User:Pebdon/sandbox

PostCodeStar is a geocode system that enables free sharing of locations with a resolution of one metre, based on a Star Code consisting of an asterisk followed by a short alphanumeric code. PostCodeStar Star Codes can be global or they can be tagged onto any international Postal Code (post Code / Zip Code) to give a location relative to that position. The algorithm used by PostCodeStar ensures that Star Codes are permanently fixed. For example, *7TQJRBX is a global star code for Nelson's column in London and 10004*FRML4 is a postal star code for the Statue of Liberty. PostCodeStar allows a higher resolution than most other location encoding systems and also provides locations using fewer characters. PostCodeStar also enhances the already faniliar concept of using Postal Codes but extends them to allow higher accuracy.

PostCodeStar reduces 250 trillion squares of the Earth's surface into code of between 3 and 10 characters depending on proximity to a postal code location or major population centre.

PostCodeStar is currently available through a web application wuth an API for translating Star Codes into longitude and latitude coordinates. The algorithm can operate on global codes as stand-alone without an internet connection using a small database of origin locations. Apps for iOS and Android are in development.

PostCodeStar is funded by charging businesses for high-volume access to its API. For other users, the service is free.

History
Peter Ebdon originally had the idea for PostCodeStar in 2015 and an app named ZipCodePlus was developed. This app relied on users registering a location in a database and the idea was shelved prior to release as it was thought that there was too much burden on the user to register a location.

In 2019, an idea for a new global location system developed into an algorithm that no longer required the user to register an address. This was developed into a web application and released in December 2019.