[db-wg] country codes in the RIPE Database (was: ORGANISATION country code)

Hi Leo

On Thu, 26 Jan 2023 at 13:48, Leo Vegoda <leo at vegoda.org> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 26 Jan 2023 at 03:55, denis walker via db-wg <db-wg at ripe.net> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Ed
> >
> > Thanks for the explanation. But as I explained to Cynthia, "org-name:"
> > and "country:" are very different attributes. The org-name is just a
> > free text label by which an organisation is known. Whatever label is
> > specified, people know what its purpose is, even if the value is not
> > verified by the NCC. With country, the country codes have a well
> > defined meaning, but when entered by users no one knows what it's
> > purpose is.
>
> I think you have this the wrong way around.
>
> ISO 3166 has a well defined purpose: "The purpose of ISO 3166 is to
> define internationally recognized codes of letters and/or numbers that
> we can use when we refer to countries and their subdivisions."
>
> https://www.iso.org/iso-3166-country-codes.html
>
> What we are missing is a meaning for the application of these codes in
> the context of the RIPE database.

This is exactly what I said. In the quoted para above I said "the
country codes have a well defined meaning", which you agree with. Then
I said "but when entered by users no one knows what it's purpose is.".
Another way of saying no one knows their meaning in the context of the
database, which you also agree with.

>
> But even if we started to define a meaning at this late stage, who
> would choose to use it?

In the case of the ORGANISATION object it would be at this 'early'
stage. Which I think would be a bad idea. For the INET(6)NUM objects I
agree it is at a late stage. But for the last 20 years many people
have assumed the country codes relate to geolocation and used the data
in that way. If we define it to mean that now, and make it optional,
we are aligning reality with what so many people already believe. With
clear explanations sent to all resource holders and/or maintainers of
the resource objects, I think we could get this message out there.

cheers
denis
co-chair DB-WG