CORK-BASED firm GPS Ireland has done what the Department of Communications and An Post have failed to: introduce a numeric postcode system for Ireland that can map all geographic locations, writes John Collins.
The system works by applying algorithms to the Irish grid reference mapping system which generates a seven-digit alpha-numeric code. The system has been giving the working title of Position Orientated Navigation Code (Ponc).
From next month, anyone will be able to visit the irishpostcodes.ie website and find the postcode for any location in Ireland.
The system is not designed for delivering post, although it will support this, says Gary Delaney, the director of GPS Ireland. Its main function is to help with the efficient navigation of vehicles on Irish roads, in particular to private addresses.
"The beauty of the system is that because it is based on the grid, any structure can be given a postcode straight way - even temporary or mobile structures," he says. Mr Delaney believes the State initiative to introduce postcodes has "got too hung up on the word post". As a result, it is being designed for the needs of postal delivery when An Post does not need it.
"Local postmen know the area they are delivering to and An Post has optical character recognition software that can read anyone's handwriting," says Mr Delaney.
GPS Ireland is trailing the system on a satellite navigation device so when the code is input, the location is shown on the map.
"We have a courier company trialing this who said it would double their revenues straight away because they cannot currently pick up from private addresses because it takes too long to find them," he says.
Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has made the introduction of an official postcode system a priority but it is expected to be 2009 before it is introduced. An Post has estimated the cost of the scheme to be €50 million.
The Ponc system has an advantage over the type of post-code system used in the UK and expected to be introduced here as the codes are generated dynamically rather than being stored in a database. This means it could easily be used on mobile phones or GPS navigation systems.
Mr Delaney, who has over 30 years of experience as a navigator and GPS expert, also points out that because the island of Ireland uses the same grid system, a single system of codes could be used.
The development of Ponc has not been without problems, such as the fact that three-letter combinations, such as SIN, are generated randomly. "We don't want anyone living in SIN in Ireland," Mr Delaney says.
