Eircode - its implemetation (merged)

ukoda

plodder wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see the details of any deal for satnavs and in particular does it involve the state spending more money on the project?

I doubt the details will be made public

ukoda

moyners wrote: »

Was this confirmed by Google/satnavs or by Eircode?

On this radio show, it was Minister White who confirmed this, previously, Garmin confirmed on Twitter that they were working to implement (I posted the tweet on this thread some time ago) and also I believe Google themselves confirmed at some tech conference in Dublin last year that they were working on it

larchill

Just got my 1st post with eircode in the address! It was from National Savings relating to an investment. National Savings (ie: An Post) are using eircode:D

ukoda

Interesting exchange on Twitter! FTAI open to using the ECAD small areas?


https://twitter.com/newsfromftai/status/691616537174761472

xband

ukoda wrote: »

Interesting exchange on Twitter! FTAI open to using the ECAD small areas?


https://twitter.com/newsfromftai/status/691616537174761472

I don't know that they mean by "unblocked" by a "VAR"

ukoda

xband wrote: »

I don't know that they mean by "unblocked" by a "VAR"

Value Added Reseller (eircode reseller) I think that they blocked them on Twitter maybe, I'm not sure though

marmurr1916

ukoda wrote: »

Interesting exchange on Twitter! FTAI open to using the ECAD small areas?


https://twitter.com/newsfromftai/status/691616537174761472

From the blog entry linked to in the autoaddress tweet:

We would ​love to get feedback from interested parties about the suitability of the Small Area labelling approach outlined above. We will then release all data and algorithms as Open Data/Open Source. Our upcoming free mobile app will incorporate Small Area delivery grouping functionality based on the above.

https://www.autoaddress.ie/blog/autoaddressblog/2016/01/25/big-benefit-of-small-areas#sthash.taqJyeLa.dpuf

One to keep an eye out for.

moyners

Received the kids' new passports in the post this morning and although there's a space for Eircode on the forms which I filled in, it wasn't on the address labels.

moyners

moyners wrote: »

Received the kids' new passports in the post this morning and although there's a space for Eircode on the forms which I filled in, it wasn't on the address labels.

Probably something as simple as not updating the label printing software.

a65b2cd

So who is responsible for the small areas delineation and labelling? Presumably OSi and CSO put the money up for the work by Maynooth Geography Department? They will need to be updated later this year following the Census of Population - who will have final responsibility on updates, OSi?

Maybe the discussions have already taken place but we don't want multiple definitions of the small areas.

a65b2cd

So who is responsible for the small areas delineation and labelling? Presumably OSi and CSO put the money up for the work by Maynooth Geography Department? They will need to be updated later this year following the Census of Population - who will have final responsibility on updates, OSi?

Maybe the discussions have already taken place but we don't want multiple definitions of the small areas.

sesswhat

On the same day the Public Accounts Committee looks into Eircode, The Irish Times reports:

The National Ambulance Service of Ireland is to start using the controversial Eircode postal system from the middle of next month.

a65b2cd

sesswhat wrote: »

Ambulance service to start using Eircode

Great potential for real time data analysis there to review service effectiveness if they analyse whether there is optimisation between the Eircodes of the starting point for the ambulance, the location of the patient, and the hospital the patient was brought to.

ukoda

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ambulance-service-to-use-eircode-postal-system-1.2512920?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


So from this article:

National ambulance service going live next month
TomTom spokesperson confirms working on implementing
DPD couriers working on implementing

So for a code that some call "useless from couriers" we now have confirmed as implementing it:

Fastway
DPD
An Post
Nightline

Note that DPD are a member of the FTAI, and I believe Fastway may also be

marmurr1916

Some quotes from the Irish Times story:

The National Ambulance Service of Ireland is to start using the controversial Eircode postal system from the middle of next month.

Martin Dunne, the director of the service, said the processes involved in updating the emergency service’s systems to adapt to Eircode – a seven-digit postcode given to every property in the State – was almost complete.

“We had to rebuild our systems so they would be Eircode-enabled and that has now been done,” he said.

“We are in the process of training our staff now and I would anticipate that the systems will be up and running in the middle of next month.”

Minister for Communication Alex White this week said the system was starting to deliver and that agreements had been struck with companies such as Google and Satnav to recognise the Eircode systems.

He said licences were due to be “signed off on in next few weeks”.

