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National Postcodes to be introduced
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While one has seen some Geneva convention no entry signs (white barrier on a red circle) for no entry, we still have parking signs in Ireland with a white (rather than blue) background and a zilion other signs with a red circle (which internationally means prohibited) but in Ireland means allowed. eg red circle around a big "P".
In school, back in the day the teacher put a red circle around errors. Ireland still has red circles around all sorts of allowed turns for some dyslexic reason. And few signs indicating bendy roads ahead. And few no parking signs - they just draw a yellow line instead of putting up a sign saying / or X and the times prohibited.
Dyslexic, screwed up, third world government. A small island mentality which presumes everybody known where to go, which takes no account of the world we live in.
Signage is perfect on the continent and local authorities are universally the model of competence as we all know!
The use of a red circle for regulatory signs meaning positive / compulsory was phased out but some local authorities clearly didn't get the memo!0 -
Signage is perfect on the continent and local authorities are universally the model of competence as we all know!
The use of a red circle for regulatory signs meaning positive / compulsory was phased out but some local authorities clearly didn't get the memo!
Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis.0 -
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Signage is perfect on the continent and local authorities are universally the model of competence as we all know!
The use of a red circle for regulatory signs meaning positive / compulsory was phased out but some local authorities clearly didn't get the memo!
It could be that either direction will get you to the same point.
I remember when the M6 did not reach the M1, and driving from the M1 to the M6 landed you at a roundabout with no signs for the M6. They did not want to put a sign there as they wanted to spread the traffic out between the three possible exits. Daft.0 -
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A unique identifier code was never going to be a replacement for a traditional address. It was always intended as a supplement. A true location code such as loc8 can take an ambulance quickly to the house. Other unique identifiers such as MPRN numbers or eircodes can be linked to the location only by cross referencing the number with an associated database.What planet do you live on? I suspect most people whose house is on fire etc, (ie 112 callers) will know their street/road name and house number and the town. From which can be derived the postcode, which is a icing on the cake in such cases.
So when you say "From which can be derived the postcode" I think you are talking about a 3 step process;
1.Emergency worker types the spoken address into the Geodirectory database.
2. Geodirectory brings up the eircode (not actually any use)
3. Geodirectory brings up GPS co-ordinates (useful)
But if you are going to go to all that trouble, why not try this;
1. Type the spoken address into google search engine.
2. Google brings up location on google maps, with digital GPS reference.
3. Use GPS smartphone and google maps to find the location.
That costs the State nothing.
It would of course be better to have one worldwide standard, but 911 is familiar to most of us from American TV and 999 is more common in Africa and Asia, so you'll probably end up shaking your stick at the rest of the world in decades to comeThe emergency services number across Europe is 112, not 999. If you enter 999 on a phone in Ireland it diverts to 112 While I have no problem with telcos diverting traffic addressed to 999 by old farts like you ....
In the meantime, diverting one number to another works.
Well I don't know about that. Are you saying you think the ambulance can use your landline number to get a GPS fix on your house, via the telecoms company?One would assume that anyone calling from a landline to 112 services, the network already provide their lat/long co-ordinates and street/road address to emergency services. They don't need their loc8. Anyone who uses GPS for navigation knows that it isn't perfect. Most systems can occasionally send one down one street and up another road, etc ...
As for GPS navigation, there are different aspects to it. There is the GPS location fix, which is always reliable. Then there is the background map that the fix is superimposed on, which obviously depends on the quality of the map. Then there is the route calculating software, which proposes a possible route, but a regular user would always consider whether to (or at what point to) override that route, and not just slavishly follow it every time.
A combination of using your head and GPS is undoubtably the quickest and most efficient way to find a place.0 -
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Yeah go IrelandIreland's got rubbish systems for addressing buildings but it's one of the most developed countries on the planet with one of the highest standards of living.
....Ireland's a rather well run Northern European democracy with a hell of a lot going for it once it gets past its recent economic glitch (which it is doing).
It is a fair point though, and the reason is that we differ from other similar European countries in that the State abdicates its responsibility in a lot of roles that the state normally looks after in other countries. Private enterprise fills in the gaps, and often does a good job.
