Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Philip Barnes]

On Wed, 2015-05-06 at 22:47 +0100, Craig Wallace wrote:
> On 2015-05-06 21:09, Philip Barnes wrote:
> > On Wed, 2015-05-06 at 19:47 +0100, Rob Nickerson wrote:
> >> That's interesting. Have just tried the app out. It gives you the
> >> postboxes in OpenStreetMap but not the ones that are missing (as shown
> >> by blue markers on Robert's comparison tool:
> >> http://robert.mathmos.net/osm/postboxes/
> >>
> >>
> > Looks interesting and show maybe I should pay post boxes more attention.
> >
> > One issue I have with the postbox map, is the the area it returns is too
> > small. There are towns that cannot be reached as a result.
> >
> > For example I enter SY4, and the rectangle returned misses Wem
> > completely.
> 
> Drag the map to the correct place, then click the Permalink button (in 
> the bottom right). That will give you the postboxes centred on that view.
> 
> Or you can use the link for "OSM Post Box Progress", then pick your 
> postcode area and district. That will show you a map of all of the 
> postboxes in the district.
> 
Thanks Craig, can see the area I want now.

Phil (trigpoint)



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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Craig Wallace]

On 2015-05-06 21:09, Philip Barnes wrote:

On Wed, 2015-05-06 at 19:47 +0100, Rob Nickerson wrote:

That's interesting. Have just tried the app out. It gives you the
postboxes in OpenStreetMap but not the ones that are missing (as shown
by blue markers on Robert's comparison tool:
http://robert.mathmos.net/osm/postboxes/



Looks interesting and show maybe I should pay post boxes more attention.

One issue I have with the postbox map, is the the area it returns is too
small. There are towns that cannot be reached as a result.

For example I enter SY4, and the rectangle returned misses Wem
completely.


Drag the map to the correct place, then click the Permalink button (in 
the bottom right). That will give you the postboxes centred on that view.


Or you can use the link for "OSM Post Box Progress", then pick your 
postcode area and district. That will show you a map of all of the 
postboxes in the district.



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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Craig Wallace]

On 2015-05-06 19:47, Rob Nickerson wrote:

That's interesting. Have just tried the app out. It gives you the
postboxes in OpenStreetMap but not the ones that are missing (as shown
by blue markers on Robert's comparison tool:
http://robert.mathmos.net/osm/postboxes/

I really do feel like we are missing a trick here. As the map becomes
more and more "complete" it becomes harder and harder to find something
to map (example: I spend more time trying to find missing footpaths that
I can map on a circular walk now than 2-3 years ago).

An app that helps people find what's missing whilst out surveying could
really help. I only wish I had the skills and time to do this.


The Post Hoc map has the option of exporting a GPX file. That will 
include any missing boxes, or boxes with missing refs etc.
So you could download that GPX, then load it onto a Garmin, or on a 
phone app etc. For Android, you could try OSMAnd, it can load GPX files. 
Or maybe Maps.Me, if you convert it to a KML file.


Then you can go out and survey them. Note the Royal Mail locations can 
be very inaccurate, some of them are on completely the wrong street, or 
hundreds of metres away. So it can be difficult to actually find the 
postbox. And there are a few on the Royal Mail list that have now been 
removed, or where the number on the box doesn't match the list.


Craig

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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Philip Barnes]

On Wed, 2015-05-06 at 19:47 +0100, Rob Nickerson wrote:
> That's interesting. Have just tried the app out. It gives you the
> postboxes in OpenStreetMap but not the ones that are missing (as shown
> by blue markers on Robert's comparison tool:
> http://robert.mathmos.net/osm/postboxes/
> 
> 
Looks interesting and show maybe I should pay post boxes more attention.

One issue I have with the postbox map, is the the area it returns is too
small. There are towns that cannot be reached as a result.

For example I enter SY4, and the rectangle returned misses Wem
completely.

Phil (trigpoint) 



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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Rob Nickerson]

That's interesting. Have just tried the app out. It gives you the postboxes
in OpenStreetMap but not the ones that are missing (as shown by blue
markers on Robert's comparison tool:
http://robert.mathmos.net/osm/postboxes/

I really do feel like we are missing a trick here. As the map becomes more
and more "complete" it becomes harder and harder to find something to map
(example: I spend more time trying to find missing footpaths that I can map
on a circular walk now than 2-3 years ago).

An app that helps people find what's missing whilst out surveying could
really help. I only wish I had the skills and time to do this.

