[error] UK Postcode issue

[cornishbrooksy]

Posted this in the general geocaching forum but will just copy and paste here.

 

 

Hey!

I have found the easiest way to find geocaches in my local area is to enter the postcode for my area (UK).

For some reason when i enter my postcode it takes me to an area in central germany?!

I am unsure whether they have the same/similar postcode to us, i would have thought they would use a different format.

Basically how do i let geocaching.com know about this and see if there is a possible fix!?

cheers

 

Further Info:

Browser: Internet Explorer 8 (i think mayb 7)

OS: Vista Home Premium 32bit

Recurring Problem

[OpinioNate]

We use what Google give us, so there isn't anything we can do I'm afraid. Perhaps they have some reporting mechanism.

[cornishbrooksy]

Very strange, just used google maps direct from them, and seems to be spot on?

[+Delta68]

We use what Google give us, so there isn't anything we can do I'm afraid.

 

This does not explain why the post code search works fine on the 'Advanced Search' page but not on the home page or basic search

 

The UK post codes used to work fine on all search pages until about a year ago

[OpinioNate]

We use what Google give us, so there isn't anything we can do I'm afraid.

 

This does not explain why the post code search works fine on the 'Advanced Search' page but not on the home page or basic search

 

The UK post codes used to work fine on all search pages until about a year ago

 

Please give me an example or two of postcodes that give different results so I can add it to the bug. Thanks.

[cornishbrooksy]

I dont know about any of the others, but mine at BA22 8NR works in advanced, but not on quick search.

[OpinioNate]

I dont know about any of the others, but mine at BA22 8NR works in advanced, but not on quick search.

 

It works in advanced search because that uses our old database - one that needs frequent manual updates that we're trying to move away from. Your code may work there but there are thousands of newer codes that don't.

 

Lookup your post code here. Result: Germany. This is Google's database that quick search uses. If it's wrong here it will be wrong on our site. We submitted a bug with Google to have this postcode updated. I recommend others file for their postcode when they run into errors like this.

[cornishbrooksy]

Thank you very much for putting that directly to google for me, lets hope they act on this!!!

But its most appreciated.

[OpinioNate]

Raine implemented a little hack that he thinks will fix most of these issues. It's live now (or in a minute). Please try it and let us know how it goes. Thanks.

[+Wintonian]

My postcode (SO23 8AT) is nearly a mile off, but I can live with that.

[cornishbrooksy]

No luck with mine unfortunately, still places me in germany when i type mine in via the homepage.

[+Raine]

I just pushed the change out.. it's in a .js file so you'll need to do a full browser refresh to see the changes.

 

-Raine

[+Delta68]

Raine implemented a little hack that he thinks will fix most of these issues. It's live now (or in a minute). Please try it and let us know how it goes. Thanks.

 

Yay! The homepage search works now for me.

 

Using my exhaustive test of two codes:- home and work

 

It used to return German caches for home and Irish caches for work.... quite a commute!

 

 

Many thanks

 

Mark

[cornishbrooksy]

Still no luck for me? still getting the german ones..

[+Happy Humphrey]

Still 3 miles out.

[+Happy Humphrey]

We use what Google give us, so there isn't anything we can do I'm afraid. Perhaps they have some reporting mechanism.

Until recently (sometime between July 2008 and now), the postcode search worked as long as you used it from the Advanced Search page. Only on the "Hide and Seek" page did it fail. Now it fails on both pages.

 

Surely the solution is to use the same routine that worked last year, but this time for both pages?

 

(Edit: sorry, I hadn't spotted the explanation above. Thanks for that.)

Edited August 25, 2009 by Happy Humphrey

[+dibbler69]

Im still getting caches in Indiana 4000 miles out!! Using firefox

 

Quick edit!!

 

After trying a different pc again using firefox its only 2 miles out. I guess there must be something cached on the original pc.

Edited August 25, 2009 by dibbler69

[+Pharisee]

I dont know about any of the others, but mine at BA22 8NR works in advanced, but not on quick search.

Ignore the last two characters of any UK post code... just use BA22 8

[cornishbrooksy]

Just used Pharisee's idea, and that seemed to work fine.

 

Thank you for all your help, and hopefully this has solved some problems for other people aswel!

[+pklong]

Thanks to Delta68 for posting this on the UK forum section, otherwise I wouldn't have realised this had been done.

 

The Hide & Seek page is now only 1 mile out for me, which is plenty good enough.

 

The advanced search is still 4 miles out.

 

Philip

[Deceangi]

I wonder why the information Google supply you is out, when a actual google search from the UK for any UK Postcode gives the correct result.

 

I just did a Google search for LL19 9UH which covers 20 properties, and the first result was a google map showing the correct location.

[+Raine]

This was explained before, but the reason the results are different from a main maps.google.com search and the API search is a licensing restriction put on Google. They have to use a different provider for the API data than for their own search.

 

-Raine

[OpinioNate]

It's a hack so I wouldn't expect it to work flawlessly.

 

"Why does it work at Google but not here?"

 

Google doesn't just give away their best data. The DB they supply to devs is nowhere near as accurate as the one they present to the public. It's easy to see why when we can't even get a response on the ticket I linked above.

[+Wintonian]

Sorry if I am informing of something that is already known,

 

I don't know if this would help with your own database but UK postcodes are normaly defind by an area (the main sorting office) in the first instence i.e. 'SO' and then by the local delivery office i.e. 'SO23' and then and then narrowed down to something like a delivery area/ round? i.e. 'SO23 8' and each individual postcoad should contain around 15 properties i.e. SO23 8AT.

 

This dosn't apply to PO Boxes (post office boxes) which are normaly either collected at the post office or deilverd to a perticular part of a buisness building, or to AFPO's (armed forces post office) codes, there are also a few for oveseas terrotories likeTristan da Cunha (TDCU 1ZZ), and I am sure there are one ore two others I have forgotten.

 

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postc..._United_Kingdom

 

For a full list of postal districs (not sure how accurate) see:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postc..._United_Kingdom

 

Ofcourse Royal Mail is willing to sell you an up to date list for a small fourtune I expect.

 

Again sorry if I am being annoying/ stupid and it dosn't help, but if you could have it defind to the postal district eg. BH25, SW1, that would be better than ending up in a diffrent country, which is what happens with my postcode, my postcode puts me the other side of the postal district and thats only 0.9 miles out.

 

Edit: also the London ones were defined befire the genral release of the system and they go by the system SW (south west london,) E (east london,) WC (west central London,) and so on with; SE, EC, E, W etc. This may also apply to one or two other metrapolitin areas as well that had the system before genrall roll out.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Wintonian