Eircode and Google Maps Working

Padster90s · 05-09-2016 10:55pm

Spacing issue has reversed for me. The Eircodes I tried yesterday that only worked with the space today only work without the space. Likewise for the codes that only worked without the space yesterday today only work with the space! I'm assuming Google are testing to make sure they work no matter how someone types the codes into maps. Wonder how long till Google officially launches the postcode lookup

MBSnr · 06-09-2016 9:40am

^^^
Nah still the same for me. Without a space correctly resolves. With a space, ignores routing key and finds the nearest matching last four digits code to my location.

So I type D01 XXXX but I get H91 XXXX or H65 XXXX or H54 XXXX instead.
Type DO1XXXX - goes to Dublin correctly.

sondagefaux · 06-09-2016 10:45am

MBSnr wrote: »

^^^
Nah still the same for me. Without a space correctly resolves. With a space, ignores routing key and finds the nearest matching last four digits code to my location.

So I type D01 XXXX but I get H91 XXXX or H65 XXXX or H54 XXXX instead.
Type DO1XXXX - goes to Dublin correctly.

Same for me. And that method only works consistently if I go to www.google.ie/maps

It's completely unpredictable if I use www.google.co.uk/maps

One other thing, perhaps much more significant than these glitches that are appearing in this early beta test: I'm using the same few Eircodes of the addresses of friends and family each time to check how Google Maps is working.

Because I'm using them so often, I know them off by heart now.

The more apps that Eircodes work with, the more frequently they'll be used, the more readily people will remember them, the more likely they'll be to ask people for their Eircodes, the more frequently they'll be used and so on...

Edit: just sent a link to this thread via the Send feedback link (tiny writing at the bottom of a Google Maps screen, near where the little yellow Streetview man is). Hopefully, someone from Google will read it.

ukoda · 08-09-2016 1:18pm

Noticed Google maps it now suggesting eircodes as you type, I.e. Type D18 and a suggested list of eircodes starts to populate as you type

Bray Head · 08-09-2016 1:30pm

ukoda wrote: »

Noticed Google maps it now suggesting eircodes as you type, I.e. Type D18 and a suggested list of eircodes starts to populate as you type

This works for me too.

It is not particularly logical. The ones that are suggested for me are quite random not ones that I have typed before.

sondagefaux · 08-09-2016 1:32pm

ukoda wrote: »

Noticed Google maps it now suggesting eircodes as you type, I.e. Type D18 and a suggested list of eircodes starts to populate as you type

Did it with D03 and got a suggested list of six Eircodes. The first one is for the Croke Park Hotel.

It also works if you type in some of the last four characters. E.g. if you type in D03 A, you'll get a suggested list of D03 AXXX Eircodes. If you type in D03 A1 you'll get a suggested list of D03 A1XX Eircodes and so on.

Previously the locations of each Eircode would be shown as simply 'Ireland'. Now they're showing up with more details. E.g. my sister's Eircode now displays 'Name of Townland, Co. Cork' instead of just 'Ireland'.

However, they don't seem to be showing the street numbers or street names of locations in urban areas - the Eircode for the Croke Park Hotel shows it as being in 'Ballybough, Dublin' rather than the address shown on the Eircode Finder - Jones Road, Dublin 3.

The space issue seems to have been resolved. You can now type in Eircodes with a space and get accurate locations and directions.

ukoda · 08-09-2016 1:35pm

sondagefaux wrote: »

Did it with D03 and got a suggested list of six Eircodes. The first one is for the Croke Park Hotel.

Previously the locations of each Eircode would be shown as simply 'Ireland'. Now they're showing up with more details. E.g. my sister's Eircode now displays 'Name of Townland, Co. Cork' instead of just 'Ireland'.

However, they don't seem to be showing the street numbers or street names of locations in urban areas - the Eircode for the Croke Park Hotel shows it as being in 'Ballybough, Dublin' rather than the address shown on the Eircode Finder - Jones Road, Dublin 3.

