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This is a solved problem. https://maps.google.com/pluscodes/ https://maps.google.com/pluscodes/ More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code ht

This is a solved problem. https://maps.google.com/pluscodes/ https://maps.google.com/pluscodes/ More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code There are other similar systems out there too.

rootusrootus 4y ago
My house could be any one of about 130 plus codes. Do I just choose the one that corresponds with my front door? I suppose as a practical matter any of the codes would get someone close enough that a visitor could figure out the rest on their own, but it does introduce some ambiguity about what my address really is.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  You need to use the longer plus code variant and aim it at your front door. If the structure has multiple dwelling units you need an apartment number after the plus code. Problem solved. Plus codes are derived from latitude and longitude coordinates, so they already exist everywhere. They are similar in length to a telephone number – 849VCWC8+R9, for example – but can often be shortened to only four or six digits when combined with a locality (CWC8+R9, Mountain View).
  - crazygringo 4y ago
    I read the question as the opposite -- that the poster's property covers 130 plus codes, so which one do you pick? It does strike me as quite non-obvious what is the proper level of precision. If you own a ranch, are you pointing to the middle of the ranch far away from the house on its corner, or are you pointing to the house itself, but which is also almost next to the house on the neighboring ranch? Places aren't points and they also aren't areas that fit into pre-existing grids. In reality they tend to be quite irregular shapes whose conceptual "landmark" point (front door, lobby, reception area) is often far away from their geometrical "center of gravity".
    - orangepurple 4y ago
      The address you give out to others is the interface of the property to the outside world where some action may take place in the immediate vicinity. For instance the entrance to a dwelling or a mail box.
  - eppp 4y ago
    I have trouble thinking I can tell this number to my grandfather and expect him to get to my house.
    - orangepurple 4y ago
      Do you expect him to know how to get to the gray building next to the old barn behind the church the next city over?
      - helloayo 4y ago
        I know you are saying this in jest but that's exactly how people know how to get around in small towns everywhere including in the US. I used to joke about how direction always seem to include "Food Lion" (take a left at the food lion etc) when I visited family in NC. My grandmother who lived in a tiny town would always tell me to go somewhere "round yonder" and I would somehow know where yonder was that particular day.
        orangepurple 4y ago
        My point is there is a need for both systems. One for natives to derive the location from first principals and one for strangers.
        eppp 4y ago
        I dont even see how these numbers help a postman. Its great if you have a computer to pathfind you there but without it, utterly useless as far as I can see.
        orangepurple 4y ago
        Nonsense. Normal addresses are just as useless unless you already know the area. If you are hell bent on using plus codes without technology you could create a high resolution plus code grid overlay on a paper map. Map grids are already an established concept in military maps. It's leagues ahead of "grey shed behind the old shed that used to stand on bob's property" kind of directions we're talking about here. Furthermore, there is a pattern to plus codes you could memorize and actually be able to orient yourself arbitrarily in relation to other plus codes, given sufficient IQ.
spenczar5 4y ago
The problem is not solved, that's a preposterous thing to say. The fact that unused systems exist doesn't mean there's a solution. Addressing here would only be "solved" if everyday people were using the system on the ground, and they're obviously not using Google Plus Codes or whatever when giving someone directions for how to walk to the bank.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  The foundation exists, it is now merely a matter of using it. Your example is nonsense because it just as useless to a stranger as a plus code without a mapping tool. When giving someone directions for how to walk to the bank you don't refer to the address but waypoints. As you always would anyway, plus codes or not.
dpkirchner 4y ago
I'm not sure we should expect Google's plus codes to be around much longer. They seem like they'd be perfect for use in shortened URLs (like when clicking "share"), however Google generates some other unrelated code instead.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  It's licensed Apache 2.0 https://github.com/google/open-location-code https://github.com/google/open-location-code

rootusrootus 4y ago

My house could be any one of about 130 plus codes. Do I just choose the one that corresponds with my front door? I suppose as a practical matter any of the codes would get someone close enough that a visitor could figure out the rest on their own, but it does introduce some ambiguity about what my address really is.

orangepurple 4y ago
You need to use the longer plus code variant and aim it at your front door. If the structure has multiple dwelling units you need an apartment number after the plus code. Problem solved. Plus codes are derived from latitude and longitude coordinates, so they already exist everywhere. They are similar in length to a telephone number – 849VCWC8+R9, for example – but can often be shortened to only four or six digits when combined with a locality (CWC8+R9, Mountain View).
- crazygringo 4y ago
  I read the question as the opposite -- that the poster's property covers 130 plus codes, so which one do you pick? It does strike me as quite non-obvious what is the proper level of precision. If you own a ranch, are you pointing to the middle of the ranch far away from the house on its corner, or are you pointing to the house itself, but which is also almost next to the house on the neighboring ranch? Places aren't points and they also aren't areas that fit into pre-existing grids. In reality they tend to be quite irregular shapes whose conceptual "landmark" point (front door, lobby, reception area) is often far away from their geometrical "center of gravity".
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    The address you give out to others is the interface of the property to the outside world where some action may take place in the immediate vicinity. For instance the entrance to a dwelling or a mail box.
- eppp 4y ago
  I have trouble thinking I can tell this number to my grandfather and expect him to get to my house.
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    Do you expect him to know how to get to the gray building next to the old barn behind the church the next city over?
    - helloayo 4y ago
      I know you are saying this in jest but that's exactly how people know how to get around in small towns everywhere including in the US. I used to joke about how direction always seem to include "Food Lion" (take a left at the food lion etc) when I visited family in NC. My grandmother who lived in a tiny town would always tell me to go somewhere "round yonder" and I would somehow know where yonder was that particular day.
      - orangepurple 4y ago
        My point is there is a need for both systems. One for natives to derive the location from first principals and one for strangers.
        eppp 4y ago
        I dont even see how these numbers help a postman. Its great if you have a computer to pathfind you there but without it, utterly useless as far as I can see.
        orangepurple 4y ago
        Nonsense. Normal addresses are just as useless unless you already know the area. If you are hell bent on using plus codes without technology you could create a high resolution plus code grid overlay on a paper map. Map grids are already an established concept in military maps. It's leagues ahead of "grey shed behind the old shed that used to stand on bob's property" kind of directions we're talking about here. Furthermore, there is a pattern to plus codes you could memorize and actually be able to orient yourself arbitrarily in relation to other plus codes, given sufficient IQ.

spenczar5 4y ago

The problem is not solved, that's a preposterous thing to say. The fact that unused systems exist doesn't mean there's a solution. Addressing here would only be "solved" if everyday people were using the system on the ground, and they're obviously not using Google Plus Codes or whatever when giving someone directions for how to walk to the bank.

orangepurple 4y ago
The foundation exists, it is now merely a matter of using it. Your example is nonsense because it just as useless to a stranger as a plus code without a mapping tool. When giving someone directions for how to walk to the bank you don't refer to the address but waypoints. As you always would anyway, plus codes or not.

dpkirchner 4y ago

I'm not sure we should expect Google's plus codes to be around much longer. They seem like they'd be perfect for use in shortened URLs (like when clicking "share"), however Google generates some other unrelated code instead.

orangepurple 4y ago
It's licensed Apache 2.0 https://github.com/google/open-location-code https://github.com/google/open-location-code