
Should Mapcodes Replace GPS? - acdanger
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/should-mapcodes-replace-gps
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dingaling
It must be frustrating for an author to write an article but then to have the
editor apply a click-baity title that makes no sense.

Of course Mapcodes can't replace GPS, they tell you where a thing is in
relation to other things but not where you are. I know that the yoghurt is
near the milk but that doesn't help if I don't know where I am in the shop. I
have to ask someone to translate my current position into the same locational
namespace and then start to plan a route.

Perhaps they will become useful for stating the location of a destination bit
under the covers they will always be translated to a linear coordinate system
for navigation.

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LeoPanthera
This seems like a re-invention of the Maidenhead Locator System:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System)

~~~
alvin0
cool. Maidenhead seems more structured and easier to add precision by adding
pairs of characters, compared to MGRS. cons: standardised only upto 4 pairs.

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remh
Yeah this is a misleading title. Title should be: "Should Mapcodes Replace
Addresses"

~~~
bpchaps
After working with address data for the past year or so, my answer is _yes
please_.

Address data is so incredibly difficult to work with and it's pretty clear
that it's difficult for everyone involved. Census data is incorrect, OSM is
often incorrect, other free sources are filled with typos, post office is
consistently bad (No, my last name is not Nicholson...), shapefiles are often
haphazardly done. It's so difficult to work with. That said, the amount of
quality work to even get it to this point is amazing. Serious kudos to
everyone who helps out here.

I've spent an asinine amount of time recently trying to get Chicago's parking
ticket data cleaned up. Lake Shore drive is probably the #1 culprit:

Unique lake shore drive instances:

    
    
      $ grep "LAKE SH" tickets.csv | awk -F';' '{print $7}' | sed 's/.*LAKE/LAKE/' | sort | uniq | wc -l                                             

128

Example of the awfulness:

    
    
      LAKE SHORE DDRIVE
      LAKE SHORE DER
      LAKE SHORE DE WEST
      LAKE SHORE DIE
      LAKE SHOR EDR
      LAKE SHORE DR ''
      LAKE SHORE DR AV
      LAKE SHORE DR AVE
      LAKE SHORE DR EAST
      LAKE SHORE DREIVE

~~~
jandrese
Given how many of those are typos I'm not sure how much advantage there is in
replacing them with compressed incomprehensible strings. Typo one of these map
codes and you'll end up in a different zip code and at first glance nothing
will look wrong because they are designed for machines, not people.

~~~
thisisdave
To some extent, this could be addressed with standard error
detection/correction techniques (e.g. error-correcting codes). But that would
make the strings longer and often wouldn't help until they made it to a
computer anyway.

~~~
bpchaps
The units have GPS in them. The number of possible streets near them is pretty
small, so an autocomplete or similar might work really well.

Or just a dropdown.

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eridius
This sounds like what3words ([http://what3words.com](http://what3words.com)),
except they're using unpronounceable alphanumeric addresses whereas what3words
uses 3 actual words (and what3words is 3x3 meters instead of 5x5 meters). For
example, for the coordinate that "97.N7" maps to, what3words calls
"narrow.career.puppets".

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mcphage
One of the big differences that I see is that mapcodes are more address-like
and what3words are more hash-like—two similar mapcodes are nearby (and that's
by design), but two similar what3words addresses may be on opposite sides of
the planet (and that's also by design).

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homero
Didn't Google create something like this? But it disappeared. It was like a
tiny zipcode

~~~
LVB
[https://plus.codes](https://plus.codes)?

~~~
homero
Yeah that's awesome

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pjc50
Note that mapcodes are patented while MGRS references are public.

And you should have a look at the criticisms of Ireland's recently introduced
Eircode system: [http://www.techcentral.ie/eircode-and-the-geographical-
forma...](http://www.techcentral.ie/eircode-and-the-geographical-format-war/)

