[OSM-talk] Is it technically and legally possible to add the Open Location Code to the OSM search?

[Oleksiy Muzalyev]

On 10.08.18 21:07, Mark Wagner wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2018 09:32:50 -0700
> Vao Matua <vaomatua at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Plus code can be calculated on the fly, but if they are
>> to be used we will need to have hardcopy maps with the addresses that
>> can be used to direct aid workers to a specific location.
> Plus codes form a hierarchical grid, so supporting them on hardcopy
> maps can easily be done when the maps are prepared for printing.
>
> I don't know if you're familiar with the UGSG topo maps, but if you
> aren't, I recommend looking at one of the 1:24000-scale maps from the
> late 1970s/early 1980s.  It's got three location grids on it: UTM
> coordinates and latitude/longitude markings on the outside, and PLSS
> township/range/section markings on the map itself.  Adding a plus-code
> grid to the map would be no problem, and wouldn't require importing
> billions of tags into OSM.
>
It is absolutely clear. A plus-code is generated by a mathematical 
formula from coordinates almost instantaneously, and vice versa.

The same as say the binary code is generated from the C++ programming 
language, or words are created from letters, etc. It is just another 
layer of abstraction, which makes it easier to perform a task.

In principle it is possible to write a computer program in assembler, 
the low-level programming language. But it is a bit easier to do it in 
C++, Java, PHP, etc. The same is here. It is easier to memorize a 
plus-code, to transmit over the telephone, to put it on the address 
plaque, etc. Yes, it is possible to do the same thing with coordinates' 
digits, but nobody does it.

So people try to find another solutions for places which do not have 
street-name addresses, to create another layer of abstraction. 
Coordinates themselves are created from numbers and are also just an 
abstraction, but not convenient enough for most people.

Best regards,

Oleksiy