Talk:New Bourbon, Missouri
Latest comment: 7 years ago by John from Idegon in topic Geographic coordinates
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Geographic coordinates
editThe USGS topo map shows New Bourbon at N 37.95024 W 90.02141[1], which is on the bluffs overlooking the bottoms, as the article describes, and about the right distance (2.5 miles) from the center of Ste. Genevieve. The article gives a location about 11.5 miles from here, nowhere near the bottoms. That's almost directly south of the site on the topo map, so I'd assume someone mistyped the latitude. I'm changing the coordinates in the article. --Kbh3rdtalk 21:34, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- Thank you for noticing that, Kbh3rd, but since encyclopedia's are supposed to be made up of verifiable content and not things we figure out by our own research, I've changed your change slightly (a matter of two seconds, or about 50') to conform to what a reliable source had for it, that source being the Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS. John from Idegon (talk) 21:54, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- I could argue that finding New Bourbon on a USGS topo map and taking the coordinates from that map is using a reliable source. But I get what you're saying and agree that getting specifics from GNIS is even better. Thanks. --Kbh3rdtalk 21:11, 7 August 2017 (UTC)
- Actually, no. That would be WP:OR, in that you are taking a reliable source and applying your own manipulation to it to reach a conclusion that the coordinates are such. You decided where to place the cursor. Simple math is allowed (eg, you can take the school racial demographic figures form a reliable source such as NCES and use math to conclude that the 500 boys in the school represent 50% of the 1000 total enrollment), but I do not think taking actual measurements (which would be required if using a map to determine coordinates) would fall under that exception. See WP:CALC. John from Idegon (talk) 21:44, 7 August 2017 (UTC)
- To clarify further, we frequently use ACME mapper to determine coordinates if no reliable source exists, and even if the reliable source is drastically wrong. (That happens with a fair amount of frequency when using the NRHP as the source) But there are conventions as to where to point the cursor in those cases. For a municipality, we generally center on the seat of government building, for a school or other building, we generally center on the main entrance. John from Idegon (talk) 21:49, 7 August 2017 (UTC)
- Actually, no. That would be WP:OR, in that you are taking a reliable source and applying your own manipulation to it to reach a conclusion that the coordinates are such. You decided where to place the cursor. Simple math is allowed (eg, you can take the school racial demographic figures form a reliable source such as NCES and use math to conclude that the 500 boys in the school represent 50% of the 1000 total enrollment), but I do not think taking actual measurements (which would be required if using a map to determine coordinates) would fall under that exception. See WP:CALC. John from Idegon (talk) 21:44, 7 August 2017 (UTC)
- I could argue that finding New Bourbon on a USGS topo map and taking the coordinates from that map is using a reliable source. But I get what you're saying and agree that getting specifics from GNIS is even better. Thanks. --Kbh3rdtalk 21:11, 7 August 2017 (UTC)