[OSM-talk] MAPS.ME edits - partly sub-standard

[Tom Hughes]

On 18/08/16 21:01, John F. Eldredge wrote:

> I know I am replying to a two-month-old message, but the idea of
> restrictions on entering postal codes is baffling.  At least in the USA,
> the Post Office encourages the use of postal codes (called Zip codes) on
> mail, to expedite the delivery of mail, and used to publish large
> reference books listing the postal codes for every address in a
> particular area.  Nowadays, they have a web site where you can enter an
> address, and look up the postal code for that address.  What would be
> the purpose of postal codes that aren't told to the general public?  Or,
> is it that the postal code boundaries are restricted, but the postal
> code for a given address is not restricted?

Post codes in most countries aren't defined by boundaries - certainly 
that is true in the UK and I believe in the US as well. Rather they are 
defined as a list of addresses and any boundary is inferred.

But to get back to your point the reason is basically a wish to make 
money by licensing the post codes!

Even in the US I don't believe there is any free data source for zip 
codes in bulk - there is the US census zip code tabulation areas but 
those are not quite the same thing.

Like the US the Royal Mail provides a web site where you can look them 
up but it has restrictions on the number of lookups you can do in a day 
so that they can ensure commercial users have to pay for access to a 
licensed API or raw data sets.

Yes, it's stupid, but when did that ever stop somebody when they are 
given an effective monopoly and a license to use it to print money for 
themselves.

Tom

-- 
Tom Hughes (tom at compton.nu)
http://compton.nu/