Proposal:Homogenize the name of office=diplomatic POI

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Homogenize the name for office=diplomatic
Proposal status: Proposed (under way)
Proposed by: Overflorian
Tagging: office=diplomatic
Applies to: node / way / area / relation
Definition: Homogenize the name of office=diplomatic objects
Draft started: 2022-01-05
RFC start: 2022-02-01

Proposal

Suggest an homogenized formatting of the name=* and official_name=* used over the office=diplomatic objects.

I propose to advise toː

  1. Use country's Wikipedia page title for name=* tag e.g. use France instead of Republic of France
  2. Never add the name of the host country/city in the name=* tag e.g. use Embassy of Sao Tome and Principe instead of Embassy of Sao Tome and Principe to Equatorial Guinea

It would apply to all diplomatic=* objects, including and not limited to diplomatic=embassy; diplomatic=consulate; diplomatic=liaison and all their subtags like permanent_mission, delegation, high_commission, ambassadors_residence, consulate_general, honorary_consul, etc...

Rationale

A lot of diplomatic object names are inconsistent. For the same country, different names are used all over the globe, e.g. "Embassy of the United States of America", "Embassy of USA", "Embassy of United States". Inconsistency leads to miss-understanding and poor re-use capacity of the data.

I propose to follow the existing name=* definition that is "the common default name".

It is already stated that "If an official name is unwieldy or obscure and few people use it in practice, even if it is signposted, it is better to put the official name in official_name=* or alt_name=* than to treat it as the primary name."

Therefore, let's clarify the formatting of name=* for office=diplomatic objects and associated official_name=*, alt_name=* and short_name=* when necessary.

Tagging

name=* ː use Wikipedia page title names

I propose to advise to ː

  • use Wikipedia page titles names as default for name=*

These rules should also apply to all translated names such as nameːfr=* or official_nameːfr=*.

Of course, respecting the local conventions for language should continue for the main name=* tag.

Don't use ISO 3166

Another option would be to use the ISO 3166 country code standard.

After all, country=* and target=* already use these Alpha-2 codes. These codes are all listed in this page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_3166_country_codes

Nevertheless, as you can see in the table below, the comparison of the names shows in the last column all the cases for which the ISO name does not seem to really fit the definition of "the common default name"ː


