The existing phone area code system would be a good place to start. Although fewer people use it now, it still has a strong recognition and association with place. The phone numbering system also effectively indicates the type of number it represents (07x vs 01x vs 08x) using a prominent leading pair. Beginning each phone number with a z…
The existing phone area code system would be a good place to start. Although fewer people use it now, it still has a strong recognition and association with place. The phone numbering system also effectively indicates the type of number it represents (07x vs 01x vs 08x) using a prominent leading pair. Beginning each phone number with a zero helps indicate *this is a phone number* rather than an arbitrary list of digits.
So building on this, a parking reference could be
53 302 342 213 :
[5 = this is a parking reference, they *all* start with 5. This would help interpretation if you’re an AI or a person]
[3 = in a multi-storey]
[302 = existing area code for Doncaster]
[six digit reference]
Not related to phone numbers but a final check digit could reduce errors. I’m not sure it’s necessary in this case.
[Reading other comments and perhaps my suggestion could be what sits behind a more random, meaningless identifier?]
I liked your idea of splitting the reference number into logical blocks that refer to specific pieces of information.
I think that a good way to do it could be to build car park reference numbers on top of USRNs.
Perhaps UPRNs could also help but I think using USRNs as the structure is the way to go.
I think that USRNs:
1. Could act as a geographical "stem" that would allow for extra complexity to built in with ease.
The structure could be:
[USRN]-[Type]-[Ownership]
The above structure could be tweaked to account for whatever nuances people feel necessary to capture to ensure that (i) the right carp park is selected and (ii) the right person gets paid.
For example:
11725156 - 09 - 02
USRN = 11725156 (is STATION APPROACH, DURHAM CITY which is where Durham train station is located and it has on site parking at the station)
Type = 09 (to reference that it is train station parking - 02 could reference another "type" etc, etc)
Ownership = 02 (to reference that it is owned by the local authority which I think it is - 01 could reference private ownership, etc, etc)
--
2. Would provide a solution to several problems:
(i) How to add in a geographical reference.
(ii) How to account for extra complexity that references "type" and "ownership" - and possibly others.
(iii) Users needing to input too many numbers. Using USRNs as the stem would allow for autofill functionalities as typing in half the USRN could bring up a selection of locations - given the USRN dataset already exists. You pick the right one and then move on to the next part - why do people have to put the number in all at once!? Split it up into steps with location being the first one and then type?
--
3. Would make car park reference numbers interoperable with other systems such as:
(i) Street Manager
(ii) National Streets Gazeteer
(iii) Ordnance Survey products such as the open source USRN dataset but also the national geographic database (NGD)!
It's really important to consider the already existing systems in place within the streets sector. USRNs are widely used and trusted already - use them as the core building block!
I think that including easter-eggs is a nice to have for now! Focus on getting something that doesn't become a silo and is interoperable with already existing systems.
The Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) is an 8 digit unique identifier for every street across Great Britain. There are over 1.4 million USRNs in England and Wales. And they can be found within the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) and OS MasterMap Highways Network. The NSG is the authoritative source of information about streets in England and Wales and is a compilation of data from 175 highway authorities' Local Street Gazetteers. This data is collected on a daily basis, validated and assured by GeoPlace.
The USRN is underpinned by legislation and statutory functions to name and number streets and maintain highways. USRN never changes and guarantees the identification of the street, providing confidence to those needing authoritative information about the road network.
The existing phone area code system would be a good place to start. Although fewer people use it now, it still has a strong recognition and association with place. The phone numbering system also effectively indicates the type of number it represents (07x vs 01x vs 08x) using a prominent leading pair. Beginning each phone number with a zero helps indicate *this is a phone number* rather than an arbitrary list of digits.
So building on this, a parking reference could be
53 302 342 213 :
[5 = this is a parking reference, they *all* start with 5. This would help interpretation if you’re an AI or a person]
[3 = in a multi-storey]
[302 = existing area code for Doncaster]
[six digit reference]
Not related to phone numbers but a final check digit could reduce errors. I’m not sure it’s necessary in this case.
[Reading other comments and perhaps my suggestion could be what sits behind a more random, meaningless identifier?]
I liked your idea of splitting the reference number into logical blocks that refer to specific pieces of information.
I think that a good way to do it could be to build car park reference numbers on top of USRNs.
Perhaps UPRNs could also help but I think using USRNs as the structure is the way to go.
I think that USRNs:
1. Could act as a geographical "stem" that would allow for extra complexity to built in with ease.
The structure could be:
[USRN]-[Type]-[Ownership]
The above structure could be tweaked to account for whatever nuances people feel necessary to capture to ensure that (i) the right carp park is selected and (ii) the right person gets paid.
For example:
11725156 - 09 - 02
USRN = 11725156 (is STATION APPROACH, DURHAM CITY which is where Durham train station is located and it has on site parking at the station)
Type = 09 (to reference that it is train station parking - 02 could reference another "type" etc, etc)
Ownership = 02 (to reference that it is owned by the local authority which I think it is - 01 could reference private ownership, etc, etc)
--
2. Would provide a solution to several problems:
(i) How to add in a geographical reference.
(ii) How to account for extra complexity that references "type" and "ownership" - and possibly others.
(iii) Users needing to input too many numbers. Using USRNs as the stem would allow for autofill functionalities as typing in half the USRN could bring up a selection of locations - given the USRN dataset already exists. You pick the right one and then move on to the next part - why do people have to put the number in all at once!? Split it up into steps with location being the first one and then type?
--
3. Would make car park reference numbers interoperable with other systems such as:
(i) Street Manager
(ii) National Streets Gazeteer
(iii) Ordnance Survey products such as the open source USRN dataset but also the national geographic database (NGD)!
It's really important to consider the already existing systems in place within the streets sector. USRNs are widely used and trusted already - use them as the core building block!
I think that including easter-eggs is a nice to have for now! Focus on getting something that doesn't become a silo and is interoperable with already existing systems.
Keen to know your thoughts!
Thanks,
Chris [find more info about USRNs below!]
--
Explore USRNs here:
https://www.findmystreet.co.uk/map
Link to overview here:
https://www.geoplace.co.uk/addresses-streets/location-data/usrn
Snippet from overview here:
The Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) is an 8 digit unique identifier for every street across Great Britain. There are over 1.4 million USRNs in England and Wales. And they can be found within the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) and OS MasterMap Highways Network. The NSG is the authoritative source of information about streets in England and Wales and is a compilation of data from 175 highway authorities' Local Street Gazetteers. This data is collected on a daily basis, validated and assured by GeoPlace.
The USRN is underpinned by legislation and statutory functions to name and number streets and maintain highways. USRN never changes and guarantees the identification of the street, providing confidence to those needing authoritative information about the road network.