
Federal
Geographic Data Committee
April
17, 2003
Version 2
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Department of Agriculture,
Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy
Department of Housing and
Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of State
Department of Transportation,
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Library of Congress
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, National Archives and Records Administration
Tennessee Valley Authority
The FGDC is composed of representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, State, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the Library of Congress; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Archives and Records Administration; and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Additional Federal agencies participate on FGDC subcommittees and working groups. The Department of the Interior chairs the committee.
FGDC subcommittees work on issues related to data categories coordinated under the circular. Subcommittees establish and implement standards for data content, quality, and transfer; encourage the exchange of information and the transfer of data; and organize the collection of geographic data to reduce duplication of effort. Working groups are established for issues that transcend data categories.
For more information about the committee, or to be added to the committee’s newsletter mailing list, please contact:
Federal Geographic Data Committee
c/o U.S. Geological Survey
590 National Center
Reston, Virginia 22092
Telephone: (703) 648-5514
Facsimile: (703) 648-5755
Internet (electronic mail): gdc@usgs.gov
World Wide Web: http://www.fgdc.gov/
CONTENTS
Page
1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Objective.................................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Scope....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Applicability........................................................................................................................................................... 2......... 1.4 Related Standards 2
1.4.1 International Standards............................................................................................................................ 2
1.4.2 National Standards (United Kingdom).................................................................................................. 3
1.4.3 FGDC Standards........................................................................................................................................ 3
1.4.4 Agency Standards (United States)........................................................................................................ 4
1.4.4.1 USPS.............................................................................................................................................. 4
1.4.4.2 Other U.S. Agency Standards.................................................................................................... 5
1.4.5 Agency Standards (Canada)................................................................................................................... 6
1.5 Standards Development Process......................................................................................................................... 6
1.6 Maintenance Authority........................................................................................................................................ 7
2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations...................................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Definitions............................................................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.0 Requirements for an Address Specification.............................................................................................................. 10
3.1 Address Purpose................................................................................................................................................. 10
3.2 Address Type....................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.2.1 Address Structures................................................................................................................................. 12
3.3 Descriptive Elements........................................................................................................................................... 12
4.0 References....................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Tables Page
Table 1 Address Types................................................................................................................................................. 11
Table 2 Obligations for Recording Descriptive Element Information.................................................................... 13
Figures
Figure A.1 Address Data Content Standard Final Products................................................................................... 21
Figure A.2 Postal Address Structure Decision Tree................................................................................................ 22
Figure F UML Address Specification Model............................................................................................................ 37
Appendices
Appendix A (Normative) Conformance to the Standard: The Address Specification.......................................... 19
Appendix B (Normative) Descriptive Elements by Address Type........................................................................... 23
Appendix C (Normative) Descriptive Element Definitions and Relationships....................................................... 30
Appendix D (Informative) Address Specification: Example...................................................................................... 34
Appendix E (Informative) The Development Process................................................................................................ 35
Appendix F (Informative) UML Model for Exchanging Address Information....................................................... 37
Addresses provide a means of locating people, structures and other spatial objects. More specifically, addresses are used to reference and uniquely identify particular points of interest, to access and deliver to specific locations, and as a means for positioning geographic data based on location.
Most organizations maintain address lists or have databases or datasets that contain addresses. In many organizations, the primary purpose for creating and maintaining address lists and address information is mail delivery. Organizations often have detailed specifications about the structure of their address information without defining the content, i.e., the elements that constitute an address within their system. Knowledge of both structure and content is required to successfully share information in a digital environment.
The purpose of this standard is to facilitate the exchange of address information. The Address Data Content Standard (the Standard) simplifies the address data exchange process by providing a method for documenting the content of address information.
The objective of the Standard is to provide a method for documenting the content of address information. As a data usability standard, the Standard describes a way to express the content, applicability, data quality and accuracy of a dataset or data element.
The Standard additionally codifies some commonly used discrete units of address information, referred to as descriptive elements. It provides standardized terminology and definitions to alleviate inconsistencies in the use of descriptive elements and to simplify the documentation process.
The Standard establishes the requirements for documenting the content of addresses. It is applicable to addresses of entities having a spatial component[1]. The Standard does not apply to addresses of entities lacking a spatial component and specifically excludes electronic addresses, such as e-mail addresses.
The Standard is to be used only in the exchange of addresses[2]. The Standard places no requirement on internal organization of use or structure of address data. However, the principles of the Standard can be extended to all addresses, including addresses maintained within an organization, even if they are not shared.
The Address Data Content Standard recognizes several existing international, national, federal and agency standards from which relevant information has been incorporated.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the reference document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/TC 211 19111, Geographic Information – Spatial Referencing by Coordinates describes the minimum data required to define 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional coordinate systems that can be the basis for geographic address types.
