Review and Correction of Barbershop Harmony Society Chapter Map Data

The meeting locations for each of the 828 active chapters in the Barbershop Harmony Society have been marked in the appropriate District map, BHS Chapter Maps

These District and Chapter maps have a three-fold function.  The maps:

1. are intended to be a working tool for society members and chapter guests until the Headquarters staff is able to implement a database-driven mapping program.
2. will be used as a tool to review and update chapter information in the Society and District databases to make them "map-friendly".
3. can be used to discover and resolve mapping issues like multiple meeting locations and inaccurate map-marker placement.

Although the map database originated from the BHS database (September 2008) it is now completely separate.  Any corrections will need to be made to the map database AND to the Society Database AND to the District Chapter web pages. 

There are issues with the chapter data obtained from the BHS and limitations to the accuracy of the street address to geographic coordinate conversion process that require eyes-on review of the maps by those who are best able to assess the accuracy and provided corrections - chapter members.

There are six steps to the map review and correction process:

1. Review the chapter map data and marker placement
2. Review and correct chapter information on the Society database
3. If the map marker placement is wrong, find the correct coordinates
4. Send map-related corrections made to the Society database or any updated map coordinates to
   randy@cyber-nook.com.  If everything is ok, please send a note with that information as well.
5. Update the District information to match everything else.
6. After you have been notified that the corrections have been made, re-check the map to confirm the accuracy of the updates.

A) Review map data and marker placement:

Visit the BHS Chapter Map page and open the map for your District.

1. Click on the marker for your chapter in the list to the left of the map. 
    
2. A bubble listing chapter data and pointing to your chapter marker will open on the map.  Review the displayed data (including any links) and make certain it is accurate.
   * Any corrections will need to be made to the map database (step D), the Society database (step B),  and the District database (step E). 
   ** Even if the address data is accurate on the map, please review the data in the Society database (step B).  The address data of over 200 chapters had to be modified before the geographic coordinates could be calculated - those changes were ONLY made to the map database, NOT to the Society database.
   
3. Without moving the map around, click on the zoom tool about 3-4 marks from the top to give a street-level view.
    
4. If you only see a street map at this level (and no buildings), click the "Satellite" button on the upper right of the map to view an aerial image of the area where the map marker is located.
   * The "Show labels" button must be checked to view street names.
    
5. The marker will point to the exact coordinates that the conversion program calculated from the street address - it may not be completely accurate!
   * In the case of the example to the right, 8817 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch, CO maps to an office complex about 1/4 mile north of the actual Denver Mile High chapter rehearsal location circled in blue.  Steps to find the correct geographic coordinates will be provided below.
    
6. This map information is stored in the map database.
   * If the marker placement is not accurate, step C below will provide instructions for finding the correct geographic coordinates.
   * If the chapter data is incorrect (wrong meeting location or address, wrong or missing web address, incorrect e-mail address(es)) the Society database will need to be updated (step B) AND corrected data will need to be sent to update the map database (step D).
   ** If everything looks good, please send a note confirming the map's accuracy (step D).  

B) Review and correct chapter information on the Society database:

The address fields of the Society database have not been filled in consistently.  Although the address data has apparently been adequate to display in lists, geocoding addresses requires that a fairly standard format be used.  Mapping programs tend to balk when they try to interpret a street address of "near the corner of 4th and Main street, upstairs in room 200".

1. Open and log into the chapter edit section of the ebiz Society data management program.   If you have the correct credentials the edit screen will open.
    
2. Notice, there are three Address fields with no indication of exactly what chapter information is to be entered in any of them.
   1. The chapter meeting location should be entered in the first Address text box.  A number of chapters added additional meeting information to this field like room numbers, intersections, doors to enter, etc.  The database would be cleaner if all that information was put in the third Address field.
      Special characters can throw off the geocoding process (Église St-Sixte for example)
   2. The second Address box should contain the street address - and ONLY the street address.  Anything else will not geocode correctly.  Some rules to place (relatively) accurate map markers.
      1. Try to avoid using intersections (4th and Easter Ave., for example.  Use 403 Easter Ave. instead.  If you must use an intersection do not add extra words like "near the...", "north of the...", "close to the..." or other descriptive terms.
      2. Do not use special characters or symbols in street names (1895 Rue De LÉglise for example)
      3. Use the actual street address of the meeting location NOT an address that generates a more accurate map marker.  The map marker coordinates can be adjusted in step C).
      4. If there is no actual street address that maps correctly (the location is in a park, in the middle of a college campus, 2 miles down a rural road, or some other situation, enter an address that makes sense to someone trying to find the locations and use step C) to find the exact coordinates.
   3. The third Address box is something of a "catch-all" field.  Additional meeting or location details can be entered here.  Keep the total length under about 200 characters, and use no special characters or symbols.
       
3. Send any map-related corrections you make to the Society database to randy@cyber-nook.com.

C) Correct the map coordinates if the marker in step A is off-target:

There are several reasons a map marker does not point to the actual chapter meeting location in the district maps:

• Various geocoding programs may give slightly different coordinates for a given street address so the map marker does not point exactly to the meeting location. 
• The chapter details provided did not allow for geocoding - The wrong street address was given, the meeting place does not have a street address, etc.

A google map tool is available to enable correct geographic coordinates to be located very easily and quickly.

Open the coordinate location tool.  A map will open with a field to input a street address. 

1. Enter the street address of your chapter meeting location or, if the meeting place does not have a street address enter the address of a nearby location that does map. 
   * Click the "Search" button.
   
    
2. The map will zoom in and a marker will be placed at the coordinates of the street address.
   * Note, this location may not be the same as in the chapter maps you looked at in step A.
   **  If this map places the marker exactly "on target" you will only need to record the coordinates as described in step 4 below.
   * The cursor icon will be a "hand" - position it on the marker.
   * Left Click on the marker and hold the left mouse button down. 
   * The cursor icon will change to a closed hand with an "X" below the marker.  As long as the left mouse button is held down the marker can be dragged around the map.
   
    
3. Drag the marker to the correct map location and position the "X" on the spot where you want the marker to point.
    
4. When you release the left mouse button the Latitude and Longitude will update to the new coordinates of the marker.
   * This entire line can be copied and pasted into an e-mail to update your chapter map information.

D) Send in revised chapter data and new map coordinates.

After following steps A - C the society database should be correct and accurate geographic coordinates should have been obtained for inaccurate map marker locations.

As pointed out above, at this time the map database and the Society database are different entities, and corrections need to be made to both.

** Send any map-related corrections that you made to the Society database and any updated map coordinates to
randy@cyber-nook.com. 

E) Update your District website data to match.

F) Recheck the map after you receive notification of the update.  Google Maps, as currently set up on the Society site, stores (caches) the map data so that when you revisit the site you do not see current information for up to a week.  You can check the actual updated data at this website.

** If, after you review your map data and marker location, everything is OK, please send a note with your chapter name to confirm that the chapter information and map marker location are correct.

Thank you for taking the time to review your chapter map and your Society database chapter entry and provide updates to the data.  Your efforts will ensure an accurate set of interim BHS chapter maps and provide clean data and geographic coordinates that will help the Society when they are able to develop a mapping system driven by the Society database.

In harmony,

Randy Johnson
Webmaster, Sound of the Rockies