In the examples we have been discussing, take sat navs and postcodes. The sat nav devices choose routes which rely on private mapping, typically Garmin use navteq maps, navteq is a private mapping company, owned by Nokia. Hence the sat nav will sometimes lead you up a blind alley. Why do they have to map Ireland again when the semi-state ordnance survey (and formerly fully state owned) do the same thing? Because OSI, like Geodirectory, charges extortionate fees, even though they have been subsidised by the taxpayer for years. In other countries the national equivalent to the ordnance survey would provide the maps cheaply "in the national interest".
Loc8 codes and eircodes. One privately developed, free to use and works well. The other.....
Build a house anywhere in Ireland. Nobody from the council will come out to inspect how it is being built. Ever. Yet we have possibly the most strict building regulations in Europe. Quality control is all based on PI insurance, and the threat of one party suing another. Most of the time it works, but unfortunately it all unravels at bankruptcy time.
Public schools; none of them actually run by the State. All private patrons, but subcontracted by the taxpayer.0 -
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There is no reason why a call from a fixed line does not present the caller ID to the emergency dispatch system, which in turn can perform a database lookup of the postal address, which can use the geodirectory database to give a lat/long or nat grid ref.
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As far as I am aware, it does provide the postal address as registered with the account.
The drawback now is that VoIP lines have been added to the mix and will grow exponentially over the coming years. These can be moved without necessarily informing the provider, so there's now a distinct possibility that a Caller ID maybe linked to an old address / inaccurate address.
There are actually a system called EGNOS which is an overlay service for enhancing satellite navigation accuracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Geostationary_Navigation_Overlay_Service
Definitely has some scope for being rolled out to improve accuracy but at present phones with GPS alone would suffice for getting very accurate locations in almost any incidence.
The major advantage of Galileo is that it's independent of the US or Russian military but also that it gives better coverage in very far northern regions. Remember that a large chunk of the EU is much further North than the continuous continental US. Parts of the Nordic region and Iceland have all sorts of issues with satellite coverage due to their extreme latitude.
Two more satellites for the Galileo system are being launched on Thursday (21/08/14). So, they're hoping now that with more regular launches and speeded up building of the satellites that they should have the whole system live reasonably soon.
The first two sats went up a couple of years ago and they used them to test and iron out any bugs.
1 launch every 3-4 months, taking up 2 satellite/3 satellites.
Early 2015 is the expected live date for initial services. I bet the ESA will still beat the Irish post code launch!
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Navigation/The_future_-_Galileo/Launching_Galileo/Call_for_Media_Press_briefing_on_launch_of_Galileo_satellites_5-6/(print)
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There are no KPs in Britain, because they stubbornly refuse to use the SI measurement system, unless it is required under EU law and suits them (eg trade). But British companies break these standards willy nilly. eg Marks & Spencer sell coffee in 227g packets - not 250g, which is the European standard size.
They do have them though! Interestingly enough they're in KM
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Julius Seizure wrote: »For the food thing it's probably that the public are used to paying a certain amount for a certain volume/shape. They risk losing customers if they cha he the size thus changing the price which could make it seem more expensive.
As for road signs, I prefer Belgium's to Ireland. Their signage is older but easier to read (better font and not capitalised). It is quite run down though. Irish N road markings are on par with Belgium but in Belgium practically all rural roads are marked, here not so. In Belgium even if a rural road doesn't have centre marks it'll still have a drain running along the road, solid white edge lines, and often a footpath, streetlights, and bus stops. Over here the N roads are marked but that's about it, the marks are after wearing off half of the R roads and none on L roads.
Fairly normal Irish R-road in the Dingle Peninsula :
https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Dingle,+Co.+Kerry/@52.134021,-10.371068,3a,75y,82.07h,75.94t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s_3S3Msxy5KN3SNE-Sz30bg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x484ffbc7249c4991:0xa00c7a99731cc00?hl=en
Fairly normal French rural D-road in Lot.
https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Martel,+Lot,+France/@44.93388,1.596038,3a,75y,74.38h,77.95t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sIJybl44nE6zYMRbc1YGZRQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x12accc70feee8861:0x8e598619c5793742?hl=en
https://www.google.ie/maps/@44.935259,1.597339,3a,75y,59.23h,72.83t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sl6kJe5Sb9VhojZsrNFvjdw!2e0?hl=en
Belgium has it relatively easy roughly 11 million people in an area the size of munster with very few hills, never mind mountains.
Density wise, Ireland compares with French regions like Midi-Pyrénées and Poitou-Charentes maybe Franche-Comté etc ... it's very sparse and rural. Those areas aren't known for their wonderful road markings either 0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkhD4igKQWo
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