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Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

daspecster.github.com

81–90 of 113 posts

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#81
post #80

Also zip (postal code) information is not in the public domain in the UK. It is a commercial database which you can licence from the RoyalMail or probably a reseller.

Yes. You can get a coordinate - postcode list though: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/code-poin...

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#82
I'd prefer the opposite. I don't find the OP's "problem" that annoying, but I frequently send stuff to family and friends whose addresses I remember but whose ZIPs I can never keep straight, and it would be great if forms auto-filled that part.

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#84

If you're going to do this, do the whole enchilada: zip code + person's name ought to give you their whole address for 99% of the population (hint: voter records). Well, 95%, considering such records are often out of date. The problem is this will likely spook many people - "how does this website know my street address?"

More sites need make good use of every publicly available record, as well as everything that can be inferred from them.

Maybe if more people get creeped out, they'd understand how scary the modern age is and we'd get finally get some decent privacy laws.

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#85

If you're going to do this, do the whole enchilada: zip code + person's name ought to give you their whole address for 99% of the population (hint: voter records). Well, 95%, considering such records are often out of date. The problem is this will likely spook many people - "how does this website know my street address?"

Are you aware of a voter registration database that's reasonably complete and up to date, and doesn't cost a ton of money to access? I'd love one for a current project, but my initial research seemed to indicate the only solutions were priced out of our budget (either in straight dollars, or in the man-hours to cobble together multiple sources).

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#86

If you're going to do this, do the whole enchilada: zip code + person's name ought to give you their whole address for 99% of the population (hint: voter records). Well, 95%, considering such records are often out of date. The problem is this will likely spook many people - "how does this website know my street address?"

Or do the whole enchilada with beans on the side.

Present a blank form with the usual fields: Name, Address, Birthdate, and so on. The user fills in whatever information they want, and the software uses multiple data sources to infer the missing information and fill in the missing boxes as the user types. Each character or field might be colour coded according the conditional probability of its being correct, or a drop down menu may appear once the number of alternatives is manageable.

Bonus points if the software can solve the inverse problem: Given an identity and partial information, what is the minimal required set of publicly available information required to establish a unique identity.

Edit: fix grammar

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#87

My big pet peeve is when they ask you what type of credit card you're using, when that is easily determined by the first four digits of the CC number. Thankfully, more and more web sites are figuring this out.

Even less than that -- if the card # starts with "4", it's Visa; 36|37 is Amex; 5[1-5] is MC and so forth. Totally with you, why do I have to choose from a dropdown -- you already have my number!

6 is Discover

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#88
post #51
post #45

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be USA-only or not. It seems to ask for 'country', so I assume it's aimed at the whole world. And here's where reality disagrees with your simple organisation. * First "zip code" is mostly an American term, "post code" is used in other anglosphere countries. * Not all countries have "everyone is in a city" model, this seems to happen in the USA, where 'city' is often an administrat…

Yeah this doesn't work at all if you live outside USA. The post code for Auckland CBD (in New Zealand) is 1010. So if I try http://zip.elevenbasetwo.com/?zip=1010 It gives: {"country": "US", "state": "MA", "city": "BRIMFIELD"}

I'm guessing it's a leading zero problem, since all US Zipcodes are 5 digits (or nine). Going to http://zip.elevenbasetwo.com/?zip=01010 gives the same response noted above.

Re: Ziptastic: Isn't a zipcode enough?

#90
post #68

Full ZIP codes are actually 9 digits: a 5 digit prefix, which is what people are used to -- and a 4 digit "block" extension. Each city will typically have many block extensions, and probably multiple prefixes associated to it.

Full ZIP codes are actually 11 digits: a 5 digit prefix, a 4 digit delivery-route-location code, and a 2 digit delivery point number. This 11 digit number uniquely identifies every single place the USPS can deliver mail.
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