User Needs and Implications for Modelling Vague Named Places

Focusing on vague and vernacular aspects of place, results are reported from a qualitative empirical study of workplace end users of geographic information. The study revealed certain patterns of need for place and placename data; these are compared with current sources of place information (maps and gazetteers) for GIS, and with various proposed methods for modelling vagueness, uncertainty and multiple names and extents in spatial data. Conclusions centre on the need for multiple methods in specific use contexts, and for further requirements-driven research into the cognitive phenomenon of place itself.