ISO code alpha-2 Wikipedia page title ISO short name Source of the best common default name
AD Andorra Andorra Exact same name
AE United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates (the) ~ same name
AF Afghanistan Afghanistan Exact same name
AG Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda Exact same name
AI Anguilla Anguilla Exact same name
AL Albania Albania Exact same name
AM Armenia Armenia Exact same name
AO Angola Angola Exact same name
AQ Antarctica Antarctica Exact same name
AR Argentina Argentina Exact same name
AS American Samoa American Samoa Exact same name
AT Austria Austria Exact same name
AU Australia Australia Exact same name
AW Aruba Aruba Exact same name
AX Åland Åland Islands Wikipedia
AZ Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Exact same name
BA Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Exact same name
BB Barbados Barbados Exact same name
BD Bangladesh Bangladesh Exact same name
BE Belgium Belgium Exact same name
BF Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Exact same name
BG Bulgaria Bulgaria Exact same name
BH Bahrain Bahrain Exact same name
BI Burundi Burundi Exact same name
BJ Benin Benin Exact same name
BL Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy Exact same name
BM Bermuda Bermuda Exact same name
BN Brunei Brunei Darussalam Wikipedia
BO Bolivia Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Wikipedia
BQ Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Exact same name
BR Brazil Brazil Exact same name
BS Bahamas (the) Bahamas (the) Exact same name
BT Bhutan Bhutan Exact same name
BV Bouvet Island Bouvet Island Exact same name
BW Botswana Botswana Exact same name
BY Belarus Belarus Exact same name
BZ Belize Belize Exact same name
CA Canada Canada Exact same name
CC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cocos (Keeling) Islands (the) ~ same name
CD Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo (the Democratic Republic of the) ~ same name
CF Central African Republic Central African Republic (the) ~ same name
CG Republic of the Congo Congo (the) Wikipedia
CH Switzerland Switzerland Exact same name
CI Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Exact same name
CK Cook Islands Cook Islands (the) Exact same name
CL Chile Chile Exact same name
CM Cameroon Cameroon Exact same name
CN China China Exact same name
CO Colombia Colombia Exact same name
CR Costa Rica Costa Rica Exact same name
CU Cuba Cuba Exact same name
CV Cape Verde Cabo Verde Exact same name
CW Curaçao Curaçao Exact same name
CX Christmas Island Christmas Island Exact same name
CY Cyprus Cyprus Exact same name
CZ Czech Republic Czechia Wikipedia
DE Germany Germany Exact same name
DJ Djibouti Djibouti Exact same name
DK Denmark Denmark Exact same name
DM Dominica Dominica Exact same name
DO Dominican Republic Dominican Republic (the) ~ same name
DZ Algeria Algeria Exact same name
EC Ecuador Ecuador Exact same name
EE Estonia Estonia Exact same name
EG Egypt Egypt Exact same name
EH Western Sahara Western Sahara Exact same name
ER Eritrea Eritrea Exact same name
ES Spain Spain Exact same name
ET Ethiopia Ethiopia Exact same name
FI Finland Finland Exact same name
FJ Fiji Fiji Exact same name
FK Falkland Islands Falkland Islands (the) [Malvinas] Wikipedia
FM Micronesia Micronesia (Federated States of) Wikipedia
FO Faroe Islands Faroe Islands (the) ~ same name
FR France France Exact same name
GA Gabon Gabon Exact same name
GB United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) Wikipedia
GD Grenada Grenada Exact same name
GE Georgia Georgia Exact same name
GF French Guiana French Guiana Exact same name
GG Guernsey Guernsey Exact same name
GH Ghana Ghana Exact same name
GI Gibraltar Gibraltar Exact same name
GL Greenland Greenland Exact same name
GM Gambia (the) Gambia (the) Exact same name
GN Guinea Guinea Exact same name
GP Guadeloupe Guadeloupe Exact same name
GQ Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Exact same name
GR Greece Greece Exact same name
GS South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Exact same name
GT Guatemala Guatemala Exact same name
GU Guam Guam Exact same name
GW Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau Exact same name
GY Guyana Guyana Exact same name
HK Hong Kong Hong Kong Exact same name
HM Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island and McDonald Islands Exact same name
HN Honduras Honduras Exact same name
HR Croatia Croatia Exact same name
HT Haiti Haiti Exact same name
HU Hungary Hungary Exact same name
ID Indonesia Indonesia Exact same name
IE Ireland Ireland Exact same name
IL Israel Israel Exact same name
IM Isle of Man Isle of Man Exact same name
IN India India Exact same name
IO British Indian Ocean Territory (the) British Indian Ocean Territory (the) Exact same name
IQ Iraq Iraq Exact same name
IR Iran Iran (Islamic Republic of) Wikipedia
IS Iceland Iceland Exact same name
IT Italy Italy Exact same name
JE Jersey Jersey Exact same name
JM Jamaica Jamaica Exact same name
JO Jordan Jordan Exact same name
JP Japan Japan Exact same name
KE Kenya Kenya Exact same name
KG Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Exact same name
KH Cambodia Cambodia Exact same name
KI Kiribati Kiribati Exact same name
KM Comoros Comoros (the) ~ same name
KN Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis Exact same name
KP Korea (North) Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of) Wikipedia
KR Korea (South) Korea (the Republic of) Wikipedia
KW Kuwait Kuwait Exact same name
KY Cayman Islands Cayman Islands (the) ~ same name
KZ Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Exact same name
