A postcode not for post

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Abstract:

Postcodes are some of the best established pieces of national spatial data infrastructures. Originally they were designed to facilitate postal delivery, but through the decades more and more organizational functions have been integrating postcodes as unique spatial identifiers. State organizations may use postcodes to classify areas under their jurisdictions for monitoring and service delivery purposes. Private organizations may rely on postcodes to integrate spatial analyses into their business functions. For several reasons, the Republic of Ireland does not have a full-fledged postcode and it is now in the process of implementing what is allegedly the most advanced postcode of the world. The postcode has an unheard of level of granularity: each letterbox will have its own unique identifier. The object of this study is the long process that is leading to this outcome, and it identifies the main stakeholders involved and their different interests in the process.