Postcode Finder featured by Google

My Postcode Finder mapping application, recently upgraded with Fusion Tables at the backed for serving the latest 2011 postcode boundaries, has just been featured by Google in Fusion Tables Example Gallery. It is a small token of recognition of aus-emaps.com innovative approach to utilising Fusion Tables functionality. I would also like to think that it is also a prime example of early adoption of Google’s free, cloud based spatial service to address real life needs of various communities of users, who otherwise would not have access to such information in spatial format. Postcode Finder, and its companion Postcode Finder widget, serve over 10,000 unique users every month, helping to answer a variety of simple questions like, “where is postcode X?” or “what are the postcodes next to postcode X?”. Spatially enabled applications do not have to be complex to provide maximum utility for their users.

Google’s Fusion Tables are still in early stages of development and, as mentioned in one of my earlier posts, there are still some limitations on their use. However, a lot can be accomplished even with current functionality. Postcode Finder is an excellent point in case. Just consider that without Fusion Tables, the task of displaying 80MB of boundary data on a map, in full resolution, would require setting up and managing my own IT infrastructure, comprising as a minimum a fully managed server (shared hosting option would not do), MapServer/GeoServer to convert data into images (eg. via WMS) and map tile cacher to serve them efficiently to a mapping application. If you work for an institution you would have to add tens of thousands of dollars in the cost of servers, security, bandwidth and professional staff to manage the infrastructure. Time and effort (and cost!) to set it up is hardly justified when you can achieve the same result with Fusion Tables in “just a few minutes”.

It all boils down to this simple fact: aus-emaps.com is the only online publisher offering an interactive map with the latest 2011 version of Australian postal boundaries. You can’t get it from Australia Post or Google, neither from Bing nor from Sensis, not even ABS who created the data… yet it is made available by an innovative “garage” operator, thanks to Fusion Tables! Ready access to free or inexpensive GIS solutions in the cloud means it doesn’t have to cost a fortune anymore to spatially enable your data or your entire organisation…