HeidelPlace: An Extensible Framework for Geoparsing

Problem: Several geoparsers are available, each with their own gazetteer and toponym recognition and resolution approaches. However, they often lack extensibility, implementations are not accessible, or they are fixed to a particular gazetteer. This makes adjustments to other application domains difficult and prevents easy experimental setup. HeidelPlace provides: •A generic gazetteer model supporting integration of place information from heterogeneous knowledge bases •A pipeline approach enabling implementation and combination of modules for specific geoparsing applications •GUIs for gazetteer browsing and testing developed modules This makes HeidelPlace a unique and valuable tool for experimenting with new geoparsing approaches.