LA Laos Lao People's Democratic Republic (the) Wikipedia
LB Lebanon Lebanon Exact same name
LC Saint Lucia Saint Lucia Exact same name
LI Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Exact same name
LK Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Exact same name
LR Liberia Liberia Exact same name
LS Lesotho Lesotho Exact same name
LT Lithuania Lithuania Exact same name
LU Luxembourg Luxembourg Exact same name
LV Latvia Latvia Exact same name
LY Libya Libya Exact same name
MA Morocco Morocco Exact same name
MC Monaco Monaco Exact same name
MD Moldova Moldova (the Republic of) Wikipedia
ME Montenegro Montenegro Exact same name
MF Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (French part) Exact same name
MG Madagascar Madagascar Exact same name
MH Marshall Islands Marshall Islands (the) ~ same name
MK North Macedonia North Macedonia Exact same name
ML Mali Mali Exact same name
MM Myanmar Myanmar Exact same name
MN Mongolia Mongolia Exact same name
MO Macao Macao Exact same name
MP Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands (the) ~ same name
MQ Martinique Martinique Exact same name
MR Mauritania Mauritania Exact same name
MS Montserrat Montserrat Exact same name
MT Malta Malta Exact same name
MU Mauritius Mauritius Exact same name
MV Maldives Maldives Exact same name
MW Malawi Malawi Exact same name
MX Mexico Mexico Exact same name
MY Malaysia Malaysia Exact same name
MZ Mozambique Mozambique Exact same name
NA Namibia Namibia Exact same name
NC New Caledonia New Caledonia Exact same name
NE Niger Niger (the) ~ same name
NF Norfolk Island Norfolk Island Exact same name
NG Nigeria Nigeria Exact same name
NI Nicaragua Nicaragua Exact same name
NL Netherlands Netherlands (the) ~ same name
NO Norway Norway Exact same name
NP Nepal Nepal Exact same name
NR Nauru Nauru Exact same name
NU Niue Niue Exact same name
NZ New Zealand New Zealand Exact same name
OM Oman Oman Exact same name
PA Panama Panama Exact same name
PE Peru Peru Exact same name
PF French Polynesia French Polynesia Exact same name
PG Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Exact same name
PH Philippines Philippines (the) ~ same name
PK Pakistan Pakistan Exact same name
PL Poland Poland Exact same name
PM Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon Exact same name
PN Pitcairn Pitcairn Exact same name
PR Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Exact same name
PS Palestine Palestine, State of Wikipedia
PT Portugal Portugal Exact same name
PW Palau Palau Exact same name
PY Paraguay Paraguay Exact same name
QA Qatar Qatar Exact same name
RE Réunion Réunion Exact same name
RO Romania Romania Exact same name
RS Serbia Serbia Exact same name
RU Russia Russian Federation (the) Wikipedia
RW Rwanda Rwanda Exact same name
SA Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Exact same name
SB Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Exact same name
SC Seychelles Seychelles Exact same name
SD Sudan Sudan (the) ~ same name
SE Sweden Sweden Exact same name
SG Singapore Singapore Exact same name
SH Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Exact same name
SI Slovenia Slovenia Exact same name
SJ Svalbard and Jan Mayen Svalbard and Jan Mayen Exact same name
SK Slovakia Slovakia Exact same name
SL Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Exact same name
SM San Marino San Marino Exact same name
SN Senegal Senegal Exact same name
SO Somalia Somalia Exact same name
SR Suriname Suriname Exact same name
SS South Sudan South Sudan Exact same name
ST Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe Exact same name
SV El Salvador El Salvador Exact same name
SX Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Exact same name
SY Syria Syrian Arab Republic (the) Wikipedia
SZ Eswatini Eswatini Exact same name
TC Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands (the) ~ same name
TD Chad Chad Exact same name
TF French Southern Territories French Southern Territories (the) ~ same name
TG Togo Togo Exact same name
TH Thailand Thailand Exact same name
TJ Tajikistan Tajikistan Exact same name
TK Tokelau Tokelau Exact same name
TL Timor-Leste Timor-Leste Exact same name
TM Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Exact same name
TN Tunisia Tunisia Exact same name
TO Tonga Tonga Exact same name
TR Turkey Turkey Exact same name
TT Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Exact same name
TV Tuvalu Tuvalu Exact same name
TW Taiwan Taiwan (Province of China) Wikipedia
TZ Tanzania Tanzania, the United Republic of Wikipedia
UA Ukraine Ukraine Exact same name
UG Uganda Uganda Exact same name
UM United States Minor Outlying Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands (the) ~ same name
US United States United States of America (the) ~ same name
UY Uruguay Uruguay Exact same name
UZ Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Exact same name
VA Holy See Holy See (the) ~ same name
VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Exact same name
VE Venezuela Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Wikipedia
VG British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands (British) Wikipedia
VI United States Virgin Islands Virgin Islands (U.S.) Wikipedia
VN Vietnam Viet Nam Wikipedia
VU Vanuatu Vanuatu Exact same name
WF Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna Exact same name
WS Samoa Samoa Exact same name
YE Yemen Yemen Exact same name
YT Mayotte Mayotte Exact same name
ZA South Africa South Africa Exact same name
ZM Zambia Zambia Exact same name
ZW Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Exact same name

