Commission for the Standardisation of Geographical Names Activities and Results

Commission for the Standardisation of Geographical Names Activities and Results

Pursuant to Article 31, paragraph 4 of the Law on the Government of the Republic of Croatia (Official Gazette 150/11, 119/14, 93/16 and 116/18) and Article 148, paragraph 2 of the Law on State Survey and Real Property Cadastre (Official Gazette 112/18), at its session held on 28 March 2019, the Government of the Republic of Croatia passed the Decision on the Appointment of the Chairman and Members of the Commission for the Standardisation of Geographical Names. According to that Decision:

According to the aforementioned Decision, the first constituent session of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names was held on 3 June 2019. In addition to the establishment of the Commission in accordance with the Government Decision on the Appointment of the Chairman and Members of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names, the current status of the Register of Geographical Names was presented at the session. Tomislav Ciceli, MSc, Head of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Service, presented an overview of previous activities related to the Register, both at the normative and implementation level. At the beginning of 2019, the SGA drafted the Ordinance on the Register of Geographical Names. It primarily concerns the collection of actual geographical names and the management of the system of geographical names.

At the same session, it was concluded that the SGA would organize a study visit to the Commission for the Standardization of the Republic of Slovenia. This meeting was held at the end of January 2020 with the aim of exchanging experiences in the field of standardization of geographical names.

The SGA would also create a draft Action Plan of the Commission until the next session and adapt the website to enable monitoring the activities related to the work of the Commission. It is envisaged that the Rules of Procedure would define the manner of submitting inquiries, as well as answers. It was concluded that systematic activities on the standardization of geographical names should be planned.

The second session of the Commission was held on 2 December 2019, and Maja Pupačić, Head of the Sector for Cadastral Programmes and Special Registers, presented the draft new Settlements Act. It was concluded that SGA would draft the new Settlements Act, which would include recommendations of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names in naming settlements to the public authorities which pass the decisions and inform the Commission thereof. The Commission will be involved in toponym revision activities for the new population census.

Then, at the same session, the Rules of Procedure of the Commission were adopted, and it was concluded that in April 2020 the Commission would adopt two conclusions, one on guidelines for writing exonyms, and the other on guidelines for writing the names of settlements.

On 6 May 2020, the third session of the Commission was held by video, in accordance with the decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters and specific measures caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition to the appointed members, the following are associated:

A proposal of the Recommendations for the naming of settlements, streets, and squares, drafted by Prof. Josip Faričić PhD and Prof. Aleksandar Toskić PhD was presented at the session, as well as the Recommendation for writing geographical names from foreign languages, drafted by Ivana Crljenko PhD and Goranka Blagus Bartolec PhD. After the discussion, it was concluded that SGAwould technically improve both Recommendations. Also, it will be ensured that the Settlements Act introduces certain provisions relating to the naming of settlements, streets, and squares.

The final versions of the Recommendations for the standardization of geographical names in the Republic of Croatia – the naming of settlements, streets and squares and the Recommendation for the standardization of geographical names in the Republic of Croatia – the writing and use of geographical names from foreign languages were sent to the Government of the Republic of Croatia. They went through the complete procedure of collecting opinions from the relevant bodies and were adjusted non-technically, professionally and legally in accordance with the regulations of the Republic of Croatia, i.e., to the extent that the content of the documents was adjusted to the level of the recommendations. It is important to point out that for the first time in recent history we have documents of this type, and moreover, supported by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

In May 2020, the Ordinance on the Register of Geographical Names (Official Gazette 59/2020) was published, stipulating the content and the manner of keeping and maintaining the register of geographical names. SGA is responsible for keeping and maintaining the register of geographical names. The Catalogue of Geographical Objects and the Specification of the Register of Geographical Names are an integral part of the aforementioned Ordinance. In June 2019, the functionality of the network application of the Register of Geographical Names was improved (https://rgi.dgu.hr/rgiapp/).

The fourth video session of the Commission was held on 16 December 2020. In it, information was given that the Committee for the Economy of the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted a conclusion supporting the implementation of recommendations for the standardization of geographical names (naming of settlements, streets and squares, and writing and use of geographical names from foreign languages) and that SGA will publish them on its website and submit them to certain public authorities in the Republic of Croatia.

