Re: DHCP options for civil locations

> 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.

Before we go down the postal service rathole: my draft explicitly does
*not* attempt to provide a means for the post office to deliver
postcards and catalogues to my IP phone, laptop, router or PC, as much
as my router might enjoy reading about getting new memory or a new
interface card.

>
> 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.

For additional evidence, I suggest you subscribe to the NENA mailing
list or look at its archives (http://www.nena.org), where this was
discussed at length. At least in the rural areas in the US, there is
often very little correlation between the postal and the physical
(civil) address. I had asked for examples and got the indication that it
is quite common that somebody lives, votes and pays taxes in Mainville
but has to put Othertown on his return address if he wants to receive
postal mail, since the post office serving the community is in
Othertown. Indeed, there are apparently civil localities that are served
by multiple post offices, so that different parts of the citizenry has
to put different addresses on the envelope.

I'd be happy to provide examples that I was given if you consider this
to be too weird to be true :-).

>
> However:
>
> 1 Not all national systems use such a discriminating system, or indeed
> any coding system at all.

That's why the postal code is optional and insufficient for locating
things in the physical world.

>
> 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.

Again, we're not trying to deliver mail here, but get the ambulance (or
technician) to the device (and the person standing next to it). I've
included the postal code primarily since it provides an additional hint
and may offer a sanity check.
Received on Tue Dec 10 10:40:50 2002