Enhanced Eircode postal data for Ireland launched by allmapdata from Mapmechanics

Following the launch this summer of Eircodes, the Republic of Ireland's new postal addressing system, an enhanced Eircode dataset has been released by the allmapdata team at Mapmechanics, including map coordinates for all addresses plus free boundary data for principal post towns.


Mapmechanics is a leading specialist in UK and worldwide mapping, business and demographic data, business intelligence (BI) and geographic information systems (GIS).

The allmapdata Eircodes dataset is ideal for any business delivering to homes or businesses in the Irish Republic, and is also invaluable for business intelligence activities, insurance premium calculation, rural service provision and mailing for marketing applications.


Until this year the Republic of Ireland had no postcode system comparable to that in the UK. Up to 600,000 Irish street addresses (more than a third of all addresses) were duplicated. This made it difficult to automate delivery scheduling, and to use address data in computer-based business planning and analysis or geographic information systems (GIS).

The new Eircode system, developed by the Irish Government, has tackled this problem by allocating individual codes to all 2.2 million Irish addresses. Their use is not compulsory, but the expectation is that they will be adopted quickly throughout the business community.


In some respects Eircodes are more precise than the UK's postcodes. While UK postcodes mostly apply to groups of properties, each seven-character alphanumeric Eircode is unique to a single premise. In blocks of flats, each individual flat even has its own code. This makes the codes particularly accurate for delivery management, and for very precise business analysis and planning.

The allmapdata Eircodes dataset includes location information in both Irish National Grid reference and latitude and longitude. Addresses are included in both English and Irish, and the data Identifies the DED (district electoral division) in which it lies, together with other details for each premise.

Not only is the data invaluable in its own right; it also enables users to link addresses with other Irish datasets held at different levels of geography. The data therefore represents both a compelling aid to delivery scheduling and an effective analytical tool.


The first three characters of each Eircode make up a "routing key", containing details of the post town applying to the address, while the final four digits represent a "unique identifier" for each property. A typical code looks like A65 F4E2.


However, Eircodes do not include any equivalent to the sector, district and area information incorporated in UK postcodes, which positions groups of addresses within the their broader geographical context. To make the new codes more effective in thematic mapping and analysis (for instance, for shading the areas covered by groups of codes), the allmapdata team has created boundaries for each of the 3-digit routing keys. These created boundaries represent 139 principal post towns. This makes it possible to shade the mapping thematically at principal town level. These polygons have been included in the dataset free of charge.


Details of the Eircodes from allmapdata dataset are available on the allmapdata web site, www.allmapdata.com, and the allmapdata team can advise and assist customers on the most effective way to apply the new Eircodes in their business.

About allmapdata from Mapmechanics

The allmapdata team from Mapmechanics assembles, configures, formats and distributes a wide range of data products for use with IoT, smart cities, logistics, retail, business intelligence and insurance telematics. The company's extensive worldwide portfolio includes products originated by HERE Maps, GfK and MBR geodemographics, GeoConcept GIS, Maponics US boundaries, DnB business data and many more.

The products are used in a diverse range of fields such as depot planning, retail site location analysis, marketing, healthcare, environmental planning and management, transport and logistics, territory allocation and telematics.



Contact:

Zoe Fowke
MAPMECHANICS
Canal Court, 155 High Street,
Brentford, London, TW8 8JA
Email: Email Contact
Tel: +44 (020) 8568 7000 Fax:+44 (020) 8568 7400

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Mapmechanics Explain What Energy Assessors Need To Know About The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme

A new regulatory requirement based upon Article 8 of the European Union Energy Efficiency Directive, known as the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), will have a major impact on how companies use, monitor, and regulate their energy consumption, and yet many businesses are still unsure of how it will affect them. Here, Mapmechanics explain how ESOS works and what businesses, and especially energy assessors, across the United Kingdom need to do to prepare for it.

The implementation of ESOS by the government is part of an ongoing drive to make UK businesses greener and more energy efficient. All businesses which are not small to medium enterprises are required to comply with it, which in effect means that any company which employs more than 250 people will have to take part in the scheme. These companies will need to nominate a Lead Energy Assessor, and it will then be their duty to carry out, and sign off, a full energy assessment by 5th December 2015. Further assessments will need to be carried out at maximum intervals of four years after the date of the initial assessment.

"Mapmechanics are currently working with ESOS consultants to assist this mandatory auditing process, specifically in the area of vehicle fuel saving ", said Paul Dawsey, Director of Logistics Solutions, Mapmechanics. "Our Truckstops solution has been helping companies to minimise their fuel usage as well as other areas of their business for over 25 years, which typically results in saving between 10-30% of vehicle running costs."

With the deadline drawing ever nearer, it is important for energy assessors to understand what will be required in an ESOS assessment. The assessor will need to identify specific plans to improve energy efficiency over the organisation as a whole. The assessment will also need to be carried out in a fair and independent fashion on the basis of the minimum criteria set down by the scheme. The Lead Energy Assessor themselves, as well as acting independently, must be a qualified and/or accredited expert, and can be an in-house assessor or belong to external energy auditors.

With such emphasis being placed on energy efficiency by the ESOS regulations, it's essential that energy assessors can find and recommend effective ways to make energy savings right now. One way in which this can be done is by becoming more fuel efficient, and Truckstops from Mapmechanics can help them achieve this. The sophisticated and dynamic route planning software brings huge benefits to businesses and depots who typically make multiple deliveries to multiple destinations. This creates cost cutting and more efficient routes, saving companies around 10-30% when compared to manually selected delivery routes.

Mapmechanics is working hand in hand with accredited assessors to provide expert input on the fuel saving element of the audit. To findout how Truckstops can help energy assessors carry out ESOS assessments, call 020 8568 7000.

About TRUCKSTOPS from MAPMECHANICS


TRUCKSTOPS is a division of MAPMECHANICS, the experts in map based technologies and geographic data. The company has over 25 years' experience in helping companies use a wide range of routing, territory management and map based analysis, to efficiently grow their businesses, while saving money, reducing costs and improving customer service.


The TRUCKSTOPS division of Mapmechanics specialises in using powerful logistics solutions to make complex optimisation simple for the user, whatever the scenario. Customer operations may, for instance, be multi-drop, full loads, part loads, daily scheduling, fixed routes, collect and deliver, require specialist driver skills for specific calls, specific vehicle features such as tail lifts or multi-temperature compartments, single day or multiday, single depot or multi-depot.


Mapmechanics writes, distributes and fully support TRUCKSTOPS routing and scheduling solutions and OPTISITE site location and territory management software.


Contact:

Zoe Fowke
MAPMECHANICS
Canal Court, 155 High Street,
Brentford, London, TW8 8JA
Tel: +44 (020) 8568 7000 Fax:+44 (020) 8568 7400
Email: Email Contact
Web: www.truckstopsrouting.com

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