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For those that are going to participate with this worthy project I ask that you follow a couple of rules so that information will be more complete and the database will be happy.

1) Please enter the Dealer Name in Title Case, and with the same spacing and punctuation as it is written on the source document (not with all lower case or upper). Same goes with City. So for example L.R. Brown, not LR BROWN, or l.r. brown, or l.r. Brown. This helps the database to link entires for the same dealer together without extended filtering.

2) Please use the correct 2 letter upper case abbreviation for US states.

3) Please enter Years Of Reference (YOR) as XXXX format. 1899, 1934, 1956 etc

4) Please do not add an extraneous special characters to the entry. The SQL (database) insert statements do like single and double quotes. So stay away from them if possible. (Help to reduce the amount of pre-filtering that has to be done)

5) If you have two (or more) reference points for the same dealer, then please add those as separate entries. So for example if you have a dealer reference for 1934, and that same dealer for 1955. The add those as two separate entries with different YORs. This lets the database work it's magic as it has multiple points of references for that dealer. Also if you have two different address for the same dealer, then please add those as separate entries. This with the YOR can allow me to build a time line history for a dealer.

Dave,

No worries on that. Everything not in Red is an optional field. I just put that in there in the event someone knew the modern zip/postal code for that address.

I was thinking once we start to get some of this going and into the database, then I can then link the address into Google Maps to display a street map as part of the dealer entry when viewed if available. The zip just helps with that process, but is not required.

Thanks,

Also perhaps something should be done to differentiate simple dealers from Packard branches and distributorships. For example Packard-Brooklyn was a branch of Packard-New York, the factory distributor. Maybe factory outlets in all CAPS, and dealers in conventional form like Waltman Motor Sales?

Dave -

I was just a tyke when the ZIP Code system was implemented in the early 1960s - apparently an upgrade from the old two-digit postal codes.

Remember Mr. ZIP?




How about Studebaker ZIP vans?

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Dave, we can also use the Notes, and Dealer Owner fields. So if it was a Packard Owned Branch, then we could put that in the Owner field. Then it would be easy to filter and display that if someone wanted to get a list of Packard Owned dealers or Branches. I'm open to suggestions just as long as we can come up with a standard for it that not full of exceptions.

Kev -

I'm thinking the location information can be used to plot points on a Google Map. Might be interestig to see the distribution and density of Packard dealers across the country - maybe for a given year or range of years.

Not sur if that could be done dyamically, by the user, but ya never know what might be possible down the road.

Brian,

Thats an interesting idea. It would be cool to use that in conjunction with the YOR data to build a virtual time line map that shows the dealer network on a map growing from 1899, and then shrinking as the end gets near. It would be a neat visual to illustrate the growth and decline of Packards dealer network with a geographical centric spin.

Lots of stuff we can do once we gets the basic data into the system.

Mite be better to keep EACH list in a seperate file. From the various files produce one merged list with the source data such as year and, provider of list etc.

The important thing is to keep each file in the same format and keep the combined merge file in the same f/t too.

Updateing of the Merge file and cross checking can then be done with a simple 2wo-file-match routine.

Gerd -

Nice to see that this project is attracting interest from around the globe, and thanks for the pointers on generating maps.

I can't remember exactly where I saw it, but I seem to recall a utility used in conjunction with GPS devices and Google that converts street addresses into coordinates of latitude and longitude.

Of course, we shouldn't tackle mapping head-on until we build the basic database, but I'm glad Kev decided to provide street address fields. We have to be mindful of future extension of the data to ensure we collect just enough - before it gets very big.

Meanwhile, I suspect Kev may take some of the sample data from the page posted above and play around with Google - as his busy schedule permits.

I took a stab at entering information from O_D's sample list last night. It is awful work and prone to error as the list is not easy to read. The spreadsheet is included in this message. I am rethinking this and think we are getting into analysis paralysis. O_D has offered to look-up dealers for us from his list. This is a generous offer. However, from someone who used to do salary survey data analysis for a living, I always wanted to see the raw data. If Kevin is agreeable, maybe a good simple solution would be for us to provide him with whatever dealer lists we have, have him scan the pages, post the scans on the website. It would be up to individual members to search through the lists to find the dealer in which they have an interest. I have no interest in hand entering the data.

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