The following article was passed during a recent visit to Geneva – have read for yourself –

TiCode – the Posting Code that Moves the Address as well as the Mail!…………..

Ticode is a worrying concept as it causes place names in Ireland and Northern Ireland to move?

If you type the following Ticodes in at http://www.ticode.ie/searchmain.aspx (Type in the words in capitals below or just cut and paste)

You will Find that:
Ticode: TALLAGHT – is now in the sea west of Kerry
Ticode: TRALEE – is now in Bantry Bay
Ticode: NENAGH – is now in Limerick
Ticode: KERRY – is now in Kildare
Ticode: DERRY – has been moved into the Republic and planted near Drumlish in Co. Longford.
And finally, the people who live near Drummin in Co. Mayo are now known by their Ticode: “ ALL GREY � .

If there is any doubt as to where Ireland’s newest airport will be, then the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, will be happy to know that it will be in his constituency; – in a field just to the North East of Birr and its Ticode will be “ JETAWAY â€? – type it in here to see it on the map: http://www.ticode.ie/searchmain.aspx
You have to feel sorry for the lads in “ NEUTERD � but I suppose they are not as bad off as those in “ EUN0CH “

It looks like you can have all letters and as many and as little as 1 character in the so called alphanumeric Ticode which allows you to spell as many real words or phrases as you want! Think of your own and have a try!

It would all be very amusing really except for the fact that the Ticode website proclaims: “We have developed a new national location code based on best practice from around the world�;- unfortunately giving the impression that they are really serious!

If the Ticode is “best practiceâ€?, then it is a matter for serious concern;- not only because of the moving place names above, but also because the owner of the Bulk Mail company Tico who also owns the Ticode website “is currently a member of the Irish government’s Postcode Management Boardâ€?;- and has presumably been advising the Irish Government on what Posting Code system we should have – see here for details: http://www.tico-group.ie/team_1.asp and here: http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/National+Postcode+Project+Boards+Convenes.htm

If the Ticode is to be taken seriously, then you better order the removals van as your address might be on the move….. Tico are trying to give us a Posting Code that moves the Address as well as the Mail!

Nice system, but please use numeric codes only. Let us not go down the old road of the three pin plug and right hand drive. Instead let us be in step with the big wide world. USA, Russia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland all use numeric post codes, have two pin plugs and left hand drive. We lost out on the 2 pin plugs and LHD, but it is not too late fot a propper zip code.

GPS Ireland has developed a Post Code System for Ireland which will be available on Garmin SatNav Systems from March 2008. Users will be able to get their Post Code from a web Mapping service at GPS Ireland’s sister website http://www.irishpostcodes.ie at no cost from the end of March. This Post Code system is currently being tested by GPS Ireland on Garmin Nuvi 760’s and it is working exceptionally well.

This system is not aimed at delivering the mail, although it will support this as well;- it is designed to support the efficient navigation of vehicles on our roads. There were around 2.5 million vehicles registered in the Republic of Ireland last year alone and of these, approximately 20% were commercial vehicles, according to the Society of the Irish Motoring Industry’s (SIMI) statistical service. So in a country where the nature of destination or delivery addresses causes constant confusion and is constantly being changed or added to, it is clear from the pure volume of vehicles on our roads that they need much more urgent assistance in finding their destinations than locally based Post Men!!! There has been much talk about a Government backed Post Code System for more than 3 years now but this system lost its impetus due to its focus on delivering mail. An Post does not want or need a Post Code system, but the system we have developed can be used by them and any new Postal service after deregulation, if they wish.

The GPS Ireland PON (Position Orientated Navigation) Code will immediately allow courier services, which currently decline private address pick ups, to double their business with the confidence needed to find their new customers. Not only this, but the system will also reduce normal time and mileage costs by up to 15% immediately by allowing them to find and route to their commercial customers more efficiently. The PON Codes used in conjunction with SatNav’s will support route optimisation;- heretofore expensive and difficult to use because of poorly defined addresses. Route optimisation is now available on Garmin Nuvi 760 SatNav’s.

The need for a Post Code system in Ireland has been well debated and it is now universally recognised as an urgent requirement. Reference to a doctor service lost and trying to find a patient’s house in a rural area at 4 am on a wet winter’s morning and unable to knock at anyone’s door for directions, is enough to re-enforce the argument! Using a SatNav alone is not a solution to the problem as address spelling, non precise townland addresses and addresses that can be in either the Irish or English language can cause constant problems. This is a navigation problem which needs a navigation solution…i.e. a Post Code system which is based on a geographic reference.

