views:

100

answers:

2

Is there a service that provides latitude and longitude for UK phone numbers?

For example:
Query: 0141 574 xxx, Returns: (55.8659829, -4.2602205) [Glasgow City Centre]

Allow me to stress that I am not looking for a reverse-directory-enquires. I am more interested in 'local area' for things like weather by phone or "Where's my nearest Pizza Shop?"

If this service doesn't exist your suggestions on how to implement it or where to get data from would also be incredibly useful.

I am aware that Ofcom provides a list of area codes with a place name [1] suitable for geolocation, but I have my concerns about resolution. I see this as a particular problem in smaller towns and rural areas where an area code will cover a large geographical area.

Second Example:
Area Code: 01555, Ofcom: Lanark
However:
01555 860xxx is Crossford (4 miles W of Lanark)
01555 77xxxx is Carluke (5 miles NW)
01555 89xxxx is Lesmahagow (5 miles SW)
01555 840xxx is Carnwath (7 miles NE)

Therefore 01555 covers about ~80 sq miles. That's not particularly local.

[1] Ofcom Area Code Tool: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumer/2009/09/telephone-area-codes-tool/

A: 

You may have a problem in that not all numerics after area codes are geographic. Some have been block allocated to Cable Providers. I know my own number has belonged to myself and also a person who lived about 5 miles northeast of my current location, the link... we belong to the same cable provider.

bert
Bert, what you say is true. However, the geographical area for your cable provider's block of numbers may be smaller than the footprint of the Area Code, yielding better local resolution than using the area code alone. Additionally, numbers allocated to other providers may have a smaller geographical footprint than in your example.
David Toy
You know better than I what you're trying to achieve, all I know is if I checked a website which automagically told me a phone number mapped to an area 5 miles away from the actual location I would call that broken.
bert
A: 

What sort of telephone numbers are they? If they are businesses, what do you think of the possibility of searching for the whole number using say, Googles API, and lifting the actual address from the page? - I know thats harder to do than that, just exploring some possibilities ..;-

JohnnyJP