A spokeswoman for TomTom sat nav systems, meanwhile, said the company was “currently working on incorporating Eircode postal codes into our maps and devices.

“However, we are unable to confirm an availability date at this time.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ambulance-service-to-use-eircode-postal-system-1.2512920

It's getting there. Once it's available on Google Maps and on various satnav systems, its use will become much more common.

I'd imagine that most business premises in rural areas will start using it in their marketing materials.

It'll be especially useful for rural B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels. No more relying on having to give detailed and hard to follow directions to tourists who might not speak English very well - just give them the Eircode of your premises and tell them to put it into Google maps or the car's satnav.

marmurr1916

Interesting to see this:

Areas in Dublin we cover:

A41 – Ballyboughal
A4 – Garristown
A4 – Oldtown
A63 – Greystones
A67 – Wicklow
A84 – Ashbourne
A85 – Dunshaughlin
A86 – Dunboyne
A91 – Dundalk
A92 – Drogheda, Ardee
A94 – Blackrock, Monkstown, Booterstown, Stillorgan
A96 – Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey, Sallynoggin, Glenageary
A98 – Bray, Kilmacanogue, Roundwood
D01 – Dublin 1
D02 – Dublin 2
D03 – Dublin 3
D04 – Dublin 4
D05 – Dublin 5
D06 – Dublin 6
D6W – Dublin 6W
D07 – Dublin 7
D08 – Dublin 8
D09 – Dublin 9
D10 – Dublin 10
D11 – Dublin 11
D12 – Dublin 12
D13 – Dublin 13
D14 – Dublin 14
D15 – Dublin 15
D16 – Dublin 16
D17 – Dublin 17
D18 – Dublin 18
D20 – Dublin 20
D22 – Dublin 22
D24 – Dublin 24
K32 – Balbriggan
K34 – Skerries
K36 – Malahide, Donabate
K45 – Lusk
K56 – Rush
K67 – Swords
K78 – Lucan
R51 – Kildare
W12 – Newbridge
W23 – Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip

http://www.locksmiths365.ie/auto-locksmith-what-do-they-do/

If your Eircode starts with any of the routing keys listed (whether you know its a routing key or not is irrelevant - all you have to know is that the first three characters of your Eircode are on the list), you know that you're within the service area.

No more having to ring up and check if your rural address near Greystones is covered - if it's in the A63 area it is.

It's a very simple and effective way to implement Eircodes in marketing materials - in this case to let potential customers know the areas covered by a service.

Buffman

Eircode making headlines again:

The cost of setting up the Eircode postal address system was €20 million more than was initially budgeted for in 2009, the Dáil Public Accounts Committee has heard.
The final figure stands at €38 million, significantly more than €18m first estimate for the project, Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy told the Committee.

I think the only thing I've recieved with the postcode on it was the letter from them telling me what it was.:D Although I have noticed some insurance companies asking for it when getting quotes.

I don't think the end result was good value for money. €38 million to basically translate GPS coordinates into a random code, and now Google maps and the sat navs have to translate that random code back into GPS coordinates.

plodder

marmurr1916 wrote: »

Interesting to see this:



http://www.locksmiths365.ie/auto-locksmith-what-do-they-do/

If your Eircode starts with any of the routing keys listed (whether you know its a routing key or not is irrelevant - all you have to know is that the first three characters of your Eircode are on the list), you know that you're within the service area.

No more having to ring up and check if your rural address near Greystones is covered - if it's in the A63 area it is.

It's a very simple and effective way to implement Eircodes in marketing materials - in this case to let potential customers know the areas covered by a service.

If all Dublin's postcodes started with D, then they wouldn't need a list like that (some details of which aren't correct anyway).

Just sayin ...

xband

Reasonable sized routing keys would have solved this mess.

Galway H91 in particular is just insanely huge.

a65b2cd

The Secretary-General at the Department of Communications Mark Griffin told the Public Accounts Committee that Electric Ireland would start issuing bills with Eircodes from next Monday.

xband

Actually, the % of letters with postal codes / eircodes on them would be likely to be quite high very quickly as the majority of mail these days is things like bills and other printed letters.

There's relatively little personal mail other than at Christmas and that's the areas that eircode's likely not to get much uptake with.

ukoda

xband wrote: »

Actually, the % of letters with postal codes / eircodes on them would be likely to be quite high very quickly as the majority of mail these days is things like bills and other printed letters.