N.B.ː this list has been produced at a given date but as it will evolve, the reference should remain the English Wikipedia articles themselves.


The whole goal of this proposal is to simplify the names, shorten them, make them more understandable for human users.

name=* tags are definitely made for humans, country=* and target=* for robots

official_name=*

official_name=* should use the complete name of the country e.g. use Plurinational state of Bolivia and not Bolivia.

I propose to use the long name from Wikipedia e.g. use Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and not Republic of Venezuela

This comes directly from the content of the Wikipedia page "Venezuela (/ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə/; American Spanish: [beneˈswela] (listen)), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela"

In case of exceptions not covered by this proposal or conflicts of interpretation, the reality of the field should remain decisive.

short_name=*

short_name=* should continue to use a colloquial name e.g. Dutch embassy, Indian consulate and abbreviations such as. USA embassador residence, UAE consulate, RDC embassy.

Sub-tags

Embassy
Branch embassy
Ambassador's residence

The name should not include the country targeted e.g. use Residence of the Ambassador of Japan and not Residence of the Ambassador of Japan to Canada

The name should use the proper name of the country e.g. use Residence of the Ambassador of Japan and not Residence of the Japanese Ambassador

Permanent mission

Permanent missions are by definition attached to an international organization (see the full list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intergovernmental_organizations).

Should an exception be created in order to shorten names such as Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations?

Possible optionsː

  • Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania to the UN
  • Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations ː my favorite does not use any abbreviation but try to shorten the name
  • Permanent mission of Lithuania to the UN
  • Permanent mission of Lithuania

[Decision not taken yet]

Apostolic Nunciature

There is currently 48 embassy=nunciature in the world https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/1eNO and this tag is already properly defined (see embassy=nunciature).

I propose to use the ISO 3166 name=Apostolic Nunciature and a non-standard but wildly used official_name=Apostolic Nunciature of The Holy See.

I propose to avoid name=Vatican embassy that is not a proper denomination.

Also let's use "The Holy See" instead the improper "Vatican" while possible.

Do not use the targeted country in the name e.g. Apostolic Nunciature instead of Apostolic Nunciature to Canada.

Consulate

The honorary consulate is managed/represented by a non-diplomatic personal. It should include Honorary in its name.

Liaison

Unrecognized states are tagged diplomatic=liaison and liaison=liaison_office.

Bewareǃ The "recognized" status is the one stated from the host country (see this page for detailed list) mentioned with target=* and not an "international recognition" status from the UN, EU or any other stakeholder.

If a host country recognizes another organization as a sovereign state under the Vienna Convention, then the diplomatic mission is an embassy=yes and not as a liaison office.

e.g. the handful of countries that recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) would call the ROC diplomatic representation an "embassy" even though Taiwan is not allowed to join UN agencies and is not recognized by the United Nations.

Examples

Most of the existing objects are already respecting the proposal.

Here are some example of suggestionsː

Deducted from field names

Example Transcript Proposed name Proposed official_name Other proposed name
Consulate General of India, Atlanta.jpg CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA Consulate General of India Consulate General of Republic of India short_name=Indian Consulate General
Consulate of Mexico in Liechtenstein.JPG ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS

CONSULADO HONORARIO

Consulado honorario de México Consulado honorario de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos nameːen=Honorary Consulate of Mexico

official_nameːen=Honorary consulate of the United Mexican States

Consular Office of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Plate. - Budapest, 12th district, Toth Lőrinc Street.JPG CONSULATE OF THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO BUDAPEST

LESOTOI KIRÁLYSÁG KONZULI KÉPVISELETE BUDAPEST

nameːen=Consulate of Lesotho official_nameːen=Consulate of the Kingdom of Lesotho
Polish Embassy in Hungary. Plate. Bajza Street side. - Budapest.JPG AMBASADA RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ POLSKIEJ

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND

nameːen=Embassy of Poland official_nameːen=Embassy of the Republic of Poland short_nameːen=Polish embassy

NBː I don't speak neither Hungarian neither Polish. The name and official_name should be translated accordingly.

Embassy

OSM object Current name Proposed name Comment
node 947950188 name=Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands name=Embassy of the Netherlands

official_name=Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

short_name=Dutch embassy


nameːfr=Ambassade des Pays-Bas

official_nameːfr=Ambassade du Royaume des Pays-Bas

short_nameːfr=Ambassade Néerlandaise

node 7114642073 name=Embassy of the United Arab Emirates name=Embassy of the United Arab Emirates

short_name=UAE embassy

As the name=* does not differ from the official_name=*, the official_name=* should not be added.

All local name should remain as they areː nameːde=*, nameːfr=*, nameːes=*, nameːen=*.

Short name could be added, e.g. short_nameːfr=Ambassade des EAU

(NBː I don't speak Arabic)

I automatically translated nameːar=السفارة الإماراتية فى جيبوتي into English and it means UAE Embassy in Djibouti.

