Hi - plus codes founder here. You can just keep adding digits and the area gets smaller. The way I think of it is:

+XX "house" (13x13 meters) +XXX "bathroom" (3.5x2.8 meters) +XXXX "chair" (87x56cm) +XXXXX "envelope" (22x11cm)

In Kolkata the NGO (Addressing the Unaddressed) are using +XXXX codes.

Wait a minute. How are Kolkatans with (probably) cheap phones getting their hands on coordinates that accurate when phone GPS is usually only good to within ~5m?[1] I assume the postal workers are getting high end equipment?

[1] "GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft.) radius under open sky" -- https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/

First guess: Signs, maybe? You only need a few accurate surveyors and they could write coordinates in places. Use the cheap accuracy to get close then follow the signs.

Looking up the charity mentioned, they even have a nice photo of such a sign, so my guess appears validated: https://www.addressingtheunaddressed.org/services

Neat.

Thanks for clearing that up!

Hi - plus codes founder here.

We display the plus codes in Google Maps on all business listings.

We don't display it on political features or boundaries (typically because having a lat/lng for "France" isn't super useful).

That particular Eiffel Tower result is for the area, not the tower itself, so it doesn't get a plus code.

The entry specifically for the tower, https://g.page/toureiffelofficielle?share, should display the plus code on it.

If you're on mobile, you can get the plus code for any location by just holding your finger on the map, and then expanding the card that appears. It should include the lat/lng and plus code.

Hope that helps!

Hi, plus codes founder here. We did think about this but we think there are two things that reduce the impact of this kind of movement.

First, most plates move a couple of centimeters per year, and the fastest plates (those in Australia) move around 7-10 cm. The default precision plus code is 13x13 meters, so it should take a long time to be wrong.

Secondly, one aim is for this to be an addressing solution in places without street names. If the point doesn't exactly align with the house, if they have a sign, it's still going to be easy to get the right place.

Nice question though!

[edit: move corrected to most]