routes & Itineraries
1.1.8.11. K¶
1.1.8.11.1. Knowledge Graph¶
An interconnected network of entities (places) and relationships. WHG’s attestation model creates a temporal, provenance-rich knowledge graph.
1.1.8.12. L¶
1.1.8.12.1. Linked Data¶
A method of publishing structured data on the web so it can be interconnected. WHG follows linked data principles through URIs, standard formats, and external linking.
1.1.8.12.2. Linked Places Format (LPF)¶
A JSON-LD format for historical place data developed by WHG and Pelagios Network. WHG’s primary data exchange format.
1.1.8.12.3. Locale¶
A specific language and region combination affecting how dates, numbers, and text are displayed (e.g., en-US, fr-FR).
1.1.8.13. M¶
1.1.8.13.1. Meta-Attestation¶
An attestation about another attestation, expressing scholarly debate, corrections, or commentary on claims. A future extension in the WHG data model.
See: Meta-Attestations
1.1.8.13.2. Multi-Geometry¶
A geometry composed of multiple separate parts (e.g., an archipelago represented as multiple polygons, a discontinuous empire).
1.1.8.14. N¶
1.1.8.14.1. Name Variant¶
An alternate form of a place name (historical, transliterated, translated, colloquial). WHG captures rich name variation with temporal and linguistic context.
See: Names & Variants
1.1.8.14.2. Network¶
A system of interconnected places with typed relationships. WHG supports trade networks, religious networks, administrative hierarchies, and custom network types.
1.1.8.15. O¶
1.1.8.15.1. Object (in attestation)¶
The information being asserted about a subject (a name, geometry, classification, or another subject). Part of the Subject-Relation-Object attestation structure.
1.1.8.15.2. OpenRefine¶
An open-source tool for data cleaning and transformation. WHG provides OpenRefine-compatible reconciliation service.
1.1.8.16. P¶
1.1.8.16.1. Pleiades¶
A community-built gazetteer of ancient places. WHG integrates Pleiades data and provides linking to Pleiades IDs.
1.1.8.16.2. Precision (Spatial)¶
Indicator of geographic certainty (exact, approximate, uncertain). WHG captures spatial precision explicitly rather than implying false accuracy.
1.1.8.16.3. Precision (Temporal)¶
Indicator of date certainty (year, decade, century, era, geological period). Acknowledges that historical dating is often imprecise.
1.1.8.16.4. Primary Source¶
Original historical documents, texts, inscriptions, or archaeological evidence. Distinguished from secondary sources in WHG’s source type vocabulary.
1.1.8.16.5. Provenance¶
The origin and history of data, including who contributed it, when, from what sources, and how it has been modified. WHG maintains comprehensive provenance for all attestations.
1.1.8.17. R¶
1.1.8.17.1. Reconciliation¶
The process of identifying whether a place in your dataset corresponds to an existing WHG record, and linking them if so. Central to WHG’s knowledge graph approach.
1.1.8.17.2. Relation Type¶
The kind of relationship expressed by an attestation (has_name, connected_to, part_of, same_as, etc.). WHG defines a controlled vocabulary of relation types.
See: Relation Types
1.1.8.17.3. Representative Point¶
A single geographic point representing a place’s location for mapping and search, even when the full geometry is a polygon or region. Typically the centroid.
1.1.8.17.4. Route¶
An ordered path through multiple places, often representing travel, trade, or pilgrimage. WHG captures routes using sequential attestations.
See: Routes & Itineraries
1.1.8.18. S¶
1.1.8.18.1. Same-As Relation¶
An equivalence attestation asserting two subjects represent the same place. Used for linking to external gazetteers and deduplication.
1.1.8.18.2. Script¶
The writing system used for a name (Latin, Arabic, Han, Cyrillic, etc.). WHG preserves names in original scripts and provides transliterations.
1.1.8.18.3. Sequence¶
An ordering attribute used in route/itinerary attestations to specify the order of places along a path (1, 2, 3…).
See: Routes & Itineraries
1.1.8.18.4. Source Type¶
A classification of evidence (primary_source, secondary_source, dataset, map, etc.). Part of WHG’s controlled vocabularies.
1.1.8.18.5. Spatial Filter¶
A geographic constraint on search results, typically a bounding box or drawn region on a map.
See: Spatial Search
1.1.8.18.6. Subject¶
The entity being described in an attestation, typically a place. The “S” in WHG’s Subject-Relation-Object attestation model.
1.1.8.18.7. Synchronic¶
Concerned with a single point in time; the opposite of diachronic. Traditional gazetteers are typically synchronic (modern), while WHG is diachronic.
1.1.8.19. T¶
1.1.8.19.1. Temporal Range¶
The time period during which something was true, defined by start and stop dates (which may be uncertain). Every attestation in WHG has a temporal range.
See: Temporal Information
1.1.8.19.2. Temporal Null¶
A special value representing unbounded time (from geological prehistory or into indefinite future). WHG handles temporal nulls in its data model.
1.1.8.19.3. Timespan¶
A WHG entity representing a temporal range with uncertainty indicators (start_earliest, start_latest, stop_earliest, stop_latest).
1.1.8.19.4. Toponym¶
A place name, as opposed to other name types (chrononym, ethnonym). The most common name type in WHG.
See: Name Type Vocabulary
1.1.8.19.5. Transliteration¶
A representation of text from one script in the characters of another script (e.g., Arabic names in Latin characters). WHG stores both original scripts and transliterations.
1.1.8.20. U¶
1.1.8.20.1. Uncertainty¶
The degree of doubt or imprecision in data. WHG explicitly models uncertainty in dates, coordinates, and assertions rather than implying false precision.
1.1.8.20.2. URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)¶
A unique identifier for a resource, typically a URL. WHG assigns URIs to all place records (e.g., https://whgazetteer.org/places/12345).
1.1.8.21. V¶
1.1.8.21.1. Validation¶
The process of checking data for errors, completeness, and consistency before publication. WHG performs automated validation on all contributions.
1.1.8.21.2. Vocabulary¶
See Controlled Vocabulary
1.1.8.22. W¶
1.1.8.22.1. WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984)¶
The standard coordinate reference system used by GPS and modern mapping. WHG converts all coordinates to WGS84 for display and querying.
1.1.8.22.2. Wikidata¶
A free knowledge base providing structured data, including place information. WHG links to Wikidata QIDs when available.
1.1.8.24. Abbreviations¶
API: Application Programming Interface
CRS: Coordinate Reference System
CSV: Comma-Separated Values
DOI: Digital Object Identifier
GIS: Geographic Information System
IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
JSON: JavaScript Object Notation
LPF: Linked Places Format
URI: Uniform Resource Identifier
URL: Uniform Resource Locator
WHG: World Historical Gazetteer
1.1.8.25. See Also¶
Understanding WHG Concepts - Conceptual introduction
Data Model Documentation - Technical specification
Controlled Vocabularies Reference - Complete vocabulary listings
FAQ - Common questions
Can’t find a term? Search this documentation or ask on the [community forum].