Simple feedback: If you’re operating in the US, I should be able to plug in a US Zip Code, smack ENTER and pull up info/protests/activities near me based on that Zip Code.
To expect a user to sign on or to « learn » how to operate a site is to wildly discourage that user from using the site.
Hi Golgotha. What URL do you use to get to your local Mobilizon?
There are some choices that the instance owners can make in the configuration of the geocoder for the instance. If they’ve got the default out-of-the-box setting it might not be the best choice for use in the United States.
If we know who the host is we can maybe refer your suggestion to them, and point them to that geocoder documentation. The URL should be enough.
Hi, I’m not Golgotha but given the reference to protests in the US I wonder if this is about events.pol-rev.com.
Is there a geocoder setting that optimizes for searching by US zip code without needing a lot of expensive API calls? If so I can try to get that information to the host
I’ve never played with geocoders myself. Our instance is pretty under-resourced, so it can be a struggle just to keep it running, and the geocoder docs warn about how they can be pretty heavy.
But I got curious and decided to give it a try. It looks like Pelias does the job, at least judging by their demo: Pelias Search · Mapzen
I put in 62901 and the result ‹ Carbondale, IL › popped out in under 20ms.
So maybe they should give Pelias a try.
I just went to check out their instance, and it appears to be down, along with the rest of their site. I’ve been through this in my professional life a couple of times. It happens when your site suddenly attracts a lot more attention than it can handle.
Anyway, if you can get through to them send me a note here, and I’ll try to lend them a hand in any way I can.