中文摘要：

提出广义地名的概念（指可以与地球表面特定位置或范围相关联的一段文本），基于广义地名组织的文本形式的空间信息通常更符合人们对于地理空间知识的表达。探讨广义地名的本体，并给出相应的概念模型和逻辑模型，从而有助于广义地名数据库以及智能化广义地名服务的实现。该研究主要从广义地名的发生学、描述对象、地理范围、信息团体和语境引起的二义性等方面描述广义地名本体，并用UML语言建立便于在信息系统中实现的逻辑模型。

英文摘要：

A novel concept, general place name （GPN）, is proposed in this paper. A general place name is defined as a phrase that can be associated with a position or a range on the Earth＇s surface. From an ontological perspective, some attributes,including occurrence categorization, represented objects, footprints, ambiguity, and temporal characteristics, of general place names are investigated in detail. According to the ontology of GPNs, a logical model is also presented using UML （Unified Modeling Language）. The formal definition of GPN will benefit the implementation of digital gazetteers and corresponding services.