Last updated: June 9th, 2023 at 08:15 pm

The following list is of data standards as I understand them. This list will be updated as I work through more data-cleansing issues. Please feel free to share your insight or questions in the comment field below.

• Place names:
  • The country "United States of America" is abbreviated as "USA" but the names of all other countries, it seems, are spelled out.Place names should be spelled as they would be found on a map. States should not be abbreviated because some current state abbreviations are the same as abbreviations for other geographic locations in other countries.My preference is to NOT include extraneous descriptive words. Use "Green Bay" instead of "City of Green Bay" , "Brown" instead of "Brown County", etc.Use ONLY location facts that you know and that your research supports. For instance, if you know that someone resided in Wood County, Wisconsin, their location would be "Wood, Wisconsin, USA".At the same time, be as detailed as possible with place names; e.g., "Ward 8, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA".
  • For names of states, cities and areas within cities, separate the location divisions (e.g., city, state, country) with a comma (,), placing the smallest area first. For example, "Ward 3, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA" follows the prescribed place naming standard but "Buffalo Ward 3, Erie, New York, USA" does not. Place the geographical (governmental / political) place name in the Location field of a Location fact.
  • Buildings, hospitals, cemeteries, etc.: Names of buildings or small areas of interest like hospitals, churches, cemeteries, etc. should be entered in the "Description" field, not in the "Location" field of a Location fact.