Decide what kind of entity you have
A corporate name, mine name, deposit name and processing-site name can all appear in the same article. Determine the entity type before attempting to merge records. Similar spelling or shared geography is a lead, not proof. Retain original source names so another analyst can retrace the match.
The USGS occurrence inventory is explicitly geological in purpose. Matching one of its entries to an operating company therefore requires evidence of the relationship, not simply a shared location label.
USGS: Global rare earth element occurrence database (2022) ↗
Use a hierarchy of matching evidence
Look for identifiers, named operating relationships, addresses, coordinates and documented name changes. Assess whether they refer to the same scope: a large project area can contain several facilities. Record the reason for a match and the confidence basis rather than hiding the judgement behind a cleaned display name.
Keep mergers reversible in the research process. If new evidence shows that two similar entries are separate operations, preserve their sources and split the identities without losing the history. Unresolved pairs should remain visible as a review queue rather than being forced together to improve a coverage count.
Illustrative alias problem
A group presentation uses a regional project name while a government record uses a deposit name. Coordinates are close but not identical. The next step is to verify the relationship and geographic scope, not immediately merge them. They could describe one project, different deposits within it or an adjacent operation.
Evidence for an identity decision
| Signal | Caution |
|---|---|
| Same name | Names can be reused |
| Nearby coordinates | Projects can contain multiple sites |
| Documented renaming or identifier | Strong evidence when entity scope also matches |
Your review checklist
- Classify company, project and facility separately.
- Retain original names and identifiers.
- Document why records were linked or merged.
- Keep unresolved matches out of confident unique-site counts.
Investigate with Oreline
Oreline's curated research links companies and facilities while retaining source context. That work helps users investigate the industrial entity rather than spending each review reconciling aliases across disconnected publications.
Follow the evidence through the supply chain.
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Explore the sandbox →Frequently asked questions
Should every alias become another facility?
No. Aliases should improve discovery without inflating the number of distinct operations.
Does matching ownership prove two sites are the same?
No. A company may own several operations. Ownership is a relationship, not a substitute for site identity.