AIMS has recently updated the Geocodes originally created by the PROMIS project. These codes collate the records of all known settlements in Afghanistan. Because of size we have divided the Geocodes into three sections and zipped them; each file provides Geocodes aggregated according to the administrative divisions in the 32 provinces. Once the files are decompressed you will require Acrobat Reader to read and print them. In order to avoid proliferation of parallel lists, that will inhibit the easy exchange of data, AIMS is the focal point for all updates to the Geocodes. Please contact AIMS at info@aims.org.af if you believe the list of settlements is inaccurate or incomplete.
Geocode are numbers that identify the location of items. They are used in libraries to provide the reference for each book. They are also used to provide unique reference codes to settlements whenever the names are not unique, like in Afghanistan. Experience has proven that the use of Geocode can create a "common language" in countries with different ethnic groups or whenever a unique way to translate the names from different alphabets does not exist.
This is very common in Afghanistan, where one town may have several names and ways to spell it. This inconvenience could be overcome by using relational databases that link the different names together. However, this is possible only if a central database that would handle all the information is established. It becomes very tricky whenever data should be shared and low-level data managers handle their own datasets.
Once the Geocode are introduced, all the data referring to settlements or features belonging to a settlement will have a unique code to identify them, like schools and health posts in the same town. Therefore any organization can use data generated by different institutions with the surety that, at the same time, its own data will be easily utilized. This will also allow sharing of data by using software different from relational databases, like spreadsheets or word processors. |
