[Talk-GB] Importing Shell fuel stations

Mick Orridge mso1 at lineone.net
Fri Dec 29 23:23:33 UTC 2017


On 28/12/17 22:33, Warin wrote:
> On 29-Dec-17 07:28 AM, Mark Goodge wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 28/12/2017 19:31, Lester Caine wrote:
>>> Get the return address right ...
>>>
>>> On 28/12/17 16:12, Colin Spiller wrote:
>>>> I've been adding postcodes in the Bradford BD area using Robert & 
>>>> gregrs
>>>> useful tools. I've just noticed that the Shell station at the Rooley
>>>> Lane / Rooley Avenue junction BD5 8JR is now reported as having an
>>>> incorrect postal unit (the final two letters of the postcode). This
>>>> postcode appears widely on the internet for this site, but the RM
>>>> postcode finder thinks it should be Rooley Avenue, BD6 1DA.
>>>
>>> PAF file has ...
>>> Shell Filling Station
>>> Rooley Avenue
>>> BRADFORD
>>> BD6 1DA
>>>
>>> and BD5 8JR is not listed having been deleted in 2009
>>> http://checkmypostcode.uk/bd58jr so the real problem is does one leave
>>> the faulty postcode in place because we can't use the PAF data or do we
>>> validate postcodes against the codepoint database and remove those that
>>> are not listed
>>
>> It's an interesting conundrum, on several levels. We can certainly 
>> validate against Codepoint Open or the ONSPD, as these are open data. 
>> So if they say the postcode is impossible (because it's defunct), 
>> then we can definitely delete it if we want to.
>>
>> Replacing it with the correct postcode, though, is harder. We'd need 
>> a source that isn't derived from PAF. But Googling for this 
>> particular station, all the sources have the old, incorrect postcode 
>> - even Google itself! (I would expect they're all using the Shell 
>> data, of course).
>>
>> So that leaves us with three options, at least initially:
>>
>> 1. Leave it as is. We know it's wrong, but it's consistent with every 
>> other source, and it's from the only canonical source.
>>
>> 2. Replace it with the right one. More useful, but potentially risky 
>> from a licensing perspective.
>>
>> 3. Delete it and leave the entry with no postcode. Probably the best 
>> we can do as far as accuracy is concerned (in line with the general 
>> principle that data is better missing than wrong, if it can't be 
>> right), and avoids any licence conflict. But this is the least useful 
>> for users of the data (since, in this case, even the wrong postcode 
>> will identify the location in practice - for obvious reasons, Royal 
>> Mail will deliver to defunct postcodes long after they have been 
>> deleted, and many sat-navs will work with defunct postcodes too).
>>
>> Maybe the best solution is to leave it alone for now, and see if we 
>> can persuade Shell to fix it. Deleting the postcode risks it being 
>> re-added by someone else who spots its absence and decides to be 
>> helpful, without realising that if they use the RM postcode finder to 
>> validate it that isn't compatible with OSM's licence.
>
> Usually a note is used to make comments to other mappers. In this case 
> a note to say that post code xxx is defunct would explain the 
> situation. Possibly a tag 'defunct:postcode=xxx would also be 
> explanatory.
>
> Could the post code be derived from surrounding features?
> I don't know how detailed the post codes there are .. but if features 
> in OSM surrounding it were of the same post code (and correct) then 
> they could be used to derive the post code?
The ONS postcode file (Open Government Licence other than BT postcodes 
for NI) for August 2017 (download here:- 
https://ons.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=1e4a246b91c34178a55aab047413f29b) 
holds terminated postcodes. It's entry for BD5 8JR shows a terminated 
date of 2009 06. I guess the replacement postcode could be narrowed down 
using the date introduced field along with perhaps the OA01 field (2001 
census output area) plus easting and northing.




More information about the Talk-GB mailing list