Distance Calculation
Discussion
I've used the route finder on www.theaa.com and found it reasonably good. Can highly recommend TomTom navigator if you want the kit that will calculate this and help you get there..
My Developer runs a Taxi firm, www.where2guv.com
He had to do something just like this for that, but iirc he had to bespoke his own system for it.
I will ask him if its something easily replicateable, or if not, licensable.
J
He had to do something just like this for that, but iirc he had to bespoke his own system for it.
I will ask him if its something easily replicateable, or if not, licensable.
J
Distance between 2 postcodes is pretty easy as the crow flies type process.
Looked at this for a vehicle delivery application, but it was not accurate enough for a commercial application.
You need route planning type software/ service which when we looked was not cheap to licence on a low overhead operation.
In the end we sat a transport manager in a room for a day with a list of postcodes he covered and he calculated the prices manually.
This was then used as the look up table.
It cost a day of his time as a one off. It is then a question of maintaining the changes.
Looked at this for a vehicle delivery application, but it was not accurate enough for a commercial application.
You need route planning type software/ service which when we looked was not cheap to licence on a low overhead operation.
In the end we sat a transport manager in a room for a day with a list of postcodes he covered and he calculated the prices manually.
This was then used as the look up table.
It cost a day of his time as a one off. It is then a question of maintaining the changes.
If you want straight line distances between 2 full postcodes then www.cgi-interactive-uk.com/software.html should do what you need
As Jamie mentionned I had to write one as I wanted postcode areas rather than full postcodes... so I just got a list of all all postcode areas (from brainstorm.co.uk iirc) .. and then found the XY from parsing info from www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?GridConvert?e14&type=postcode
(could have bought the info from www.graticule.com/ .. but we gave them money and they claim they not got it)
.. then it's just simple pythagoras to find distances
If you want to find out driving distances.. then sorry I can't help... multimap or michelin may sell you something.. maybe they won't!
As Jamie mentionned I had to write one as I wanted postcode areas rather than full postcodes... so I just got a list of all all postcode areas (from brainstorm.co.uk iirc) .. and then found the XY from parsing info from www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?GridConvert?e14&type=postcode
(could have bought the info from www.graticule.com/ .. but we gave them money and they claim they not got it)
.. then it's just simple pythagoras to find distances
If you want to find out driving distances.. then sorry I can't help... multimap or michelin may sell you something.. maybe they won't!
Brainsaw said:
If you want straight line distances between 2 full postcodes then www.cgi-interactive-uk.com/software.html should do what you need
That looks good.
I've got no idea if this is at all reliable but if you want a cheaper(free) version you could do the math yourself. This webber has a download of the area part of a postcode + its' long+lat and then links to how to convert into distances
www.jibble.org/ukpostcodes/
I've not used it and it's prob not as good and easy to do as the other link but for its use probably good enough?
>> Edited by JoolzB on Friday 15th October 01:12
www.jibble.org/ukpostcodes/
I've not used it and it's prob not as good and easy to do as the other link but for its use probably good enough?
>> Edited by JoolzB on Friday 15th October 01:12
I think that what you need to look at is GIS; Geagraphical Information System.
These are becoming quite common in, say, the business world where a company rep might be visiting a town and wants a list of all his clients within a certain radius.
Microsoft produce a system that they sell for quite a bit of money but there are plenty of others out there including open source. Perhaps look http://freegis.org/
It's something I want to play with when I get some free time as well.
I remember finding quite a lot of information a couple of months back by googling gis + other terms.
>> Edited by rjo on Friday 15th October 02:44
These are becoming quite common in, say, the business world where a company rep might be visiting a town and wants a list of all his clients within a certain radius.
Microsoft produce a system that they sell for quite a bit of money but there are plenty of others out there including open source. Perhaps look http://freegis.org/
It's something I want to play with when I get some free time as well.
I remember finding quite a lot of information a couple of months back by googling gis + other terms.
>> Edited by rjo on Friday 15th October 02:44
Ted
If you still need something let me know, we did postcode lookup for www.phlirtz.com and a fantastic 'rangefinder' util
(or was that mangefinder??).
If you still need something let me know, we did postcode lookup for www.phlirtz.com and a fantastic 'rangefinder' util
(or was that mangefinder??). afd postcode plotter www.afd.co.uk/plotter.asp will do the job.
i've used this in .net so it's definately programmable.
>> Edited by tim_s on Sunday 17th October 16:38
i've used this in .net so it's definately programmable.
>> Edited by tim_s on Sunday 17th October 16:38
Ted,
Don't be such a lazy youth!
My final year uni dissertation (1991) was a 2/3D windows route finding and mapping application. Whilst coding the whole thing my take you a while the core element of all map routing systems is "Dijkstra's Algorithm" :-
http://ciips.ee.uwa.edu.au/~morris/Year2/PLDS210/dijkstra.html
From there it's easy enough to load in the GIS data from many sources (e.g the OS's Oscar data system www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/oscarasset/) and then plot post-code data from the post office onto it.
'tsk youth of today....
Don't be such a lazy youth!
My final year uni dissertation (1991) was a 2/3D windows route finding and mapping application. Whilst coding the whole thing my take you a while the core element of all map routing systems is "Dijkstra's Algorithm" :-
http://ciips.ee.uwa.edu.au/~morris/Year2/PLDS210/dijkstra.html
From there it's easy enough to load in the GIS data from many sources (e.g the OS's Oscar data system www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/oscarasset/) and then plot post-code data from the post office onto it.
'tsk youth of today....
If your prepared to spend a bit of money I know that [url]www.dps-int.com/prod-int.shtml[/url] probably have a product to suit you.
I haven't used this particular product, but have used their full blown scheduling product for doing a few ITT bank tenders without too much bother.
HTH
I haven't used this particular product, but have used their full blown scheduling product for doing a few ITT bank tenders without too much bother.
HTH
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