There's relatively little personal mail other than at Christmas and that's the areas that eircode's likely not to get much uptake with.

Electric Ireland have over 1 million customers, each getting a bill every 2 months and various other letters, depending on how many of the total are opting for email bills, then that's a lot of mail with eircodes on them... Probably at least 6 million a year, and that's just one utility, I assume the others will follow suit, airtricity, bord gais, energia, and the then the likes of eir, Vodafone, etc

ukoda

https://twitter.com/postvox/status/692800485624025093

ukoda

Some figures from the PAC on usage

Since launch - 3.7 million look ups
About 20,000 per day

marmurr1916

plodder wrote: »

If all Dublin's postcodes started with D, then they wouldn't need a list like that (some details of which aren't correct anyway).

Just sayin ...

It obviously covers areas outside of Dublin, as far away as Dundalk. If there are mistakes it still doesn't take away from the fact that marketing materials telling customers they cover Q42, U12, M17 (made up routing codes for illustrative purposes only!) is a handy way to make it clear where services are available.

plodder

marmurr1916 wrote: »

It obviously covers areas outside of Dublin, as far away as Dundalk. If there are mistakes it still doesn't take away from the fact that marketing materials telling customers they cover Q42, U12, M17 (made up routing codes for illustrative purposes only!) is a handy way to make it clear where services are available.

True and they go as far South as Roundwood. It would be a lot easier for a business to say: we cover all Dublin postcodes and the following additional areas (Q42, M17 etc).

But, I think we are agreed that (publicly visible) postcode areas are useful. Eircode has tried to play them down by the minimal structure, the odd variation in size of routing key areas, not publishing area maps etc.

Yet, in spite of that, people are still using them. It's what I've been saying all along. Some businesses want to make simple use of postcodes, without having to license or pay for software.

gctest50

Buffman wrote: »

..........

I don't think the end result was good value for money. €38 million to basically translate GPS coordinates into a random code, and now Google maps and the sat navs have to translate that random code back into GPS coordinates.

Well worth the €38 milion to keep all the whiney b!tches occupied for a few years - if they don't have enough to whine about, they'd have a little breakdown and clog up the healthcare system

Anyway, stuff has moved on and we have


https://map.what3words.com/body.woof.voting


now

xband

The problem though is the routing keys are very weird shapes (especially outside Dublin and Cork) and would be totally confusing if you used them for explaining service areas.

H91 for example which includes Galway city is this massive area that for some reason excludes Clifden which has its own code.

They're really only useful as full codes. I don't see the point of the routing key in most areas as they're just not very logical.

What exactly is it "routing" ?

It's going to be rolled out and it'll be of some use. It doesn't mean it's still not a deeply flawed system though.

my3cents

xband wrote: »

The problem though is the routing keys are very weird shapes (especially outside Dublin and Cork) and would be totally confusing if you used them for explaining service areas.

H91 for example which includes Galway city is this massive area that for some reason excludes Clifden which has its own code.

They're really only useful as full codes. I don't see the point of the routing key in most areas as they're just not very logical.

What exactly is it "routing" ?

It's going to be rolled out and it'll be of some use. It doesn't mean it's still not a deeply flawed system though.

afaik those routing codes relate to mail sorting. An Post sorts its mail according to address information and derives its own routing code to get the mail to the area where the postman picks it up and does the more difficult job of making the final delivery. So while they don't use them the routing codes are just An Post sorting codes.

My routing code is different from my nearest neighbor 200m away, their mail comes from a depot 5 miles away mine comes from one 30 miles away.

hans aus dtschl

plodder wrote: »

But, I think we are agreed that (publicly visible) postcode areas are useful. Eircode has tried to play them down by the minimal structure, the odd variation in size of routing key areas, not publishing area maps etc.

Yet, in spite of that, people are still using them. It's what I've been saying all along. Some businesses want to make simple use of postcodes, without having to license or pay for software.

Agree 100%, I've been saying it all along too.

Why they don't put a basic image on the website is beyond me: it'd probably be referenced more than their "eircode finder" and facilitate end-users by making them more familiar. The "eircode finder" is for something else entirely and does what it does just fine, but the map-image is such a no-brainer, I can't understand why they don't use it. Even as a simple PR tool it'd be almost free to create/implement and would yield a potentially huge result.

I'll even start it off:
https://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/AnPostDM/Tools/Publicity+Post+Map/