Step 1.
address is human readable coordinate
can be used in human communication.
while other x,y coordinate system is machine readable,
can not be directly used in human communication.
Step 2.
If I say maill to "33.97 -118.32", it is difficult to understand where it is.
if I say, mail to "7308 S Alameda St, 90255", it is easy understood.
In fact, they are same place.
Step 3.
If a system have human intervene, it will use address as coordinate, because of nature of address is human readable.
For example, USPS mailing system, human send a mail from a place to another place. human receive a mail. Whole process is human to human. It will use address instead of other coordinate system.
Step 4.
Another example is 911 dispatch system. A human call 911, report address by read the street name sign and house number on front door. Dispatcher broadcast this address to all police car. Then nearby police car will move forward to that address. The whole process is from human to human.
Step 5.
why USPS mail system and 911 dispatch do not use x,y coordinate, is because it is hard to remember.
If I say my home is "33.97 -118.32", it is very accurate, but hard to remeber it.
Also it is easy to error, if I missed one number.
Step 6.
address is based on street segment range.
Step 7.
POI is based on top of address, it is another abstract coordinate. POI can be translate to address, address can be translate to x,y coordinate.
Step 8.
If you call 911 tell dispatch you are in target, they can broadcast "target" to all police car. It works like address, even more abstract.
Step 9.
For Police, POI business name is shorter than address. Shorter means easier to type on car's mobile screen, Also easier to broadcast, also make sense by what type a business.
for example,
If dispatch broadcast "5731 bickett st" have accident. Is it a home? a business ? is a restaurant? a shop?
If dispatch broadcast "target" have accident. It shorter than street address, most important it make sense by indicate it is a business, not a home, also it is a retail shop not other type business. These will help police car to prepare accordingly.
Step 10.
x,y coordinate system is fixed, accurate. It use satellite, GPS, digitally created.
Address and POI use human language, fuzzy, sometime wrong, sometime change over time, sometime not accurate.
Address created by different authority. County or city first design the street, give each segment a block range number. Some time developer design the street within a gated community and report to county and city.
A new development create new street block and new address.
Business open and close cause POI change.
Step 11.
Address and POI created from mixed authority over time. That make it more complicated, harder to maintain.compare to x.y coordinate. USPS mailing system, 911 dispatch both need constantly updated address and POI to make it up to date. Otherwise, a failed address POI database will cause mail can not be delievered, or police car can't find that address. or send to wrong place.
Step 12.
Constantly updated address and poi database is very important to ensure mail to be send to right place.
Address, POI, street block range is essential "coordinate" in 911 dispatch system. Caller report POI or address, dispatch broadcast it to all police car instantly. Constantly up to date address, POI database ensure we not send police car to wrong place when we try to save split of second .
Step 13.
USPS maintain address POI database from different source, different authority.
Home owner or business owner can report address change by submit request to USPS.
USPS also get address update from county, city,
For rural area, USPS even get address updated from southern california edison, socal gas, AT&T, verizon, etc..
Step 14.
Dispatch maintain address, POI, street block range, should also from different source.
From county we can get tax address, street block range. From google map, apple map, microsoft, we can get up to date POI. From USPS, we can verify whether address is valid or not. From old address survey program we can get improved address. From google map, street view, apple map street view, we can verify address, we can also get improved accuracy.
Combining all kind of source, we had comprehensive, dynamic, constantly updating, database.
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