Draft Address Data Standard - Introduction

Street addresses are the location identifiers most widely-used by state and local government and the public. Street addresses are critical information for administrative, emergency response, research, marketing, mapping, GIS, routing and navigation, and many other purposes. Because they have evolved over many decades, under the control of thousands of local jurisdictions, in many different record and database formats, and to serve many purposes, different address formats and types pose a number of complex geoprocessing and modeling issues.

The Introduction sets forth the structural basis for creating this draft standard and it presents the objective, scope, and applicability of the draft standard. It also contains references to related standards, the standards development procedure, and information on the maintenance authority of the standard, should it be approved.

Background
In the spring of 2005, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) accepted a proposal submitted by URISA to create a Street Address Standard. URISA Past President Martha Lombard, GISP, and former Board Members Hilary Perkins, GISP and Ed Wells, GISP are leading this effort on URISA's behalf. Additional Core Committee team leaders include Carl Anderson, Anne O’Connor, and Sara Yurman.

For the past six years, URISA has sponsored and organized the annual Street Smart and Address Savvy Conference (endorsed last year by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the United States Postal Service (USPS), and the Census Bureau), covering a broad spectrum of addressing issues and practices. Further, within the past year URISA has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee making URISA a USGS Partner and FGDC Stakeholder.

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is a long-standing national consortium organized in 1990 by the Office of Management and Budget to facilitate the development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). Building the NSDI requires partnerships to facilitate the development of technologies, policies, and the sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.

The results of this consensus-driven process will be submitted through the FGDC's formal standards approval process. If they are accepted, the Census Bureau will maintain the standards under the auspices of its duties as theme lead for the Federal Subcommittee on Cultural, Society, and Demographics.

Draft Standard Overview
This standard covers street addresses. A street address specifies a location by reference to a thoroughfare, or a landmark; or it specifies a point of postal delivery. There are four basic classes of street address:

1. Thoroughfare addresses specify a location by reference to a thoroughfare
2. Landmark addresses specify a location by reference to a named landmark
3. Postal addresses specify points of postal delivery which have no definite relation to the location of the recipient, such as post office boxes, rural route boxes, etc
4. General (for lists including any or all of the above types)

Other important points:

• This definition excludes addressees, occupants, persons, or businesses
• The definition treats coordinate values as attributes of the address
• The standard applies only to addresses within the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam)
• The standard excludes electronic addresses, such as e-mail addresses
  

  Introduction

  Street addresses are the location identifiers most widely-used by state and local government and the public. Street addresses are critical information for administrative, emergency response, research, marketing, mapping, GIS, routing and navigation, and many other purposes. Because they have evolved over many decades, under the control of thousands of local jurisdictions, in many different record and database formats, and to serve many purposes, different address formats and types pose a number of complex geoprocessing and modeling issues.

  The Introduction sets forth the structural basis for creating this draft standard and it presents the objective, scope, and applicability of the draft standard. It also contains references to related standards, the standards development procedure, and information on the maintenance authority of the standard, should it be approved.

  Background
  In the spring of 2005, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) accepted a proposal submitted by URISA to create a Street Address Standard. URISA Past President Martha Lombard, GISP, and former Board Members Hilary Perkins, GISP and Ed Wells, GISP are leading this effort on URISA's behalf. Additional Core Committee team leaders include Carl Anderson, Anne O’Connor, and Sara Yurman.

  For the past six years, URISA has sponsored and organized the annual Street Smart and Address Savvy Conference (endorsed last year by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the United States Postal Service (USPS), and the Census Bureau), covering a broad spectrum of addressing issues and practices. Further, within the past year URISA has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee making URISA a USGS Partner and FGDC Stakeholder.

  The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is a long-standing national consortium organized in 1990 by the Office of Management and Budget to facilitate the development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). Building the NSDI requires partnerships to facilitate the development of technologies, policies, and the sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.

  The results of this consensus-driven process will be submitted through the FGDC's formal standards approval process. If they are accepted, the Census Bureau will maintain the standards under the auspices of its duties as theme lead for the Federal Subcommittee on Cultural, Society, and Demographics.

  Draft Standard Overview
  This standard covers street addresses. A street address specifies a location by reference to a thoroughfare, or a landmark; or it specifies a point of postal delivery. There are four basic classes of street address:

  1. Thoroughfare addresses specify a location by reference to a thoroughfare
  2. Landmark addresses specify a location by reference to a named landmark
  3. Postal addresses specify points of postal delivery which have no definite relation to the location of the recipient, such as post office boxes, rural route boxes, etc
  4. General (for lists including any or all of the above types)

  Other important points:

  • This definition excludes addressees, occupants, persons, or businesses
  • The definition treats coordinate values as attributes of the address
  • The standard applies only to addresses within the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam)
  • The standard excludes electronic addresses, such as e-mail addresses

  The objective of this effort has been to create a single standard for street addresses consisting of four parts:

  • Data content
  • Data classification
  • Data quality
  • Data exchange

  In addition to the four parts, there is an introduction to the draft standard.

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