Recent Press reports (25th Feb 2008) indicate that the Government’s proposal for discussion in the Dáil later in 2008 is not geographically based and, therefore, will represent significant costs and lead times to implement. GPS Ireland’s system is geographically based and is already implemented for testing by Garmin for their Nuvi 700 series of SatNav’s.

The benefits of the GPS Ireland System over any other existing or planned system are as follows:

· Because the system is geographically based, users can get their PON Code from a free web mapping site without waiting for the Government to allocate it to them.

· Because it is based on a version of the modern Irish Grid reference system, it will not require an expensive memory and processor speed demanding database to use it on SatNav’s or mobile phones with integrated GPS.

· No SatNav manufacturer has as of yet implemented mapping owned by the Irish Government on their systems because of cost to purchase and cost to update. For the same reasons, it is therefore not guaranteed that they will be able to afford to purchase rights to a Government backed Post Code system either. Any system which requires a database containing every property in the country would be expensive to use and expensive to keep up to date. Then we would have an expensive Post Code system that no vehicle could have the benefit of using. In that case, approximately 0.5 million commercial vehicles who register in Ireland annually would remain unable to take the benefit of our Government implemented Post Code system! In the end it may only be suitable for Postal Sorting offices and direct marketing companies with large computers and big database maintenance budgets!

· The GPS Ireland system does not require a database, so no fear of it being out of date or expensive to maintain.

· Under the GPS Ireland system, there will be no special treatment for any property in any location i.e. no “D4� related systems – just a derivative of Irish grid which exists already underneath every millimetre of ground in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. Our system does however, support the continued use of existing systems in combination; if the user requires.

· Unlike the Government system mentioned in the press recently, which seemed to suggest that there were only 999 properties in Dublin 4 (D04 123) and all of the county of Galway (GAL 123), the GPS Ireland system has no limit to the number of property Post Codes and would never have to be redesigned to accommodate new properties.

· No one would have to wait for the Government to allocate them a Post Code, it exists already, just get it from a free web map service.

· GPS Ireland’s system would not be limited to permanent structures either; even temporary structures like construction site offices, new houses and mobile homes can have an immediate post code. Every Trade Stand at the National Ploughing Championships, the largest outdoor trade show in Europe, can have a Post Code which would be impossible under the suggested Government system.

· Even “non-structuresâ€? such as delivery entrances, escape routes, junctions, road works, accident sites, Garda Ramps, Speed Cameras, bus stops, taxi ranks, car parks, SOS phones, sport & other event sites, circus tents, mobile libraries, mobile breast check and blood donor clinics, cruise liners in port, race start/finishes etc;- all of these too can have a Post Code and none would have to wait to get it!….. just go to http://www.irishpostcodes.ie, when live at the end of March, and get it for free by clicking on a map or entering coordinates from a SatNav or GPS!

· With an increasing number of vehicles, both private and commercial crossing the border every day, why have two separate Post Code Systems on the Island? Both parts of the Island use the same grid reference system so both can easily use the new GPS Ireland Post Code system straight away – vehicles travelling north or south would not have to switch between two different addressing systems.

· GPS Ireland’s system allows for individual floors in the same building to have a unique code – easier for despatch riders and delivery services.

The GPS Ireland system is a 7 character alphanumeric code which is easily remembered. The PON Code for GPS Ireland’s offices in Crosshaven, Cork is

“WVR-J3DQ� which, when punched into a SatNav system, will take the user to our car park! Other elements are optionally added to assist visual identification but are not absolutely required. A detailed explanation of the code is contained on our website:

http://www.gpsireland.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=79

We already have this system working on a Garmin Nuvi 760 SatNav shown in the images on our website also.

Enter the 7 character code – view the location on the map to confirm no major errors have been made and select “Go� to be voice guided to it!!!