At the same session, the launching of a pilot project entitled Quality Assurance of the Register of Geographical Names (RGI) – Revision of Records in the Database of the Register of Geographical Names – Pilot Project was explained. Head of the Sector for Spatial Data Infrastructure in SGA Ljerka Marić MSc emphasized in the introduction that for the purpose and needs of the development of the Register of Geographical Names SGA ensured considerable funds for 2021. These funds will be directed towards a pilot project for the revision of records in the database of the register of geographical names. The aforementioned pilot project, within which work methodology will be developed resulting in the standardization of geographical names, will contribute to the quality of the Register of Geographical Names (RGI) in the Republic of Croatia. The establishment of a working group was proposed to the Commission in order to prepare a methodology for the revision of geographical names, and some members of the Commission proposed that the scope of the revision include certain islands of the Republic of Croatia (northern part of the Adriatic Sea). The development of methodology for the revision of geographical names is planned for the end of the first quarter of 2021, while the implementation of the pilot project is planned for the third quarter of 2021.

At the fourth session, within the activity plan of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names in 2021, information was also given according to which in 2021 SGA will start the procedure for the Amendments to the Law on State Survey and Real Property Cadastre and, if needed, include specific paragraphs on geographical names in the text of the Amendments. The focus of the Commission's work in 2021 will be on drafting a proposal for the text of the Recommendations for the Standardization of Geographical Names in the Republic of Croatia, which refers to the naming of objects and phenomena at sea.

The Republic of Croatia, as a member of the UNGEGN East Central and South-East Europe Division (ECSEED), was obliged to submit by 12 March 2021 the National Report on activities in the field of standardization of geographical names in the Republic of Croatia for the period from March 2019 to December 2020. During the preparation of the said report, members of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names were also invited to comment, supplement, or amend the proposed text. This report was presented within the second session of the UNGEGN Group of Experts (at a virtual session held 3-7 May 2021) as an integral part of the ECSEE Division report.

The Commission also participated by offering answers to the comments received during e-consultation in the process of passing the Settlement Act, because one part of this law refers to the Commission. The Act stipulates the harmonization of the names of settlements, streets, and squares with the prior opinion of the Commission of the Croatian Government for the Standardization of Geographical Names (Article 6 paragraph 8).

The fifth video session of the Commission was held on 27 April 2021. At the session the Commission passed the 2021 Activity Plan, divided into six parts. In the first section under the heading Legislative Measures, the final provisions on the role of the Commission in the procedure on naming settlements, streets, and squares in the Settlements Act stand out, as well as the drafting of the text of the Recommendations for the Standardization of Geographical Names in the Republic of Croatia – object group "Roads", as well as the elaboration of a methodology for the standardization of geographical names in the RGI database. From the second part of the Action Plan under the heading Technical Measures, we would like to highlight the Production and Technical Specifications for Quality Assurance of the Register of Geographical Names (RGI) – Revision of Records in the Database of the Register of Geographical Names, a draft of the Guidelines for Writing Geographical Names on Official Maps was written, and the RGI network application was upgraded. The third section of the Action Plan entitled Domestic Cooperation includes collaboration with legal and natural persons on RGI quality improvement activities, while the objectives of the fourth part entitled International Cooperation covers cooperation and participation in the activities of UNGEGN's East Central and South-East Europe Division (ECSEED) and cooperation with the competent authorities of the ECSEED member states. The fifth section of the Action Plan under the heading Popularization of Geographical Names includes informing the public on the standardization of geographical names in the Republic of Croatia, while the objectives of the sixth part entitled Work of the Commission are to hold sessions of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names and to organize and hold meetings of the Working Group.

At the same session, the pilot project Technical Specifications (Methodology) for Quality Assurance of the Register of Geographical Names – Revision of Records in the Database of the Register of Geographical Names was elaborated. Following a substantive discussion, the aforementioned Specifications were adopted and will form the basis of the forthcoming revision activities of the existing geographical name records.

The issue of received change requests in the Register of Geographical Names was also discussed at the session. After a constructive discussion, it was concluded that the Commission should propose a protocol for processing such inquiries, for which a form already prepared by SGA will be quite handy.

The website of the Register of Geographical Names (https://rgi.dgu.hr/) maintained by SGA and providing all important information on the register of geographical names in the Republic of Croatia and on the activities and results of the Commission for Standardization of Geographical Names is commendable

Djelatnost i rezultati Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena

Na temelju članka 31. stavka 4. Zakona o Vladi Republike Hrvatske (NN 150/11, 119/14. 93/16 i 116/18) i članka 148. stavka 2. Zakona o državnoj izmjeri i katastru nekretnina (NN 112/18), Vlada Republike Hrvatske je na sjednici održanoj 28. ožujka 2019. donijela Rješenje o imenovanju predsjednika i članova Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena. Prema tom rješenju:

Sukladno navedenom Rješenju 3. lipnja 2019. održana je prva, konstituirajuća, sjednica Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena. Osim konstituiranja Povjerenstva sukladno Rješenju Vlade o imenovanju predsjednika i članova Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena, na sjednici je predstavljen trenutni status Registra geografskih imena. Naime, mr. sc. Tomislav Ciceli, voditelj Službe za nacionalnu infrastrukturu prostornih podataka, izložio je pregled dosadašnjih aktivnosti vezanih za Registar, kako na normativnoj tako i na provedbenoj razini. Početkom 2019. Državna geodetska uprava (DGU) pripremila je prijedlog Pravilnika o Registru geografskih imena (RGI). On se tiče primarno prikupljanja geografskih imena te upravljanja njihovim sustavom.

