Proposal talk:Extend post box
Is this the discussion page ? I followed the link to "discussion page" and ended up at this empty Wiki.
Anyway, the proposal for augmenting tags for amenity=post_box seems good.
I would add:
box_type = I've been using these box types:
- wall_box
- lamp_box
- pillar_box
- meter_box
- indoor_pillar
- brick_pillar
- pillar_box_dual_aperture
- pillar_box_k
meter_box is for meter mail, and would have mail_type implied as meter_mail. It would also imply that it was locked at certain times
indoor_pillar helps to reinforce that it's inside a public-ish building, and so may not be accessible when said building is closed. Also helpful to people who are worried about ne'er'do-wells putting bombs etc in postboxen
brick_pillar is where a small lamp/wall box has been built into a purpose-built pillar made of bricks. This is distinct to a wall box put into a pre-existing gatepost or whatever. The point is that brick_pillars can't be seen for what they are unless you're looking at them face-on.
pillar_box_dual_aperture refers to a dual-aperture box, obviously
pillar_box_k refers to a K-type CP8 box, which has a "crimp" about 20cm from the bottom, presumably so that the internal cage doesn't go all the way to the ground, and the postpersun doesn't have to bend down.
- I would keep things simple and just use the "pillar", "lamp", "wall", and "meter" types. The other distinctions are really sub-types or (in the case of indoor) other information that isn't strictly speaking the box type. We should use additional keys for those. Rjw62 09:21, 19 July 2010 (UTC)
- Yes, I think its best to keep this fairly simple, with a few main types. I've added separate tags for number of apertures, and indoor=yes. I think the exact design/model is best as a separate tag, as most OSM mappers or users don't know or care whether its a Type A, Type K, etc or whatever. Maybe something like post_box:model for that? Though I've no idea what the values could be, or how many different models there are. --Vclaw 00:25, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
I'd recommend changing type:lamp to type:post since this is more generic and probably easier for non-UK mappers to understand. I'd also recommend not having type:indoor_pillar, but keep type:pillar_box, and then tag additionally as indoor:yes. Dmgroom
What exactly is "meter mail"? is it the same as "franked mail"? Dmgroom
cypher = Also, re the cypher, some boxen actually have no cypher at all. This is common on meter_box es. Also, apparently there was a bit of a to-do in Scotland when the EIIR cypher had to be removed (she's not E *the second* of Scotland) by dint of the door being replaced by a door sans-cypher
We need to distinguish between "no cypher" and "don't know what the cypher is".
- Changed this a bit to clarify, and added an option for royal_cypher=no. Vclaw
- We should not request royal_cypher=no, because in most parts of the world the question is not "Don't know what the cyper is", but "Don't know what a cypher is". Let's have royal_cypher=no as a default and have royal_cypher=yes as a "Don't know what the cypher is". Lulu-Ann
opening_hours = Some reference to opening_hours might be in order. We'll need to distinguish between "don't know what the OH are for sat" and "not open on sat" for example, as not everybody will always have recorded this information.
brand = Can't see what brand= is for ? What do you have in mind for this ?
- Note this is listed as one of the tags already in use, as on the amenity=postbox page. I'm personally not sure of the need or use for it. It could be used if the trading name / brand is different to the official company name. Or maybe if the post service is run as a franchise? --Vclaw 00:25, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
operator = When it says "operator=", what do we put if the box says "Post Office" vs "Royal Mail" ? Do we really need to know this ? Do some countries have different operators ?
The only time I've used operator= is with the Midipost units you get in Sainsbury's and presumably other supermarkets. These are treated like a "business collection point" by RM, and collected on a published schedule.
- Note this is another tag already in (common) use. I think its safe to assume all UK postboxes are operated by Royal Mail, unless specified otherwise. I usually explicitly set it as "operator=Royal Mail" anyway, just for completeness. Yes, it might be more useful in other countries, if they have several different operators. --Vclaw 00:25, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
mail_type =* Not quite sure what to make of mail_type=stamped_mail. There are no boxen in the UK where you can only put stamped_mail in; there are boxes for meter_mail only but all other box types take all types of mail (though some dual-aperture boxen request you put one in one ap, and the other in the other)
I know the above comments are all UK-specific.
- I mostly added that just to have all possible options available. Maybe its more useful in other countries, I don't know. Though I'm thinking the mail types might be more useful / easier to tag as boolean values. eg something like mail:type:meter=yes, mail:type:stamped=no etc. Then you can just set the required combination of tags. --Vclaw 00:25, 22 July 2010 (UTC)