The project: faltering first steps
From 2010 to the present the postcode project grew gradually from a concept to a reality.Finally given a home in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) to project also increasingly attracted the attention of the members of the National Statistics Board, its constituent organisations, and the group of agencies involved in spatial classification initiatives \footnote{Public agencies involved in the Small Area Spatial Code included: NSB, SOGSI, CSO, NESC, SGSES.
The DCENR invited tenders in late January 2010 for a Project Manager to advise on the implementation of a national postcode system.
However the tender had to be cancelled three months later due to a \enquote{technical issue}.
By May a new tender notice for a \enquote{Project Management Services for the Implementation of a National Postcode System} was posted on the etenders website and the delayed process commenced again.
Submissions closed in June, and in September 2010 PA Consulting Services Ltd were appointed to provide Project Management services for the project.
Then in November 2010 DCENR posted a prior Information Notice (PIN Notice) on the etenders website to their intention to tender for a body to implement and maintain the National Postcode System (NPS).
January 2011 saw the release of the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) for applicants seeking to be appointed as the Postcode Management Licence Holder (PMLH).
However in September later that year a Project Status report stated \enquote{The procurement milestones given in the PQQ are indicative. The procurement process is still ongoing.} \citep{2014_PostcodesNews.pdf)
Limited visibility
The postcode project slips in and out of public view over the period 2011-2014.
In 2012 a statement from the National Statistics Board originally titled "CSO position on postcodes”, welcomed the Minister’s decision to proceed with the implementation of the postcode project and the establishment of the National Postcode Projects Board \citep{2012_Stat_value_postcodes_draft_20042012.doc}.
In this policy statement the NSB set out its position on the desirable features and design principles for the new postcode.
They emphasised the extremely desirable approach of a GIS point based allocation of postcode to future proof the code and for compatibility with extant area based systems.
Such a code would use grid reference/GPS technology.
By implication a geo-coordinates approach avoids the problem of disambiguating households grouped together into small area clusters.
The principle of dual use, for post but also for other spatially oriented social purposes: Government service provision, resource allocation and measurement, epidemiology, demography etc.
The goal being for a consistent system of small area geographic coding across all Government departments.
The postcode was presented as one of the \emph{core data pillars}, the others including the Personal Public Service Number, unique business number, a central business register, and a national address register.
They acknowledged however that memorability will be problematic if the code was too long, or had little or no user comprehendible semantic content.
They also emphasised the need to overcome data protection concerns, to ensure that householders \textbf{volunteer disclosure} to \enquote{data owners} e.g. the utilities, Government departments, public services, business and others.
In a parallel development, on 26th July 2012 ComReg established the process by which third party operators could apply for and obtain a license to provide a postal service \citep{2012_ComReg1281n.pdf}.
This opened the way for parties other than An Post to apply to provide postal services in Ireland.
Discontented industry
A year later industry starts expressing concern at the slow pace of development and growing discontent with the design direction or stated intent of the project.
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Ireland made a public submission in advance of the Minister for Communications (Pat Rabbitte) taking the formal postcode proposal to Cabinet on September 2013 \citep{2013_SubmissionOnPostcodes_2013.pdf}
In arguing for adoption of a ‘unique identifier postcode’ system the Institute highlighted the existence of four fully functional Geo code systems already developed for Ireland~\footnote{
\begin{itemize}
\item GeoDirectory: http://www.geodirectory.ie/Home.aspx
\item GeoDirectory: http://www.geodirectory.ie/Home.aspx
\item OpenPostcode: http://www.openpostcode.org/
\item Loc8Code: http://www.myloc8ion.com/
\item Go Code: http://www.gocode.ie/
\end{itemize}
}
: GeoDirectory, OpenPostcode, Loc8Code and Go Code.
They asserted that overarching requirements for the postcode were that it should be:
\begin{itemize}
\item It should be granular
\item It should be scalar
\item Open-sourced
\item It should be decodable
\item It should be “Beyond Post”
\end{itemize}
\blockquote{The Institute considers that a National Postcode would only constitute value for money if it is capable of producing unique identifiers.} \citep[pp. 6]{2013_SubmissionOnPostcodes_2013.pdf}
It went on to argue that traditional area, route or sorting office based postcodes are a legacy of old postal services and that modern needs would benefit by a more granular postcode system and recommending \enquote{to tie geo-location to actual address}.
13 points were listed in favour of the introduction of a postcode system versus 6 points against.
They also responded to the reservations expressed by the Data Protection Commissioner and presented counter arguments to those concerns.
Likewise they discounted argument for postcode memorability by claiming that citizens routinely memorise 10 digit phone numbers.
Announcing the \enquote{New} unique 7 character letter box code.
Finally in October 2013 the project annonced \blockquote{agreement from the Cabinet for the roll out of a new National Postcode System that will provide a unique seven character code to every letter box in the State by 2015.}\citep{2014_PostcodesNews.pdf}
On January 27, 2014, Minister Rabbitte welcomed the signing of the National Postcode System contract and also announced a revised timeline for the project's events, phases and activities (see the document).
\blockquote{\enquote{I look forward to the public starting to use postcodes, which we expect to be in the first half of 2015.} Minister Rabbitte, 2014}~\citep{
| 2014_MinisterWelcomesSigningOfNationalPostcodeSystemContract_27012014.pdf |
}
A 10 year contract had been awarded to Capita to implement and manage the Eircode system, with reference to BearingPoint and Autoaddress as providing support for the design, encoding and roll-out.
The project would cost €25 million over 10 years, half of which would be spent improving public service databases.
In broad terms the postcode would be a 7-character alpha numeric code in which existing Dublin postal district IDs or a code for county would occupy the high level routing key, followed by a random code identifying the postal address.
The code would be stored in a central Postcode Address Database (PAD).
Geo-coordinates would be associated with each code.
Free public access would allow citizen to match postcodes to addresses (although unclear if it would be free to lookup and match addresses to postcodes)
On April 28, 2014, the minister for Communications, publicly launched \enquote{Eircode}; the new location code for Irish addresses.
\textbf{Eircode} was described as:
begin{itemize}
\item \enquote{a publicly-owned postcode system};
\item \enquote{a piece of modern national infrastructue},
\item that would\dots \enquote{easily link with databases, online maps, satnavs and smart phones}
\item and \enquote{bring opportunities and benefits to public, business and government}
\item promising that\dots \enquote{"every Irish address will get a unique code,}
\item and benefit from effeciences in \enquote{delivery of social services such as healthcare and emergency services to people in rural areas}
\end{itemize}
However the announced system was not universally welcomed.
Representatives from state emergency and voluntary services organisations wrote that the proposed format for the Eircode had the potential to make emergency services less effective.
\blockquote{With the proposed system, if the code is recorded incorrectly by the call centre, it could send the ambulance or fire engine 10 miles away. (John Kidd, IFESA national chairman) \citep{2014_Inside-Track-Eircodes-4_2014.pdf}}.
Others in the Geo code industry also expressed concerns.
\blockquote{Eircode is not designed for finding places, it has no navigation intuitiveness. The problem it is solving is property identification for tax purposes, not in finding a location. (Gary Delaney, founder of Loc8Code)}
In support of the Eircode system others responded that it would \enquote{allow fast and accurate location of incidents (director of the National Ambulance Service)}.
And a spokesperson for the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources was quoted as saying
\blockquote{It should be pointed out that Eircodes will always be used in tandem with addresses and can be accurately verified immediately. \citep{2014_Inside-Track-Eircodes-4_2014.pdf}}
