Is there a tool that anyone knows of where you can pass in the map coordinates for the vertices of a polygon and it will output a human-readable narrative of the boundaries of the polygon based on intersecting or nearest features? I would imagine this would be extremely complex, but I bet someone with GIS knowledge and AI computing could figure it out. 🙂
Here is a use case from the TTB.gov regulations for establishing an American Viticulture Area. The descriptions can get quite lengthy and complicated, and a tool that would just allow you to pass in a polygon and output and narrative would be very useful for these kinds of situations.
"In addition to showing the proposed boundary on the submitted U.S.G.S. maps, the petition must include a narrative description of that boundary. The following points are noted regarding the boundary description:
15 AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA (AVA) MANUAL FOR PETITIONERS TTB P 5120.4 (09/2012)
• The description must be based on corresponding U.S.G.S. map markings. The description must start at a designated beginning point, proceed unbroken in a clockwise direction, and conclude by returning to the designated beginning point.
• An AVA boundary description may use all or a combination of any of the map features mentioned in the regulatory text (for example, political entity lines, highways, contour lines, rivers, elevation points, human-made features). All features used for the proposed boundary line description must appear and be easy to find on the relevant U.S.G.S. maps. A proposed boundary line may also include straight lines drawn between two features that appear upon the U.S.G.S. maps. Petitioners should avoid using map survey lines and coordinates unless no other map feature is near the proposed boundary line.
As an example, the boundary description for the Saddle Rock-Malibu AVA (27 CFR 9.203) reads in part as follows:
(1) The beginning point is on the Point Dume map at the intersection of Decker Road and Mulholland Highway, section 3, T1S/R19W;
(2) From the beginning point, proceed north-northeast along Decker Road approximately 0.7 mile to its intersection with the southern boundary of the El Conejo land grant, section 3, T1S/R19W; then
(3) Proceed straight east-southeast along the El Conejo land grant boundary line approximately 0.4 mile to the point where the land grant boundary line changes direction to the northeast, section 2, T1S/R19W; then
* * * * *
(15) Proceed westerly about 0.8 mile on Mulholland Highway and return to the beginning point.
