Verbatim Coordinate System and Verbatim SRS should not have defaults

[michellelocke]

Currently, Verbatim Coordinate System and Verbatim SRS are filled in by default, even if there is no data in the Verbatim Latitude and Verbatim Longitude. By adding these as defaults it is adding non-existent data to the record. It could also confuse a user and make them wonder if there had been verbatim coordinates at one point.

Additionally, for new data these may be the standards that most people will use. However, for legacy data, most coordinates are in Degrees Minutes or Degrees Minutes Seconds and as atlases were often used, there is no way to be certain what SRS was used. A user may over look these defaults leading to incorrect data being retained in these fields.

Note: No field should have a default set by the system. Users should be able to set their own default if there is a value in a particular field that they always use, but the system should never force default values upon a user.

[cgendreau]

For the first comment, yes indeed they should not be there if there is no data.

Then it gets more complex :) . The main reason is that even if there is none or no way to really know, we need to assume one. Coordinates are nothing without a SRS. When we will put them on a map or share them we will need to assume that it's WGS84 otherwise we can't display or share them.

So, I think the issue here is more about the fact that it's a verbatim field so we could indeed leave it blank and only fill the one in the Georeferencing section ?

Would it be better that way ?

[michellelocke]

I think my answer is yes.

I don't think verbatim coordinates require these fields. I would presume we are not going to map based on Verbatim Lat/Lon but only the Georeferencing section (therefore if one wanted to map their data they would need to fill out Georeferencing). It would be good to have the fields in Verbatim incase we know what the original Coordinate System (likely) and SRS (unlikely, at least for legacy data) was, but I don't see any reason to require that info there (unless the conversion takes into account that info; but then it wouldn't convert if you didn't enter that data).

Therefore they should only be required in the Georeferencing section. Could DINA require those fields to be filled in only if there are coordinates in the lat/lon fields? This would ensure that it is there when needed and not when there is no data.

I don't see a Coordinate System field in Georeferencing. I presume that is because you can only enter decimal degrees in Georeferencing so the database already knows what the Coordinate System is. Is this correct?

There is no SRS field in Georeferencing either. Is this because the SRS is also known by default as the coordinates are in decimal degrees? Or is the SRS equivalent to the Geodetic Datum field (in the tool tip I see it using the same type of language, ex: EPSG:4326)?

I don't fully understand all the finer points of Georeferencing, so please forgive my ignorance on this issue :)

Instead of a default value, perhaps the tool tip could explain what the most common values are (explain as if the user has no idea what a SRS is).