[Data-modeling] Address and/or Location

[Tom Morris]

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 5:33 PM, Paul Mackay <pauljmackay at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm trying to define types for Community garden and Allotment in the Local
> food Base. I'd like to ask if it makes sense to have an Address for these.
> Initially I defined a specific Agricultural location that included the
> Location type, hence a Community garden topic would also be a Location.
>
> But typically people locate a Community garden using a crossroads, such as
> Arbutus and 12th, for example. Having this and the containing city would be
> useful, but I'm not sure if Address is correct as this is for mailing
> addresses. Should it be used and just fill out the relevant fields?
>
> Address though is also a compound type, so Community garden would have to
> have it as a property. Is it right to have a type that includes Location,
> and also uses Address which also includes Location? How to be clear on which
> one would get filled out?

I think we agreed some months ago that Location needed a Street
Address property and that Address properties (unless they represent a
mailing address as opposed to a street address) should be migrated off
the types that have them now such a Building.

I'm not sure where implementation of this schema change stands.  If
it's still a ways away, you may need to do something for the short
term and then change it later (unfortunately).  I think the initial
term of an address is a free form string, so I don't see any reason
that an intersection or crossroads should be prohibited (and most
geocoders will deal with it just fine).

Tom