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Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

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Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#21

Post by LoSboccacc »

slyall wrote: post #17
LoSboccacc wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this doesn't really answer the question, because encoding the latitude/longitude number in base32 fixed point makes them short, readable and memorizable as much as it would encode them in this scheme, and as I said above, would even result in a shorter string at comparable precision. once they're letter, people wouldn't care if internally are mapped to raw numbers or hierarchical quads, a program would do the convers…

I'm not sure why you want fixed point. Some of the reasoning behind them going with base20 is here: https://github.com/google/open-location-code/blob/master/doc... * 10 characters can represent a 14x14 meter area suitable for many buildings * Using a number base of 20 makes some calculations easier * We could identify a 20 character subset from 0-9A-Z that doesn’t spell words.

you can vary precision in a "degree encoding" scheme as well just truncating rightmost bits, that's precisely why I referenced using fixed point and not floating. it also makes extra convenient to transform them into base32 and maintain some of the property that the scheme has (small changes in coordinate result in small changes in the encoded sequence etc)

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#22

Post by new_here »

Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #19
new_here wrote: post #9

These codes could benefit from some sort of distinct prefix so that users, browsers and apps could identify it as an open location code and treat it as such apart from a random string. Other examples being things like @username or #hashtag.

Unclear if you already know this, but the usage of the plus sign and the name "plus codes" for this scheme serve exactly that purpose. If you see a code with a plus in it, with usually 2 characters after the plus, it is most likely a plus code. Speaking from experience it is relateively easy to quickly identify by glancing at a webpage or a body of text. Additionally the plus serves a similar purpose to a dot in the…

Missed that, thanks for pointing it out.

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#23

Post by wereHamster »

So this is based on GPS, right? How does this system deal with tectonic plate shift? A house may move by a couple meters over years, which will exceed the accuracy of the 12 digit code. At the very least the code should include a timestamp (year is probably precise enough).

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#24

Post by abdullahkhalids »

oquidave wrote: post #13
berkes wrote: post #3

Some alternatives that I am aware of: https://wikimili.com/en/Natural_Area_Code , https://what3words.com/ , https://geokey.io/ , http://geohash.org/ , https://www.mapcode.com/ . Some of which are proprietary. Edit: plus.codes was this same proposal. Removed from the list.

This is why these technologies never get mass adoption; so many solutions duplicating themselves trying to solve the same thing. Fact is, most users would care less about numerous implementation, they need to be educated just one solution which works fine. Personally I find plus.codes from Google user-friendly. They are already integrated in Google Maps which has over 1 billion downloads. They are free and opensource…

Where do I find them in Google maps? what is the plus.code for the Eiffel tower? https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eiffel+Tower,+Paris,+Franc...

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#25

Post by kujaomega »

From my point of view, this approach is harder to remember than remembering 3 words (what3words).

Try to remember:

6GCRMQPX9G

3FHMRV5JMX

8FJM2QRW78

Or try to remember:

tell.fantasy.animal

zone.house.horses

home.penguin.room

Also what3words have got bad thinks as that similar words are far away from each other and the words location are not properly translated

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#26

Post by michaelhoffman »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #24
oquidave wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why these technologies never get mass adoption; so many solutions duplicating themselves trying to solve the same thing. Fact is, most users would care less about numerous implementation, they need to be educated just one solution which works fine. Personally I find plus.codes from Google user-friendly. They are already integrated in Google Maps which has over 1 billion downloads. They are free and opensource…

Where do I find them in Google maps? what is the plus.code for the Eiffel tower? https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eiffel+Tower,+Paris,+Franc...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eiffel+Tower/@48.853909,2....

V75V+8Q Paris, France

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#27

Post by bovine3dom »

pauly wrote: post #8
Gys wrote: post #4

I wish Google to put a tiny bit of their money [0] into promoting this more. To counter the closed-source, for-profit what3words offering. [0] https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/1/20749831/alphabet-google-a...

what3words has appeared twice recently as a news story on bbc.co.uk I'd not heard of plus.codes even though now I realise I'd seen them on google maps listings

The most recent article [1] read like an advertisement. They even quoted someone as saying "I just cannot see a downside". It's a shame they didn't find time to mention any of the many criticisms of it, most of which are listed on Wikipedia!

[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49319760

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#28

Post by gclawes »

berkes wrote: post #3

Some alternatives that I am aware of: https://wikimili.com/en/Natural_Area_Code , https://what3words.com/ , https://geokey.io/ , http://geohash.org/ , https://www.mapcode.com/ . Some of which are proprietary. Edit: plus.codes was this same proposal. Removed from the list.

There's also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Grid_Reference_System

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#29

Post by Tharkun »

jstewartmobile wrote: post #10

I think triangles would have made more sense.

The docs also seem to indicate that 3mx3m is the smallest grid they can address, but at the same they use addressing in slums as a use case...who has that much real estate in the slums?

Re: Open Location Code: An Open Source Standard for Addresses

#30

Post by FroshKiller »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #24
oquidave wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why these technologies never get mass adoption; so many solutions duplicating themselves trying to solve the same thing. Fact is, most users would care less about numerous implementation, they need to be educated just one solution which works fine. Personally I find plus.codes from Google user-friendly. They are already integrated in Google Maps which has over 1 billion downloads. They are free and opensource…

Where do I find them in Google maps? what is the plus.code for the Eiffel tower? https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eiffel+Tower,+Paris,+Franc...

I don't know about that specific listing from your link, but I dropped a pin right on l'avenue Gustave-Eiffel behind the tower and got the code V75W+43 Paris, France. Plus codes appear right under the address line.
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