Noticed this too, it had no info for my home address before and now it has the suburb and county attached to it

sondagefaux · 08-09-2016 1:49pm

ukoda wrote: »

sondagefaux wrote: »

Did it with D03 and got a suggested list of six Eircodes. The first one is for the Croke Park Hotel.

Previously the locations of each Eircode would be shown as simply 'Ireland'. Now they're showing up with more details. E.g. my sister's Eircode now displays 'Name of Townland, Co. Cork' instead of just 'Ireland'.

However, they don't seem to be showing the street numbers or street names of locations in urban areas - the Eircode for the Croke Park Hotel shows it as being in 'Ballybough, Dublin' rather than the address shown on the Eircode Finder - Jones Road, Dublin 3.

Noticed this too, it had no info for my home address before and now it has the suburb and county attached to it

It's getting better but I wish they'd display the geographic address in full rather than their own idiosyncratic names for locations, such as Dublin Northside, Dublin which is displayed at present for some of the D03 Eircodes.

When people input just an Eircode, Google Maps could display the geographical address, leaving out street numbers/building names if they feel the need to.

This is what happens when you enter a UK postcode - you get just the street name and town, unless you enter the building name or number yourself.

The multiple Eircodes at one geographical location issue hasn't been resolved yet.

There are several Eircodes associated with the Industrial Yarns Complex, Dublin Road, Bray.

But the only one that Google Maps recognises is the one for Lidl (A98 F3A8).

There are 5 other Eircodes associated with that location, but Google Maps produces no results for them, just one result for Lidl.

sondagefaux · 08-09-2016 2:14pm

Bray Head wrote: »

ukoda wrote: »

Noticed Google maps it now suggesting eircodes as you type, I.e. Type D18 and a suggested list of eircodes starts to populate as you type

This works for me too.

It is not particularly logical. The ones that are suggested for me are quite random not ones that I have typed before.

It's the same with UK postcodes.

Type in the first part (e.g. EC1) and you get a random selection of suggested EC1X XXX postcodes and locations.

MBSnr · 08-09-2016 2:41pm

^^^

The space issue and matching last 4 digits to local/closest code seems to be resolved as well.

MBSnr · 08-09-2016 2:43pm

ukoda wrote: »

Noticed Google maps it now suggesting eircodes as you type, I.e. Type D18 and a suggested list of eircodes starts to populate as you type

Just came here to post the exact same...:D

OldMrBrennan83 · 08-09-2016 2:47pm

This post has been deleted.

sondagefaux · 08-09-2016 3:01pm

MBSnr wrote: »

^^^

The space issue and matching last 4 digits to local/closest code seems to be resolved as well.

Yes, that seems to have been sorted. The main issues that I can still see are:

1. Locations with multiple Eircodes associated with them (e.g. apartment blocks) aren't catered for well, or not at all.

For example, the Industrial Yarns Complex, Dublin Road, Bray, has six Eircodes associated with it. Only one of them, the Eircode for the Lidl supermarket at that location, works on Google Maps. You get no results for any of the other 5 Eircodes.

Another example is the Tudor House apartment block in Dublin 3. There are 10 apartments in the block, each with its own Eircode. None of them work on Google Maps.

2. Incomplete or incorrect addresses: input an Eircode, and you'll get a partial address, but it won't be an address that An Post or Eircode would recognise as either a postal address or a geographical address. For example, if you put in a D03 Eircode, the address will be something like Clontarf, Dublin or Dublin Northside, Dublin, but you won't get a street address when you enter just the Eircode.

Also, after you input the Eircodes in the Direction function, the default location for both starting point and destination shows up as 'Ireland', unless you input a full address.

The main issue to fix IMO is the multiple Eircodes at one location problem. If it's not resolved it means that thousands of Eircodes located all over Ireland, for addresses in shopping centres, retail parks, industrial units, office blocks, apartment blocks etc, won't work with Google Maps.

Fix that first, then sort out displaying fuller addresses later.

byrnefm · 08-09-2016 4:45pm

Patww79 wrote: »

There might be a few still. Stuck my parents one in as it's fairly obscure and it only worked without the space.

