Post code > Address Lookup

adam83

adam83

adam83

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Joined
17 Mar 2008
Posts
135
Other than paying for a service, does anyone know of a open source database of post codes in the UK.

Basically want it for an address lookup for new customers signing up to a service I provide.

Currently I have a database with longitudes, and latitudes along with post codes/locations. But need a more detailed version with actual street addresses.
 
I had this problem a little while back. Like you I found the free postcode/lat/long listing but couldn't find anything with street names on.

In the end the client were unwilling to park a dump truck full of cash outside the Royal Mail's headquarters and then bend over and lube up. So we just had to use the free one instead and only tri-angulate distances based on the point of origin to destination.
 
The royal mail make money out of releasing the new postcodes each month so doubt there is a free db out there I'm afraid ;[
 
Hi everyone, thanks for the responses!

I think what I may do if time permits, is write a script that will run through the database I already have, through some poor unsuspecting website that already has access to this information and screen scrape the information and populate back to the database.

Cheers
 
Prosecuted for what?

Worst that will happen is your server will get firewalled out.
 
If you are running a commercial service, or a well used non-commercial one, using an unlicensed version of the postcode address database then it's quite likely there will be action taken. Whether the pad should be copyrighted or not has been debated to the moon and back, but it is, and there's not a huge amount you can do about it.
 
ok cool, thanks for the info. I'm sure there are a few services out there that wont look into it to much.

Screen scrape, populate database, from a public computer for the win :-D
 
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