It seems that there can be some Beebase development of essential features if well identified and the inactive flag sounds like an essential one, given that even disused apiary sites could remain areas 'of interest' with regard to AFB for a limited period of time.
Perhaps multiple disparate requests for alternative location identification criteria over time, with apposite recommendations, might eventually produce some extra functionality there too. After all, as long as a standard form of identifiable location information is provided, then on a scheduled basis, daily or weekly, the database could be trawled for records updated since the last run and FERA preferred coords can be stored to retain a consistent official view of the data.
Everything to date is supposedly consistent, even in Basingstoke now, so there should be no great impediment. Databases, like languages are supposed to be flexible and develop a little with the passage of time. Most Google Map/Earth users tend to think in terms of decimal degree co-ords rather than the more traditional degrees, minutes, seconds. In the same way that retention of £sd would have slowed up the acceptance of hand held and other calculators.
An interesting read is the OS document
A guide to coordinate systems in Great Britain.
Global and other Coordinates like time are seemingly simple concepts until the real detail is looked at. The reference is only provided for an insight or update for those that might have an inquiring mind. It is also quite alarming how recent a number of improvements in time and coordinate science have been. Like the helicopter, almost all within living memory.