I've seen the same for a few addresses locally as well - when I included a space after the routing key, the Eircode location shown was for an entirely different routing key! And similarly for others, my "address" location is for an area I've never heard of before :-)

sondagefaux · 08-09-2016 5:45pm

Seems to be working fine with Google.es, Google.de, Google.fr

MBSnr · 09-09-2016 9:09am

^^^

Hmm - think the other posters are correct about it not working. Typed in a D01 xxxx code and it incorrectly resolved to a local H65 xxxx one again... So I wonder if previously, when it worked, it was using a cached copy in the browser or they are changing things.

sondagefaux · 09-09-2016 10:45am

It works like this for me in google.pt, google.es, google.fr, google.de, google.co.uk, google.ie

Every time I input the first part of an Eircode in Google Maps in any of those domains, it suggests a list of Eircodes.

Choosing any one of them leads to the correct location (confirmed with Eircode Finder) and using the Directions function also works perfectly.

Ignoring the suggested list and just inputting an Eircode manually (even one of the same Eircodes shown in the suggested list) produces no result, with or without the space.

I've checked this with Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

MBSnr · 09-09-2016 10:59am

sondagefaux wrote: »

It works like this for me in google.pt, google.es, google.fr, google.de, google.co.uk, google.ie

Every time I input the first part of an Eircode in Google Maps in any of those domains, it suggests a list of Eircodes.

Choosing any one of them leads to the correct location (confirmed with Eircode Finder) and using the Directions function also works perfectly.

Ignoring the suggested list and just inputting an Eircode manually (even one of the same Eircodes shown in the suggested list) produces no result, with or without the space.

I've checked this with Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Are you in Dublin? I'm in Galway and if I type D01 N971, I get H65 N971 - based on my location. Change map focus to Dublin and type D01 N971 I get the correct place.

sondagefaux · 09-09-2016 11:13am

MBSnr wrote: »

sondagefaux wrote: »

It works like this for me in google.pt, google.es, google.fr, google.de, google.co.uk, google.ie

Every time I input the first part of an Eircode in Google Maps in any of those domains, it suggests a list of Eircodes.

Choosing any one of them leads to the correct location (confirmed with Eircode Finder) and using the Directions function also works perfectly.

Ignoring the suggested list and just inputting an Eircode manually (even one of the same Eircodes shown in the suggested list) produces no result, with or without the space.

I've checked this with Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Are you in Dublin? I'm in Galway and if I type D01 N971, I get H65 N971 - based on my location. Change map focus to Dublin and type D01 N971 I get the correct place.

No. I'm in the north-east of England. Do you allow your device's location to be read by various websites, including Google? Maybe that's the problem for you.

I corrected my previous post - choosing an option from the suggested list works with all of the various google domains I've tried.

But inputting an Eircode manually (with or without a space and even if it's the same Eircode as in the suggested list) doesn't work except on google.ie and google.co.uk

It looks like the only way to get Eircodes to work on Google domains outside of Ireland or the UK is to choose from the suggested list and not to input the full Eircode manually yourself.

Another fix required Googleheads - keep reading this thread and ye'll get there eventually...

Edit: now seems to be working with google.fr/maps using the manual input method, with or without a space.

MBSnr · 09-09-2016 11:39am

sondagefaux wrote: »

Do you allow your device's location to be read by various websites, including Google? Maybe that's the problem for you.

Well not my problem - it should work with any device knowing where I am at! Both my phone and browser takes me to H65 xxxx instead of D01 xxxx...

joujoujou · 10-09-2016 6:56am

sondagefaux wrote: »

[...]

But inputting an Eircode manually (with or without a space and even if it's the same Eircode as in the suggested list) doesn't work except on google.ie and google.co.uk

It looks like the only way to get Eircodes to work on Google domains outside of Ireland or the UK is to choose from the suggested list and not to input the full Eircode manually yourself.

[...]

Just checked 3 random google domains (Japanese, Polish and Russian) and it works for me.