Na istoj je sjednici zaključeno da će DGU organizirati studijski posjet Povjerenstvu za standardizaciju Republike Slovenije. Taj je sastanak održan krajem siječnja 2020. s ciljem razmjene iskustava u području standardizacije geografskih imena.

DGU izradit će prijedlog Plana aktivnosti Povjerenstva do sljedeće sjednice te napraviti prilagodbu mrežne stranice kako bi se mogli pratiti sadržaji vezani za rad Povjerenstva. Predviđeno je da se Poslovnikom definira način dostave upita i odgovora. Zaključeno je da treba planirati sustavne aktivnosti na standardizaciji geografskih imena.

Druga sjednica Povjerenstva održana je 2. prosinca 2019. i na njoj je između ostalog Maja Pupačić, načelnica Sektora za katastarske programe i posebne registre, predstavila izradu novog Zakona o naseljima. Zaključeno je da će DGU izraditi nacrt prijedloga novog Zakona o naseljima u koji će uvrstiti preporuke Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena pri imenovanju naselja javnopravnim tijelima koja donose odluke i o tome obavještavaju Povjerenstvo. Povjerenstvo će se uključiti u aktivnosti revizije toponima za novi popis stanovništva.

Na istoj sjednici donesen je Poslovnik rada Povjerenstva i zaključeno je da će Povjerenstvo u travnju 2020. donijeti dva zaključka, jedan o smjernicama za pisanje egzonima, a drugi o smjernicama za pisanje imena naselja.

Dana 6. svibnja 2020. održana je treća sjednica Povjerenstva video putem, sukladno odlukama Stožera civilne zaštite i specifičnim mjerama uzrokovanim Coronavirusom (COVID-19). Osim imenovanih članova pridruženi su:

Na sjednici su predstavljeni prijedlozi Preporuka za imenovanje naselja, ulica i trgova, koje su izradili prof. dr. sc. Josip Faričić i prof. dr. sc. Aleksandar Toskić, i Preporuka za pisanje geografskih imena iz stranih jezika, koje su izradile dr. sc. Ivana Crljenko i dr. sc. Goranka Blagus Bartolec. Nakon rasprave zaključeno je da će DGU tehnički dotjerati obje Preporuke. Također će se povesti računa da se u Zakon o naseljima uvedu određene odredbe vezane za imenovanje naselja, ulica i trgova.

Prema Vladi Republike Hrvatske upućene su konačne verzije Preporuka za standardizaciju geografskih imena u Republici Hrvatskoj – imenovanje naselja, ulica i trgova i Preporuka za standardizaciju geografskih imena u Republici Hrvatskoj – pisanje i uporaba geografskih imena iz stranih jezika. Te su preporuke prošle kompletan postupak prikupljanja mišljenja od relevantnih tijela te su prilagođene nomotehnički i stručno-pravno u skladu s propisima RH, tj. do mjere sadržajno prilagođene dokumentima razine preporuka. Važno je istaknuti da po prvi puta u novijoj povijesti imamo dokumente takve vrste i još k tome podržane od strane Vlade RH.

U svibnju 2020. objavljen je Pravilnik o registru geografskih imena (NN 59/2020), koji propisuje sadržaj, način vođenja i održavanje RGI-a. Vođenje i održavanje RGI-a u nadležnosti je DGU-a. Sastavni dio navedenog Pravilnika je i Katalog geografskih objekata te Specifikacija registra geografskih imena. U lipnju 2019. poboljšana je funkcionalnost mrežne aplikacije RGI-a (https://rgi.dgu.hr/rgiapp/).

Četvrta video-sjednica Povjerenstva održana je 16. prosinca 2020. Na njoj je dana informacija da je Koordinacija za gospodarstvo Vlade Republike Hrvatske donijela Zaključak kojim podržava provedbu Preporuka za standardizaciju geografskih imena (imenovanje naselja, ulica i trgova te pisanje i uporaba geografskih imena iz stranih jezika) te će ih DGU javno objaviti na svojim internetskim stranicama i dostaviti određenim tijelima javne vlasti u Republici Hrvatskoj.

