Google's New 'Plus Codes' Are An Open Source, Global Alternative To Street Addresses (9to5google.com)

Google has developed a "simple and consistent addressing system that works across India and globally." Called "Plus Codes," the location-based digital addressing system is designed for people with addresses that are not easily located through conventional descriptors like street names or house numbers. That's half of the world's urban population, according to a World Bank estimate. 9to5Google reports: Notably, this open source solution composed of 10 characters works globally and can be incorporated by other products and platforms for free, with a developer page available here. It works offline and on print when overlaid as a grid on existing maps. Places that are close together share similar plus codes, while the system is identifiable by the "+" symbol in every address. "This system is based on dividing the geographical surface of the Earth into tiny 'tiled areas,' attributing a unique code to each of them," reports Google. "This code simply comprises a '6-character + City' format that can be generated, shared and searched by anyone -- all that's needed is Google Maps on a smartphone."

The first four characters are the area code, describing a region of roughly 100 x 100 kilometers. The last six characters are the local code, describing the neighborhood and the building, an area of roughly 14 x 14 meters -- about the size of one half of a basketball court. The area code is not needed when navigating within a town, while another optional character can be appended to provide additional accuracy down to a 3 x 3 meter region. Users of Google Maps in India will be able to easily find the plus code for any area in the app, while the mapping service along with Search will support the entry of the new coordinate system. Plus codes for any location can also be found with this tool.

Comments

News...?

[Richard_at_work]

Google developed the Open Location Code in 2014, and it's been part of Google Maps since 2015...

So...

[YuppieScum]

...very like What3Words then, which is already used by the postal services of seven countries ...

Oblig. XKCD reference

Re:So...

[ma i ude]

...except that w3w codes are deliberately distinct for geographically close squares, and designed so they'd be easy to share and sanity check e.g. over the phone. Sure, both are trying to solve the problem of precise locations, especially in places where addresses don't exist, but with very different emphases. Also note that the w3w algorithm and word database are proprietary.

Re: Not invented here

[Anonymous Coward]

Or MGRS...

Re:Not invented here

[SmilingBoy]

Yes, and a few other location coding systems are similar as well. However, Google have their reasons for creating a new system. You can find their evaluation of the various systems explained here:

https://github.com/google/open...

Re: Not invented here

[Anonymous Coward]

https://github.com/google/open-location-code/wiki/Evaluation-of-Location-Encoding-Systems

Re:Not invented here

[Anonymous Coward]

Ugh. There are already too many, they even didn't include MGRS or GARS. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Grid_Reference_System for example. I don't see any improvements of this system over other systems

Re:US Army grid coordinates

[Scarred Intellect]

Yup, MGRS: Military Grid Reference System. Used by NATO, actually. If I recall correctly, 4 digit is 1000m x 1000m, 6 digit is 100m x 100m, and your 10 digit is 1m x 1m.

I guess MGRS isn't "cool" enough. "Plus codes" are "hip" and "cool" or whatever the kids are saying these days.

Re:Not invented here

[tlhIngan]

No, Google think this would be a useful system in parts in developing countries with less formal address systems. For example, there are 1 million inhabitants in Kathmandu, but the majority of the roads have no names and there are also no street numbers. So when you send a parcel, you don't need to describe it as "past the ABC Hostel, then third street on the right; the house next to the large birch tree". I think the criteria they set are quite sensible, but many of them are indeed fulfilled by the Maidenhead Locator System already. Whether it is worth it to create a new system just for the few additional criteria (e.g. "does not spell words"), I am not sure.

No, ti's because there's no standard on addressing, period.

Even in the developed world there are places without street names but every location is well specified. (Basically there all buildings are on a coordinate system so you're really just giving effectively an (x, y) coordinate to get the building)..

Also, it's to avoid the mojibake scenarios when alternative character sets are used

And that gives Google access to all your stuff.

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Major reason being: Now you need a smartphone with google maps. Google is no longer optional to your life.

And that gives Google access to essentially everything on your smartphone (as I just discovered when trying to shut down some unwanted apps.)

Google Maps itself claims it only needs permission for "your location". Reasonable, you'd think.

But disable Google Play Services and Google Maps starts complaining about how it "won't work unless you enable" it. So it has an unannounced (until you break it) proprietary pipe to the other app.

Google Play Services wants permissions for:
  - Body Sensors,
  - Calendar,
  - Camera,
  - Contacts,
  - Microphone,
  - Phone,
  - SMS, and
  - Storage
(and you EXPECT it to be "phoning home" to google.) Combine that with Maps' permission to
  - your location
and you've got quite the collection of information on you that you've just given Google's app framework permission to report to Google and/or modify.

Seems to me the android Apps -> Permissions interface, by not calling out the other apps that a given app communicates with, along with THEIR permissions, nor refusing an app permission to talk to another with additional permissions, is deceptive and gives false confidence.