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We need to liberate the Postcode Address File

This is the Pentagon Papers for the UK address database

For example, it means that shopping sites can autocomplete your address on the checkout page when given just a postcode, and more importantly, researchers and developers can use it to learn more about our world, and build the tools, services and platforms of tomorrow. For example, if I’m understanding the report correctly, it appears that the OS literally analysed the vectors – the shapes of different objects on its map – to try and work out which entries in the NAG corresponded to buildings and individual addresses, and which were just, say, telegraph poles and postboxes. So really the Ordinance Survey has demonstrated that if we actually want the widely-recognised benefits of open address data, there is only one option: The government needs to take back control of this critical national dataset from Royal Mail.

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