Gazetteer refinements
Since we launched our updated place database last week we’ve been working on a number of improvements which have just gone live.
A couple of people pointed out that we still don’t list some important cities (including Hobart, the capital of Tasmania). On advice from Marc of Geonames, we’ve been able to add all capitals cities that they know about in their database. We’ve also made capitals the default selection whenever there’s a name clash. For example, if you type Hobart then we’ll assume you mean Australia and not Hobart, Indiana. I should add that if you’ve listed a trip to Hobart, Indiana before then we’ll remember that next time and use it next time in preference.
Secondly, we’ve had a few long-standing naming confusions in our database. Geonames uses local naming whenever possible. Outside Ireland it’s not well-known that Dublin is really called Baile Átha Cliath. To avoid confusion, we’ve tidied up several such names. This should make adding trips to Moscow, Prague, Rotterdam and Frankfurt a little simpler. We haven’t forgotten the original naming - we still do the right thing if you search for Москва - but the defaults are now English names.
Is is possible to broaden the trip destination recognition to continents? Backpacker types like myself land on a continent and wander. It would be more accurate for some to just add Europe, rather than type each specific destination. I am brand new to Dopplr, and this looks pretty cool so far.
I find it difficult sometimes to state a place I am going to.
Two very common travel destinations from Singapore for weekend tours are the Indonesian Islands of Batam and Bintan (sometimes spelled Bintang).
Sometimes I think it would be an advantage to let travellers just keep the country but freetext the place, if the system has failed finding the place.
The suggestion of what is near, often does not ring a bell to the traveller, nor friends.
Changing Ath Cliath to Dublin is one thing, but Ireland in general is a randomly-bilingual mess. Kilkenny, Sligo, Carrigaline are just three I’ve noticed this last week among dozens of places where practically nobody who lives there habitually uses the Irish language place name.
You’re not the only offenders (seems lots of Geonames-using apps are similarly mega-b0rked), but I’m going to complain anyway. Not least because sending feedback *never elicits any response whatsoever*. (*cough*)