European Maps with Post Codes

[Thomas Hardy]

Dear Experts,

I am working on a database analysing logistics information and am looking
for a way to display delivery times in the form of a map.

The delivery times are in days and are assigned in a table according to Post
Code regions.

The scope is all EU countries.

Does anyone know of a template or add-in for Access or Excel that would
allow me to produce such a map linked to a data table or spreadsheet? This
can be free or a commercial product.

Example:
UK Postal Codes in:
South East
East Anglia
Midlands
are delivered same day: = 0

South West
North East
Wales
are delivered next day: = 1

Scotland
Northern Ireland
Rest of England
Are delivered in two days: = 2

On the UK map, 0 days = Green, 1 day = Red, 2 days = blue

Same concept for France, Germany, Italy etc, and obviously with a more
detailed post-code breakdown.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Thomas.

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Take a look at MapPoint, from Microsoft. It integrates with Office products
quite nicely, and there is a European version available.

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

Note that in the Republic of Ireland, addresses outside Dublin don't have
post codes. I *think* the same is true of addresses in Northern Ireland
outside Belfast, but I'm not 100% sure of that - anyone else know for sure?

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Note that in the Republic of Ireland, addresses outside Dublin don't have
post codes. I *think* the same is true of addresses in Northern Ireland
outside Belfast, but I'm not 100% sure of that - anyone else know for
sure?

That could be why no one's been answering your letters, Brendan: they never
got them! <g>

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

Could be, Doug! But I don't think so - I checked the Royal Mail web
page, and the only Northern Ireland post code listed there is for Belfast.

 

[John Nurick]

Could be, Doug! But I don't think so - I checked the Royal Mail web
page, and the only Northern Ireland post code listed there is for Belfast.

I'm pretty sure the "BT" postcode area covers the whole of Northern
Ireland, not just Belfast. E.g. Ballymena codes begin with BT43,
Coleraine BT 52.

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I expect you're right, John. As I said, I wasn't sure about Northern
Ireland. (Between phone, fax, and e-mail, it's rare for me to send
snail-mail to anyone these days.)

However, there is at least one EU country (the Republic of Ireland) where
post codes are not universally used. I don't think we could rule out the
possibility that there could be others, at least not without some research.
Just something that the original poster may wish to look into if post codes
are going to play a central role in his application.

 

[John Nurick]

I expect you're right, John. As I said, I wasn't sure about Northern
Ireland. (Between phone, fax, and e-mail, it's rare for me to send
snail-mail to anyone these days.)

However, there is at least one EU country (the Republic of Ireland) where
post codes are not universally used. I don't think we could rule out the
possibility that there could be others, at least not without some research.
Just something that the original poster may wish to look into if post codes
are going to play a central role in his application.

I usually rely on http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/postal.html for
postcode and address formats. From that, it rather looks as if Ireland
is the only one of the EU 25 without (comprehensive) postcodes.

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I usually rely on http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/postal.html for
postcode and address formats.

Thanks John, that looks like a useful resource.

From that, it rather looks as if Ireland
is the only one of the EU 25 without (comprehensive) postcodes.

But apparently, not for much longer ...
http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Press+Relea...+postcodes+in+Ireland+by+1st+January+2008.htm

I expect postcodes are probably a good idea - but between the 'Expert
Working Group' and now the 'National Postcode Project Management Board' I
shudder to think how much they're going to spend on it! :-(

 

[John Nurick]

I expect postcodes are probably a good idea - but between the 'Expert
Working Group' and now the 'National Postcode Project Management Board' I
shudder to think how much they're going to spend on it! :-(

Reminds me of the switch to dismal guernsey. Enormous expense and
confusion in order to simplify things, largely because 1960s computers
and calculators found pounds, shillings and pence difficult ... and
within a couple of years of the changeover date the calculating power
was readily available.

 

[Thomas Hardy]

Take a look at MapPoint, from Microsoft. It integrates with Office
products quite nicely, and there is a European version available.

Thanks for that, Doug.

We have ordered (and just received) the 8 USD 60 day trial version to
evaluate.

Best regards

Thomas

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

Thanks for that, Doug.

We have ordered (and just received) the 8 USD 60 day trial version to
evaluate.

Good luck. A good resource is http://www.mp2kmag.com/ They have a number of
Access-specific examples.