PfAFing About : opening UK address data

The Postcode Address File doesn't work all the time.

I recently mentioned that the Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF) had elicited a lot of recent controversy. Well the controversy continues as the UK government has announced that the PAF business will be privatised along with the Royal Mail despite protests from some well-known people:

RT @drbobbarr: URGENT If you don't want to be charged 4 UK addresses and postcodes forever don't let PAF monopoly be privatised. #OpenPAFnow
— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 21, 2013

Postcode address file (PAF) to remain as state monopoly bit.ly/11naOao. The value destruction of PAF starts here...
— Jonathan Raper (@MadProf) April 22, 2013

Everyone's postcodes to be privatised in Royal Mail flotation, despite objections from Sir Tim Berners-Lee: Telegraph soa.li/Gt75z0d
— Robert Barr (@DrBobBarr) April 19, 2013

Naturally this has led to discussion on twitter as to whether one can create a fully open alternative to PAF.

The rest of this post is probably mainly of interest to mappers and OpenData advocates in the UK. To the outside world UK OpenStreetMappers seem to be oddly obsessed with postcodes. I hope some of the reasons for this may become apparent from this post.

History Workshop at SotmBaltics

On the Sunday morning of the State of the Maps Baltics Susanna Ånäs had organised a workshop on mapping historical geographies.

Getting the History mapping workshop underway
Senate Room, University Main Building, Tartu

Cats in Riga

Knitted Cats on stall in Egle
Craft Market, Riga

Last week I was on the bus from Riga to Tallinn when I checked my twitter stream to find that Zverik had asked me to look out for this souvenir:

@SK53onOSM Hi! If you encounter the souvenir in the photo, could you please bring two of it? Also, a 2 Lat coin :) pic.twitter.com/bSchGuwN8a
— Ilya Zverev (@ilyazver) August 1, 2013

Unfortunately the message arrived too late. Knowing the fondness for cats of many OSMers in Eastern Europe I thought I'd check a few souvenir shops in Riga on my return. I didn't know of Riga's association with cats, especially black ones, but soon found out.

Latvian folk-beliefs about cats
from sign on Craft Stall (Egle)

For cat lovers here are a few photos of cats and feline iconography around Riga.

Detail of Laba Kompanija / Good Company by Andra Kurzemniece
Exhibition of textile art, St. Peter's Church, Riga

Park Cat

Souvenir Cat
(outside shop which sells wooden cats seen above)

Street Cat

House Cat

Hotel Cat

Cat House

Fed Cat