ISO/TC 211 19112 Geographic Information – Spatial Referencing by Geographic Identifiers defines the conceptual schema for spatial references based on geographic identifiers that can be the basis for physical and postal address types.
1.4.2 National Standards –
1.4.2.1 United States –
ANSI X3.61-1986 American National Standard for Information Systems – Representation of Geographic Point Locations for Information defines the use of longitude and latitude coordinates for geographic point locations.
1.4.2.2 United Kingdom –
BS 7666: Part 3 Spatial Datasets for Geographic Referencing: Specification for Address specifies a model and structure for an address. BS 7666: Part 3 was used as a reference document.
FGDC-STD-003, Cadastral Data Content Standard (CDCS) provides a model for storing information about geographic and physical type addresses for cadastral data collections. The CDCS additionally points to the CSDGM metadata elements to provide information about locations of agents (persons, organizations or public agencies) associated with parcels (see FGDC-STD-001-1998).
FGDC-STD-011-2001, Standard for a United States National Grid (SUSNG) defines a United States National Grid (USNG) for use in spatial addressing applications. The SUSNG describes a system for creating address types that is technically the same as the Military Grid Reference System, utilizing the public domain system’s use of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid. SUSNG addresses are geographic addresses that can be successfully documented using the Standard’s address specification. The SUSNG applies to all spatial mapping applications at scales of 1 to 1,000,000 and larger.
USPS Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards provides a standardized address format and content. It serves as the primary reference for identifying USPS-recognized data elements and mail delivery requirements.
USPS Domestic Mail Manual provides definitions and elements of a complete delivery address and other information about domestic mail delivery.
USPS International Mail Manual provides definitions and elements of a complete delivery address and other information about mail for delivery to foreign countries.
USPS Address Element Correction Technical Guide describes procedures for correcting USPS-recognized data elements in mailpieces that have inaccurate or deficient addresses.
USPS TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) ZIP Zone Improvement Plan 1998 documentation provides information on the TIGER/ZIP file created by matching information from the Census Bureau TIGER File to the USPS ZIP+4 Product and was used as a translation reference source.
USPS Addressing Standards for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands describes the proper format for mailpieces sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The USPS maintains several documents of USPS-recognized data element domains. The Standard recognizes the USPS domains as approved domains for mailing address type descriptive elements.
USPS Official Abbreviations for States and Possessions
USPS Official Abbreviations for Street Suffixes
USPS Official Abbreviations for Secondary Unit Designators.
1.4.4.2 Other U.S. Agency Standards used in developing the Address Standard’s descriptive elements (Appendix B (normative)) and the Standard’s documentation requirements:
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Address Quality Standards (draft)
Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Common Data Element Implementation Guide (draft)
The National Archives and Records Administration’s Historic American Building Survey
The National Archives and Records Administration’s Historic American Engineering Record
The United States Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF) Documentation (version 5.0).
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Contact Information Data Standard (Draft)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Latitude/Longitude Data Standard (final)
1.4.5 Agency Standards (Canada) –
The Canadian Post Corporation’s T575003 Version #2, The Canadian Addressing Standard Handbook provides Canada-specific mailing address structure requirements.
The Standard is a new standard; no prior versions exist. The FGDC Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data (SCDD) sponsored the development of the Standard. Appendix E (informative) lists SCDD member agencies. The Standard was drafted, reviewed and discussed at SCDD meetings from 1996 through 2003. A Public Review was conducted in 2001. Since then significant changes have been made to the standard that requires, in the opinion of the SCDD Committee, a second Public Review. Support from SCDD members included the contribution of agency specifications in the early stages of development, circulating the Standard throughout agencies for additional review and comment at various stages of development, and ensuring a broad review of the Standard.
Federal, state, local, and private sector organizations reviewed the Standard and commented during its development.
Papers and presentations about the Standard and its development given during the process are listed in Appendix E (informative).
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Geography Division, maintains the Address Data Content Standard for the Federal Geographic Data Committee. Address any questions to Chief, Geography Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census.
2.1 Definitions – For the purposes of the Standard, the following definitions apply.
Address – The means of referencing an object for the purposes of unique identification and location.
[ BS 7666: Part 3]
NOTE: The Standard does not apply to electronic mail objects.
Addressee – The final recipient to which a piece of mail is addressed.
EXAMPLES 1.
Occupant
2. Mr. John Smith
3. ABC Company
Address Structure – The USPS arrangement for the postal address type that contains all the address elements necessary for mailing a letter. The Standard identifies four address structures: A Business Address Structure, a Residential Address Structure, a Military Address Structure and a Puerto Rico Address Structure.
Address Type – The method of referencing an address. The Standard identifies three address types: geographic, postal and physical.