The GPS Ireland PON Code system is suitable for:

· Courier Services and Despatch Riders

· Food Delivery Services

· Mail Collection & Delivery Services

· Construction Vehicles

· Car Hire Companies

· Shop Delivery Services

· Home Furnishing & White Good Delivery Services

· Service Companies

· Street Furniture & Road Sign Maintenance Companies

· Mobile Sales Forces

· Hackney, Taxi & Transport Companies

· Emergency Services;- Fire, Ambulance, Doctor, Police

· Civil Defence, Order Of Malta, St John’s Ambulance etc

· Utility maintenance field crews

· Buy & Sell Services

· Private Drivers commuting or finding weddings, functions and funerals.

· Tourists and Tourist services

· The Hospitality Industry; Hotels, Guest Houses, Attractions

· Banks, ATM’s Pharmacies, Petrol Stations, Community services

· Billboard Advertising Companies

There is no-one living in or visiting Ireland who will not benefit from this new system.

It is even suitable for entry into web address forms on Yahoo, Google, MSN, E-Bay etc who ask for a Post Code;- solving the well known problem persons living in Ireland have when purchasing goods over the web.

Because of its nature the GPS Ireland PON Code can be easily transmitted over a mobile phone by voice or text message and by any other communications system where clarity and brevity is required. For this reason field repair crews in the Electricity, Gas, Water and Telecoms industries will find it exceptionally valuable. And the code itself defines a position to within 5 meters of its equivalent Irish Transverse Mercator Grid coordinates.

Some examples of the PON Codes for notable sites around Ireland are as follows:

Location
PON Code
MapQuest Web Map

Athlone Institute Of Technology Main Campus
L7K TQ91
Athlone Institute Of Technology Main Campus

Ballyhack Castle
QSA X7Q2
Ballyhack Castle

Bunratty Castle
PMR R42H
Bunratty Castle

Civil Defence Training School Roscrea
QBX D1WT
Civil Defence Training School Roscrea

Cobh Heritage Centre
WVS G5N0
Cobh Heritage Centre

Derry Airport
CPE PCP3
Derry Airport

Dublin Airport
MCM MAJE
Dublin Airport

Entrance To Lough Key Forest Park
FV7 X4Q9
Entrance To Lough Key Forest Park

Eyre Square Galway
KGF XJH1
Eyre Square Galway

Government Buildings Dublin
MCH FWK1
Government Buildings Dublin

GPO Dublin
MCJ 955P
GPO Dublin

K Club
LXG PR53
K Club

Kilkenny Tourist Office
QNQ Z2JQ
Kilkenny Tourist Office

Muckross Park Hotel Kilarney
TYW GSZA
Muckross Park Hotel Kilarney

National Maritime College Cork
WVR ESH3
National Maritime College Cork

Pairc Esler Newry
H9F 6FTE
Pairc Esler Newry

Pier Road Inniscrone
FGG JXND
Pier Road Inniscrone

Rathmullan Pier Lough Swilly
CGG W7R6
Rathmullan Pier Lough Swilly

RDS Dublin
MDH 3HWT
RDS Dublin

Rock Of Cashel
Q8K HS8K
Rock Of Cashel

Royal Cork Yacht Club Crosshaven
WVR E652
Royal Cork Yacht Club Crosshaven

The Spire Dublin
MCJ 86XF
The Spire Dublin

Waterford County Council Dungarvan
XFX RSQ7
Waterford County Council Dungarvan

Wexford County Council
R6E CH9W
Wexford County Council

The GPS Ireland PON (Post) Code system will be available for test on Garmin Nuvi 760 SatNav’s by commercial organisation over the next few weeks (March 2008) and at the same time a free web map service to capture Post Codes at no cost will also go live. This will be available at http://www.irishpostcodes.ie

If you require any further information or to set up a trial on a Garmin Nuvi SatNav, please E-mail gary@gpsireland.ie or Tel: 021 4832990

Rgds,

Gary

I did say the usual ones i,o,O,L,U – there are many published examples of letters/numbers removed in coding as you suggested – but none yet go to the extremes that you mention. It is not that I disagree with you – there is a point however where you have to draw a line or use a different alphabet! Also it should be borne in mind that what I am proposing is not designed for Posting Letters – An Post will continue doing their own thing here – I am more concerned with SatNav and GIS – i.e moving vehicles around where the room for confusion will be far less that hand written addresses! I prefer to call these codes “Location” Codes! There will be field testing in late October/Early November so any major issues will be addressed then. The feedback is welcome…….Thanks – Gary

One of your own examples from the link you posted above is “N7K 5SZ5″.

5SZ5 ?? Seriously? Try again, colleague.