Danish place-names along the digital path. A status of the DigDag-project and the digitisation of the series Danmarks Stednavne (Place-Names of Denmark)

Changes in administrative structures over time have profound implications for the organisation of topographically ordered research data. One example could be the numerous changes in the municipal structure in Denmark over the past 150 years.

Place-name research data in Denmark are relatively unaffected by the municipal changes though, as they have traditionally been topographically ordered by parish rather than by municipality. But they are not completely unaffected since parish structures change as well, and since parish ordering is only the primary ordering: secondary and tertiary place-names are ordered by the now abolished amter (more or less corresponding to counties) and herreder (corresponding to
hundreds or shires and abolished as well).

The DigDag project has adressed this issue by once and for all mapping the changes in Danish administrative geography since 1660. As of now the project results are visible on the website www.digdag.dk.

The digital place-name data resulting from the project can be accessed with enhanced search facilities via www.danmarksstednavne.dk. First and foremost, these data originate from a digitisation of the printed series Danmarks Stednavne (1922–), and the digitisation process has been rather complicated since the series has varied in its macrostructure as well as its microstructure over time. The most important of these variations are presented in the article.