Na istoj je sjednici objašnjeno pokretanje pilot projekta pod nazivom Osiguranje kvalitete RGI-a – Revizija zapisa u bazi RGI-a - pilot projekt. Načelnica Sektora za infrastrukturu prostornih podataka u DGU, mr. sc. Ljerka Marić, u uvodnom dijelu, istaknula je da je u svrhu i za potrebe razvoja RGI-a DGU osigurala znatna novčana sredstva za 2021. godinu. Navedena sredstva bit će usmjerena na pilot projekt revizije zapisa u bazi RGI-a. Tim pilot projektom, u okviru kojeg će biti razvijena metodologija rada koja će rezultirati standardizacijom geografskih imena, pridonijet će kvaliteti RGI-a u Republici Hrvatskoj. Povjerenstvu je predloženo osnivanje radne skupine koja će pripremiti metodologiju revizije geografskih imena, a prijedlog pojedinih članova Povjerenstva bio je da područje obuhvata revizije budu pojedini otoci Republike Hrvatske (sjeverni dio Jadranskog mora). Izrada metodologije revizije geografskih imena planirana je do kraja I. kvartala 2021., a provedba pilot projekta planirana je od III. kvartala 2021.

Također je na četvrtoj sjednici u okviru plana aktivnosti Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena u 2021. dana informacija prema kojoj će DGU u 2021. krenuti s procedurom Izmjena i dopuna Zakona o državnoj izmjeri i katastru nekretnina te, ukoliko bude potrebe, u tekst Izmjena i dopuna Zakona uvrstiti pojedine stavke o geografskim imenima. Težište rada Povjerenstva u 2021. bit će izrada nacrta prijedloga teksta Preporuka za standardizaciju geografskih imena u Republici Hrvatskoj, a koji se odnosi na imenovanja objekata i pojava na moru.

Povjerenstvo je također sudjelovalo ponuđenim odgovorima na komentare dobivene tijekom e-savjetovanja pri postupku donošenja Zakona o naseljima, jer se navedeni Zakon u jednom dijelu poziva na Povjerenstvo. Naime, Zakonom se propisuje usklađivanje imena naselja, ulica i trgova s prethodno pribavljenim mišljenjem Povjerenstva Vlade Republike Hrvatske za standardizaciju geografskih imena (članak 6. stavak 8.).

Peta video-sjednica Povjerenstva održana je 27. travnja 2021. Na sjednici je Povjerenstvo donijelo Plan aktivnosti za 2021. godinu koji je podijeljen u šest cjelina. U prvoj cjelini pod naslovom Zakonodavne mjere ističu se izrada konačne odredbe o ulozi Povjerenstva u postupku donošenja imena naselja, ulica i trgova u Zakonu o naseljima, zatim izrada nacrta teksta Preporuka za standardizaciju geografskih imena u Republici Hrvatskoj – objektna grupa „Prometnice“ i izrada metodologije postupanja u standardizaciji geografskog imena u bazi RGI-a. Iz druge cjeline Plana aktivnosti pod naslovom Tehničke mjere za istaknuti je izrada Tehničke specifikacije za osiguranje kvalitete RGI-a – revizija zapisa u bazi RGI-a, izraditi Nacrt smjernica za pisanje geografskih imena na službenim kartama i nadograditi mrežnu aplikaciju RGI-a. Treća cjelina Plana aktivnosti pod naslovom Domaća suradnja obuhvaća suradnju s pravnim i fizičkim osobama u poslovima povećanja kvalitete RGI-a, a četvrtoj cjelini pod naslovom Međunarodna suradnja ciljevi su suradnja i sudjelovanje u aktivnostima UNGEGN-ova Odjela za istočnu, srednju i jugoistočnu Europu (ECSEED) te suradnja s nadležnim tijelima država članica ECSEED-a. Peta cjelina Plana aktivnosti pod naslovom Popularizacija geografskih imena obuhvaća informiranje javnosti o standardizaciji geografskih imena u Republici Hrvatskoj, a šesta cjelina pod naslovom Rad povjerenstva ciljevi su održavanje sjednica Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena i organizirati i održati sastanke Radne skupine.

Na istoj je sjednici izložen i pilot projekt Tehničke specifikacije (metodologija) za osiguranje kvalitete RGI-a – revizija zapisa u bazi RGI-a. Nakon sadržajne rasprave navedene Specifikacije su usvojene i bit će temelj za predstojeće aktivnosti revizije postojećih zapisa geografskih imena.

Također je na sjednici raspravljana problematika zaprimljenih upita za promjenama u RGI-u. Nakon konstruktivne rasprave zaključeno je da Povjerenstvo treba predložiti protokol za obradu takvih upita, za što će vrlo dobro poslužiti obrazac koji je već pripremio DGU.

Za pohvaliti je internetsku stranicu RGI-a (https://rgi.dgu.hr/) koju održava DGU, a pruža sve značajne informacije o RGI-u u Republici Hrvatskoj i o djelovanju i rezultatima Povjerenstva za standardizaciju geografskih imena.