Re: DHCP options for civil locations
Dominic Pinto <dominic.pinto <at> ieee.org>
2002-12-10 15:02:51 GMT
There are n-centricities to capture .......
Post codes where used can identify, depending on national systems, down
to discrete apartment blocks, groups of dwellings, individual buildings
within large campuses, etc., in urbanized areas.
The post code, when linked with the national database (which should be
easily available), produces a fairly accurate location / address,
assuming the address is post coded, of course. In principle, the name
and post code should be enough to deliver physical mail to you, and
ensure that people can find you.
However:
1 Not all national systems use such a discriminating system, or indeed
any coding system at all.
2 In practice it appears that at the level of the local delivery office
in the UK the post code is not used for sorting mail in to postal
delivery rounds / routes.
These are largely traditional routes. For example, where I live between
2 villages, along with 4 other dwellings, these have not reflected local
boundary changes over 40 years ago. In city centres, experience is that
physical location and post codes do not necessarily map onto knowledge
or mapping systems in the Royal Mail or other delivery agents.
It doesn't help when post codes may be advised to users, but the address
does not show up on Royal Mail post code databases some three years
later. These are supplied, and updated, to various large organisations
like insurance companies, or government departments.
3 In terms of physically locating the near neighborhood in my immediate
locality, the post code and address the Royal Mail prefers directs
deliveries and other visitors to either the town of Bicester (some 8
miles distant), or the village of Somerton, about 2 miles distant. The
area is in fact within the parish boundaries of the village of Souldern.
4 In UK Royal Mail usage, the county may seem fairly superfluous
.......... but the Post Town (i.e., the delivery / sorting office for
your locality) often more important, along with the post code.
There are no doubt many exceptions proving that rule - Durham City in
County Durham being one. The Post Town is Darlington (some 20 miles to
the South), and not used in addresses.
Name, house name, local area name, city/county (i.e. Durham) and post
code is sufficient for mail to reach you, and visitors to know 'where'
they are.
>
> This is a fairly US centric. For example, it woud be very difficult to
> represent a Japanese address using this system. I'd suggest adding ISO
> top level location (country), and changing state to "second-level
> location" (state, province, region, but well-defined worldwide). you
> could also remove county and district and add third/fourth/fifth level
> administrative regions (county, township, and probably district in the
> US). Likewise, you may want to add a hierarchy of community name.
>
Certain national regions, countries, dependencies may usefully be
provided for - e.g. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey -
to suit local sensitivities and assist (particularly in border areas) in
location.
>
> You can represent a Japanese address, and even an address like this one
> (yes this is their real postal address sans postal code):
>
> The Gibsons
> Barmby on the Marsh
> Near Goole
> North Humberside
> UK
>
The north bank of the river Humber is now, I think, in the County of
East Yorkshire, the County of Humberside (north and south banks of the
river extending some way inland, and the city of Kingston upon Hull)
having been split up in recent years.
--
--
Dominic Pinto
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| Barn Cottage, Hill House
Senior Associate Telesphere Limited | Somerton Road,
| between Souldern & Somerton
http://www.telespherelimited.com | Bicester, Oxon, OX25 6LS, UK
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