Open GeoCode API for Postcodes

These guys have done something interesting and useful by offering a free to use Geocode API for UK postcodes at

http://ernestmarples.com/

To support the cause I created a Groovy client lib over lunchtime.

Update on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 7:58AM by Wayne

The code:

package com.glulogic.ernestmarples
/**
 *
 * A Groovy function to return a latitude and longitude value from a postcode using the Ernest Marples API
 *
 * Important: Given the inherent unreliability of using a service like this,
 * it's probably sensible to contact the Ernest Marples team to let them know
 * you're using it so they can hang on to your email and let you know if anything important happens.
 *
 * Hopefully the Royal Mail will be nice, and license them to use the postcode database.
 * Then you'll be able to rely on it and this service will become a seamless and transparent
 * part of the web's infrastructure, like it ought to be.
 *
 * More information at http://www.ernestmarples.com
 *
 * Version: 0.1
 * Date:    August 2009
 * Author:  Wayne Keenan  (wayne.keenan@gmail.com)
 *
 */

public class GeoCode {

  static def service = "http://ernestmarples.com/"
   static def responseFormat =   /^([^,]+),(-?\d+(?:\.\d+)?),(-?\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\n/

  static def lookup(postcode) {

    def params = "?p="+ URLEncoder.encode(postcode, "UTF-8") + "&f=csv"
    def response =   new URL(service+params).text
    def matcher = ( response =~ responseFormat)

    if (matcher.matches()){
      return [
            postcode:  matcher[0][1],
            latitude:  matcher[0][2],
            longitude: matcher[0][3] ]
      
    } else {
      return [
              error:  true,
              errorText: "Response did not match expected format, expected $responseFormat, got= $response"
      ]
    }
  }

  // allow to be run from the command line:

  public static void main(String[] args) {

    if (args.length > 0) {
      println lookup(args[0])
    } else {
      println "Usage:  com.glulogic.ernestmarples.GeoCode [postcode]"
    }

  }

}

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