It should be changed to the Arabic translation for Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.

node 2253882650 name=Embajada Real de Tailandia

name:es=Embajada Real de Tailandia

nameːen=Royal Thai Embassy

nameːfr=Ambassade de Thaïlande

name=Embajada de Tailandia

official_name=Embajada Real de Tailandia


name:es=Embajada de Tailandia

official_name:es=Embajada del reino de Tailandia

alt_name:es=Embajada Real de Tailandia


nameːen= Embassy of Thailand

official_name=Embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand

alt_name=Royal Thai Embassy


name:fr=Ambassade de Thaïlande

official_name:fr=Ambassade du Royaume de Thaïlande


node 7703276449 name=Ambassade du Maroc au Bénin name=Ambassade du Maroc Never mention the target=* country in the name
Ambassador's residence
OSM object Current name Proposed name Comment
way 951250718 name=Residence of the Japanese Ambassador to Canada name=Residence of the ambassador of Japan
way 164186493 name=Residence of the Brazilian ambassador name=Residence of the ambassador of Brazil
node 5391626124 name=South Korean Ambassadors residence name=Residence of the ambassador of South Korea
way 71494935 name=Uganda Ambassador’s Residence name=Residence of the ambassador of Uganda

Branch embassy

OSM object Current name Proposed name
way 158555461 Austrian Embassy Commercial Section Commercial section of the embassy of Austria
way 215315725 Cultural, Health and Military Attachés of the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman Cultural, Health and Military Attachés of Oman
node 9393931704 Embassy of China - Commercial Office Commercial office of the embassy of China
node 585468907 nameːen=Qatar Embassy (Medical Office) nameːen=Medical office of the Embassy of Qatar

Permanent mission

OSM object Current name Proposed name
node 7095969137 Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations
node 4492212293 Representation Permanente des Pays-Bas auprès du Conseil de l'Europe Representation Permanente des Pays-Bas auprès du Conseil de l'Europe
way 371718863 Permanent Representation of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome Permanent Representation of China to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
node 2714913597 Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations

Apostolic Nunciature

OSM object Current name Proposed name
way 358649622 nameːen=Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of China (Taiwan) nameːen=Apostolic Nunciature
official_nameːen=Apostolic Nunciature of The Holy See
node 1677721715 name=Apostolic Nunciature to Australia name=Apostolic Nunciature
official_name=Apostolic Nunciature of The Holy See
way 590571533 name=Nunciatura Apostólica de la Santa Sede en Santiago
way 951250710 name=Apostolic Nunciature to Canada

Consulate

OSM object Current name Proposed name Comment
way 195443764 name=Consulat de France name=Consulat honoraire de France Contrary to English, in French, "honoraire" should not be capital letter. The language-specific conventions should be respected.
way 227658403 name=US Consulate General in Cape Town name=Consulate General of the United States of America Never mention the city of location in the name
way 641999219 name=Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria name=Consulate General of Nigeria

official_name=Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

way 205998235 name:en=Consulate General of Costa Rica in São Paulo name:en=Consulate General of Costa Rica

official_nameːen=Consulate General of the Republic of Costa Rica

Never mention the city of location in the name

Liaison

OSM object Current name Proposed name
way 237176048 name:en=Representation of the Republic of Tatarstan name:en=Representation of Tatarstan

official_name:en=Representation of the Republic of Tatarstan

node 2706638885 name:en=Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan name:en=Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan
node 8910893849 name=Taipei Representative Office in Singapore name=Representative Office of Taiwan

Rendering

Most maps already render the name=* tag of diplomatic objects.

As we also suggest to homogenize the official_name=* in this proposal, we should suggest the render to switch to the official_name=* while zooming closely to these objects. This complementary idea is not part of the proposal.

Features/Pages affected

Documentation would be updated for the following pages (and for other languages of these pages)ː


Also Q/A tools such as Osmose will be suggested to add the following words (subject to evolution) to the suspicious words used in the name=* of the office=diplomatic objectsː république;republic;republik;federal;fédéral;people;arab;state;kingdom;emirate;royal;in;to;en;à;a;w;в

Some exceptions might be defined for this rule e.g. "Dominican Republic", "United Kingdom".

External discussions

Original discussion happened on the talk-fr french mailing-list.

Discussion started with the creator of the office=diplomatic proposal on the discussion page.

Comments

Please comment on the discussion page.

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