[OSM-talk-ie] eircode question

moltonel 3x Combo moltonel at gmail.com
Fri Jul 17 15:18:29 UTC 2015


On 17/07/2015, Killyfole and District Development Association
<webmaster at killyfole.org.uk> wrote:
> Maybe set-up a website like Free the Postcode in the UK ?
> http://www.freethepostcode.org/
>
> Once the database gets to critical mass they will hopefully just open the
> data
> themselves, like the Post Office/Royal Mail were forced to do in the UK.
>
> Unfortunately, ignoring it and hoping it will go away rarely works.

True.

> The benefits of reliable delivery of goods and services tends to outweigh the
> disadvantages with most people.  These people just want something that
> works!

That's the crux of the issue. The freight transport association (which
ought to be the biggest Eircode user) has stated long ago that Eircode
did not fit their needs
(http://mapscribbles.blogspot.ie/2014/08/freight-transport-association-ireland.html).
Ambulances and Firefighters and many others can't use Eircode because
it only contains postal addresses. An Post originally wasn't
interested about having a postcode because the current system was good
enough for them (anyone has an update on that ?). The technical issues
that lead would-be Eircode users to these conclusions are well
documented.

To sum it up: Eircode *does not work* for its stated purpose.


> For OSM to be useful for the masses, it needs to work with this model too.
> You type in your eircode and it finds your property, simple, no messing
> about  trying to find where you want to go.

My guess is that even if the Eircode data was free (aka imported into
OSM hand supported by Nominatim), it would get very little use.

The pragmatic decision is to support Eircode anyway: there *are* cases
where it is usefull after all. But if supporting Eircode today means
we won't get a proper postcode tomorrow, that pragmatic decision is
also short-sighted.



More information about the Talk-ie mailing list