Eircode - its implemetation (merged)

ukoda wrote: »

Interesting


https://twitter.com/ferns_cfr/status/768847976534052868

Gotta love the way that loc8 jump right in and tell people who use Eircodes that they're not actually using them...

It's also obvious that National Ambulance Service (NAS) call handlers are asking people who call 999/112 for their Eircodes and using them to direct first responders and ambulances.

BoatMad wrote: »

plodder wrote: »

Your photographic image is personal data and CCTV is on trains for only limited purposes like security. So using it for other purposes (like rebutting Corbyn's political point) would be a breach. I see the case is being investigated by their DP watchdog.

your image in a public place is not personal data in general

CCTV images gathered by operators of CCTV systems are covered by Data Protection law across the EU.

Virgin didn't release photos of Corbyn taken by members of the public to the media.

It released still images derived from its on-train CCTV systems to the media.

This is from autoaddress:

[font=Arial, sans-serif]Autoaddress [/font]
[ltr]autoaddress[/ltr]

[font=Arial, sans-serif] 8h8 hours ago[/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif]#Eircode now in beta support in @googlemaps It is a bit hit and miss at the moment, but we expect Google will solve that quickly.[/font]

I just tried it with two friends' Eircodes (both unique addresses in Dublin, one with a street number, the other with a house name). It worked for both. It also worked for directions between the two addresses.

I then tried it with my sister's address (non-unique, in a rural townland in Co. Cork) - it didn't work.

However, Google Maps Ireland did suggest the "Add a missing place to Google Maps" option when I entered her full Eircode.

So I added the Eircode as a place/destination to Google Maps, which I did by logging-in to Google Maps (using my gmail account), then adding the name of the townland, selecting 'Restaurant' in the Category field (so it would show up in public results on Google Maps, selecting 'Home' as the Category means it will only show up on Google Maps to yourself), and dragging the red pin onto the exact spot where my sister's house is (luckily it shows up in satellite imagery).

I then logged out of my Google account, and checked it for directions, using my home in England as the starting point, with my sister's Eircode as the final destination.

The result was a perfect route, from outside my house to the entrance to my sister's house.

If Google Maps isn't going to add Eircodes to non-unique addresses (or if it's going to do so slowly), I think the method I used to add my sister's house to Google Maps could be the best one for businesses of all kinds, including tourist accommodation such as B&Bs, located in rural townlands where there are no unique addresses.

If a B&B owner in rural Ireland wants to add their Eircode to Google Maps, they can find their Eircode (check on Eircode Finder: https://finder.eircode.ie/#/), then type it in to Google Maps, then if Google Maps suggests "Add a missing place to Google Maps", add it by using the method I've outlined above, selecting an appropriate category.

Businesses can add their web addresses, phone numbers and opening hours if they choose to, although none of these are required fields.

From what I can see, in this beta phase, Google Maps has updated (all/many?) unique Irish addresses with their Eircodes, and now allows you to enter Eircodes to display the location of those addresses on Google Maps, with Direction functionality included.

However, Google Maps doesn't seem to have updated all non-unique Irish addresses with Eircodes yet and it could be some time before they sort this out.

Once it's finished, this is probably going to lead to a massive uptake in the use of Eircodes.

I'd suggest that it might be easier for Google Maps to initially confine itself to adding Eircodes to businesses with non-unique addresses, almost all of which will be in rural townlands.

Once the Eircodes of rural businesses are added, along with the Eircodes for unique addresses in cities, towns and villages, Eircode functionality on Google Maps will be very good for most people, and adding Eircodes to all non-unique rural townland addresses can be rolled out more gradually - Co. Cork would be a good place to start, since Cork city and county combined have about 12% of the total population and Co. Cork is the largest county in terms of area.

This is the major boost that Eircodes have been waiting for.

I'd imagine that within a few months it will become commonplace for people living in rural areas to give their Eircode to people looking for directions and tell them to put it into Google Maps.

It's also going to be a huge boost to B&Bs etc, along with all other rural businesses, who can now put their Eircodes on all their publicity materials, and in all customer contacts, to allow people to find them using Google Maps.

Eircode should start publicising the fact that Google Maps has started to add Eircode functionality, and get some ads on TV to explain how useful this is going to be, especially to rural dwellers and businesses.