ad7eu Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 When I input 98402 for a zip code, the search returned caches about a mile away, and the map showed my home area as 98448, which is in fact several miles further south. I think the Tacoma, WA zip codes might need some adjustment. The search by home coordinates works fine, btw. Link to comment
Jeremy Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Zipcodes are imperfect (and so can maps). Stick to lat/lon as they're the most accurate. There'd be a real issue if the zipcode was showing you in, say, Washington DC. The zipcode issues you mention are par for the course. Link to comment
+jimmyreno Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 When I input 98402 for a zip code, the search returned caches about a mile away, and the map showed my home area as 98448, which is in fact several miles further south. I think the Tacoma, WA zip codes might need some adjustment. The search by home coordinates works fine, btw. Zip codes are easy to use, but I've noticed the same lack of accuracy. Link to comment
robertlipe Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Zipcodes really aren't meant for this sort of thing. Zipcodes can and DO have all kinds of crazy rules. A zipcode can be completely enclosed within another. (Like a donut.) It may have multiple pieces. (Like a couple of pancackes that may or may not touch.) It may be a concave (like a half-eaten donut) or convex (like a squash) polygon. All these cases kind of hose a mathematical definition of the "center" of it. Additionally, boundaries move frequently. Mathematically reducing a zip code to a single point is a compromise for convenience. (Is it lunchtime yet?) Link to comment
+Allen_L Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Also since the USPS designed zipcode for mail delivery they are really routes i.e. lines not area and can cross each other. That is a road going east to west may have one zipcode and a second road crossing the first may be in another zipcode. Link to comment
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