[Talk-GB] OSM UK address project: tags - Updated guidance

[Rick Bowlby]

Hi Rob/all, re your PS; in Manchester at least, I doubt anyone has built a
new "block of flats" in the last two decades and more - I would guess
almost all new (purpose-built) 'residential sub-units' are
described/addressed "Apartment X".
I don't know what the answer is in the case raised by Ed (except to say
that if the units/flats in question are delivery points I bet they all
receive a lot of misdirected mail, even if the written address does include
the word "Unit" or "Flat"). On the Key:addr wiki page, the entry for
addr:unit <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:addr#Detailed_subkeys>
references a US Postal Service page for secondary unit designators
<https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28apc_003.htm> - while some of these will
be US-specific, I have locally mapped a building where the units are
addressed as "Room X", so if it really matters - big if - we would need to
accommodate quite a few variants.
But adding the designator into the addr:flats key seems wrong to me, except
in very simple cases. An example local to me -
addr:flats=11-12;25-28;41-44;51-54
<https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4692355739>. How would this work -
should each number really be prefixed with "Flat "? Perhaps better to have
a separate addr:unit_designator key (yes I know - yet more tags!).
Rick

On Thu, 6 Jan 2022 at 23:09, Rob Nickerson <rob.j.nickerson at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi Ed,
>
> Your example opens up an interesting question: should we include the word
> "Flat" and "Unit" in the key value? Right now, as you have the mapped, then
> converting the tags into an addressed envelope will result in both Flat 1
> and Unit 1 having the same address:
>
> 1 Clifton House
> Merridale Road
> Wolverhampton
> WV3 9RY
>
> Unless of course you make the assumption that, when writing out an
> address, if addr:flats has been used write out "Flat 1" whilst if addr:unit
> has been used write out "Unit 1". Personally I think this is a bad
> assumption to make. My reason is because what happens if the address is
> "Apartment 1" or "Suite 1" instead? Do we create addr:apartment and
> addr:suite tags? Where does it stop?! (When Simon points out we are up to
> 20 UK specific tags!! :-P)
>
> I think it is much better to include the full reference in the tag value.
> So if both are mapped as individual properties then addr:unit="Flat 1" for
> the first and addr:unit="Unit 1" for the second.
>
> For reference, including "Unit " in the name is what others seem to do.
> Examples from Food Hygiene Ratings (open data as far as I know):
>
> https://www.foodhygieneratings.org.uk/raj-meat-centre-wolverhampton
> https://www.foodhygieneratings.org.uk/merridale-supermarket-wolverhampton
>
> And the same also in the (closed data) postcode lookup on RM's Find an
> Address service.
>
> P.S. It might help to think about what you would do if you came across
> something with the address "Apartment 1". What tag key and value would you
> use? Not a hypothetical question - we already have addresses in the UK that
> use "Apartment 1" rather than "Flat 1". I suspect many more will follow due
> to the increasing perception that "“flat" connotes a residence of lesser
> quality, while “apartment" refers to a flat that's more upscale and
> luxurious" [1].
>
> Best regards,
> *Rob*
>
> [1] https://www.rent.com/blog/apartment-vs-flat/
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