Mitch Buchannon · 10-09-2016 11:16am

I have also just check from google Maps Argentina (ar), Brazil (br) and South Africa (za) and they worked for me.

Padster90s · 10-09-2016 6:20pm

Looks like its 99% up and running, anyone have any idea of when we'll hear that its working from Google or Eircode?

sondagefaux · 10-09-2016 6:55pm

Hopefully pretty soon. It looks like the space issue has been sorted, it looks like it's working on non-Irish Google domains.

I think that all that needs to be done is to ensure that the addresses displayed when you input an Eircode correspond either to the correct postal or geographical addresses (as listed on Eircode Finder for example) rather than Google's own rather odd addresses, that the address locations displayed when using the Directions function don't simply default to 'Ireland' and that the many clusters of Eircodes associated with one physical location (e.g. apartment blocks, shopping centres, some business locations) can be used on Google Maps.

Of these three remaining issues, the most important one to fix IMO is the clusters issue. At present, it's impossible to use this type of Eircode with Google Maps which means that thousands of addresses in Ireland can't use their Eircodes with Google Maps.

Sam Russell · 15-09-2016 7:32pm

sondagefaux wrote: »

Hopefully pretty soon. It looks like the space issue has been sorted, it looks like it's working on non-Irish Google domains.

I think that all that needs to be done is to ensure that the addresses displayed when you input an Eircode correspond either to the correct postal or geographical addresses (as listed on Eircode Finder for example) rather than Google's own rather odd addresses, that the address locations displayed when using the Directions function don't simply default to 'Ireland' and that the many clusters of Eircodes associated with one physical location (e.g. apartment blocks, shopping centres, some business locations) can be used on Google Maps.

Of these three remaining issues, the most important one to fix IMO is the clusters issue. At present, it's impossible to use this type of Eircode with Google Maps which means that thousands of addresses in Ireland can't use their Eircodes with Google Maps.

If your guess of 'thousands' of addresses affect is correct, that would suggest it works for 1,990,000 addresses or thereabouts given that there are two million addresses with Eircodes.

I'd say that that is a game changer.

larchill · 19-09-2016 9:06am

Alls very quiet around this. No announcement or mention by Google or eircode on this.

ukoda · 19-09-2016 9:34am

Deedsie wrote: »

Well is it not still in testing? Its not working for apartments yet so they will presumably wait until it is functioning perfectly?

I'd say so. If it was me, I wouldn't announce anything until it was 99% to avoid any media backlash

MBSnr · 19-09-2016 9:38am

larchill wrote: »

Alls very quiet around this. No announcement or mention by Google or eircode on this.

It doesn't fully work yet. Can't resolve Eircode's for business/shop units or apartments. Also some issues with spaces in Eircodes and resolving to the local last 4 digit match and ignoring the routing key.

Padster90s · 20-09-2016 1:14am

MBSnr wrote: »

It doesn't fully work yet. Can't resolve Eircode's for business/shop units or apartments. Also some issues with spaces in Eircodes and resolving to the local last 4 digit match and ignoring the routing key.

Routing key and the space issues are resolved for me, have been for a week now. Clusters or addresses are still an issue, not a big one though. They're probably ironing it out these days. Haven't heard a whisper in the press that its working on Google as a test. Maybe its because the people and companies against Eircode shouted from the rooftops it didn't work on Google maps, they're probably keeping quiet after seeing its as good as up and running.

MBSnr · 20-09-2016 10:18am

Padster90s wrote: »

Routing key and the space issues are resolved for me, have been for a week now. Clusters or addresses are still an issue, not a big one though.

Not quite. Seems to be that the space issue is resolved on mobile Google Maps.

On my phone, D01 N971 (with space) works in Google Maps from my location in Galway - it centres on Dublin correctly. (This D01 postcode just came up in the thread as one near the GPO).

If I type D01 N971 (with space) into Google Maps on a desktop, the map centres on the closest matching last 4 digits - in this case H65 N971.

If I type D01N971 (no space) it works with Google Maps on a desktop.

Eircode and Google Maps Working

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