Regards,
Rob

On 6 May 2015 at 11:29, SK53  wrote:

> Are you aware of the the PostBox Finder
> app
> from Elbatrop?
>
> I had a quick play with it ages ago, adding some collection times to
> existing post boxes.
>
> Jerry
>
> On 5 May 2015 at 23:40, Rob Nickerson  wrote:
>
>> >Robert Whittaker has an excellent site
>> > monitoring OSM data on
>> postboxes
>> >in the UK. Here you can see progress (even a league table of who's
>> >contributing). From the history graph you can see there's been an
>> increase
>> >in activity since the project got going. Perhaps Robert might provide
>> some
>> >data analysis about the effect of the project.
>> >
>> >Enter a postcode and you can find all the missing and incorrect postboxes
>> >nearby.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> Wow there are loads of postboxes still missing. Wouldn't it be great if
>> there was a
>> smartphone app that you could load missing points in to and it would tell
>> you about
>> them as you travel around. It would be like a guide to where to go
>> mapping!
>>
>> Geocaching for postboxes anyone?
>>
>> Rob
>>
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>
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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[SK53]

Are you aware of the the PostBox Finder
app
from Elbatrop?

I had a quick play with it ages ago, adding some collection times to
existing post boxes.

Jerry

On 5 May 2015 at 23:40, Rob Nickerson  wrote:

> >Robert Whittaker has an excellent site
> > monitoring OSM data on
> postboxes
> >in the UK. Here you can see progress (even a league table of who's
> >contributing). From the history graph you can see there's been an increase
> >in activity since the project got going. Perhaps Robert might provide some
> >data analysis about the effect of the project.
> >
> >Enter a postcode and you can find all the missing and incorrect postboxes
> >nearby.
> >
> >
>
> Wow there are loads of postboxes still missing. Wouldn't it be great if
> there was a
> smartphone app that you could load missing points in to and it would tell
> you about
> them as you travel around. It would be like a guide to where to go mapping!
>
> Geocaching for postboxes anyone?
>
> Rob
>
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Re: [Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Rob Nickerson]

>Robert Whittaker has an excellent site
> monitoring OSM data on postboxes
>in the UK. Here you can see progress (even a league table of who's
>contributing). From the history graph you can see there's been an increase
>in activity since the project got going. Perhaps Robert might provide some
>data analysis about the effect of the project.
>
>Enter a postcode and you can find all the missing and incorrect postboxes
>nearby.
>
>

Wow there are loads of postboxes still missing. Wouldn't it be great if
there was a
smartphone app that you could load missing points in to and it would tell
you about
them as you travel around. It would be like a guide to where to go mapping!

Geocaching for postboxes anyone?

Rob
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[Talk-GB] Quarterly Project "All things delivery-related" - an update

[Brian Prangle]

It's now May and the project is a month old and with two months to go, it's
time for an update.

Robert Whittaker has an excellent site
 monitoring OSM data on postboxes
in the UK. Here you can see progress (even a league table of who's
contributing). From the history graph you can see there's been an increase
in activity since the project got going. Perhaps Robert might provide some
data analysis about the effect of the project.

Enter a postcode and you can find all the missing and incorrect postboxes
nearby. I was amazed at just how many were missing in the areas I map
regularly: a great incentive to revisit all kinds of places. In doing so I
discovered one of those rarities: an EVIIIR royal cypher(OSM node
448635608).

(For non-UK readers King Edward VIII was only on the throne for about 11
months in 1936 before abdicating so there are only about 130 postboxes
bearing the royal cypher EVIIIR, these being the ones installed during
those 11 months)

How many of these are actually recorded in OSM? It would make a great
treasure hunt for the rest of the project. From web research I think there
are only 2 in Birmingham so my job's done.

I've been unable to track down some of the indoor postboxes - two in
particular are indicated in Sainsbury's supermarkets near me, but neither
exists. This led me to wonder whether Sainsbury's had some kind of
agreement with Royal Mail which didn't work out so they were removed. But
you can't build a hypothesis on two pieces of data! Does anyone have any
knowledge of this? Or replicate my findings?

In the West Midlands we've had some fun trying to locate the Coventry
ParcelForce depot which is NOT where Google thinks it is. It moved over two
years ago and is now mapped in OSM
 . Thanks must go to
our local sleuth: spiffymapper.

Parcel Lockers

are poorly mapped - only 8 existed in OSM for the UK at the start of the
project. Now there are 11 . It turns out that one of the operators, ByBox,
has its national distribution centre in Coventry so time for spiffymapper
to get his sleuthing shoes on again!

Any other stories on what folk have been up to on this project are welcome.
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