
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.
Alias – A descriptive element that is a name, differing from the ‘Name’ descriptive element, commonly used by the data producer to refer to the address information.
NOTE: A contact for an address may or may not be the addressee of the
address. Differences between a contact and
addressee are (1) an addressee is commonly associated with only one type of
address, a postal address, while a contact can be associated with all types of
addresses, including a postal address, a geographic address or a physical
address; (2) by definition, an addressee’s association with an address is
“limited” to receiving mail at an address while a contact’s association with an
address can be much broader (refer to EXAMPLES); and (3) a contact, in the case
of a USPS delivery style postal address, does not necessarily reside at the
address, whereas an addressee is believed to reside at a USPS delivery style postal
address.
EXAMPLES 1.
An owner responsible for paying the property tax for a rented dwelling
2. A renter living in a dwelling
3. A federal agency maintaining a national monument
4. A mining company leasing the mineral rights
on a government land parcel
5. A business renting a post office box
Coordinate Reference System – A coordinate reference system is a coordinate system that is related to the real
world by a datum [ISO 19111]
Data
Producer – A person or organization that owns, controls, or maintains an address
group and has decided to share the data.
Data User – The person or organization receiving a data transfer.
Descriptive Elements – Discrete units of address information stored for an address group to document all the information about an address, or addressee, or contact, that is stored to meet the address purpose.
Location
– A location is an identifiable place in the real world [ISO 19112]
EXAMPLES 1. Eiffel Tower
2.
Madrid,
Spain
3.
California
Mailpiece – A single addressed article of mail, usually a letter, flat, card, or parcel (USPS pub. 32).
ANSI American National Standards Institute
CDCS Cadastral Data Content Standard
Census Unites States Census Bureau
CSDGM Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FDIS Final Draft International Standard
FGDC Federal Geographic Data Committee
ISO International Organization for Standardization
NIMA National Imagery and Mapping Agency
SUSNG Standard for a United States National Grid
The Standard Address Data Content Standard
USGS United States Geological Survey
USNG United States National Grid
USPS United States Postal Service
UTM Universal Transverse Mercator
An address specification shall accompany an address group distributed by a data producer or maintenance agency to a data user. It documents the data content of an address group, but does not assign an obligation to the physical structure of the data. The address specification explains why the address database was created, what type of addresses are in the database, and what type of information or descriptive elements, are stored in the database. The diagram used to develop the address specification is presented in Appendix A (informative).
3.1 Address Purpose – An address purpose identifies the data producer’s rationale for creating an address group. A minimum of one address purpose shall be recorded for each address group, but more than one address purpose may be recorded. When address groups are created for multiple purposes, the primary address purpose shall be used, if only one address purpose is recorded.
3.2 Address Type – An address type identifies the method of categorizing an address. The Standard recognizes three address types: Geographic, Postal and Physical. The following table defines each address type. A minimum of one address type shall be recorded using the address type primary name.
|
Address type primary name |
Address type alias name(s) |
Address type definition |
|
Geographic |
Positional |
Set of precise and complete geographic descriptors that use a coordinate reference system to provide the unique location of an object. |
|
Postal |
Mailing |
Set of precise and
complete information on the basis of which an item can be forwarded and
delivered to an addressee. (ISO
11180) |
|
Physical |
Situs, Delivery |
Set of precise and
complete information that indicates, by relationship or description, the
permanent and unique location of an object. |
Table 1. Address Types
Additionally, if an address belongs to more than one address type, all applicable address types shall be recorded. An address group may contain one set of addresses belonging to multiple address types (example 1b), or multiple sets of addresses with each set belonging to a different address type (example 2). In each case, when more than one applicable address type exists it shall be recorded.
EXAMPLES 1. a) An address group contains one set of addresses
consisting of entry point (building
entrance)
latitude/longitude coordinates. One
address type is recorded: geographic.
b) An address group contains one set
of addresses consisting of both entry point
latitude/longitude
coordinates and overnight delivery location.
Two address types
are
recorded: geographic and physical.
2. An
address group contains two sets of addresses: one set consisting of only entry
point latitude/longitude coordinates and one set of addresses consisting only
of overnight delivery location. Two
address types are recorded: geographic and physical.
There is one exception to the requirement to record all address types: an address can be both a postal address and a physical address. This occurs when the postal address is an actual site location (such as a street address) rather than a pick-up location (such as a post office box). In this case, the data producer may record the primary address type, based on the address purpose.
EXAMPLES 1. The address group contains street addresses of Federal agencies
(who often maintain post office boxes) for the purpose of overnight parcel
delivery. The addresses belong to both
the physical and postal address types. The
data producer elects to record one address type: physical.
2.
The
address group contains USPS-recognized postal addresses within the city of
Baltimore, MD for the purpose of delivering bulk-rate promotional material for
a dry-cleaner. A large number of the
addresses belong to both the physical and postal address types. The data producer elects to record one
address type: postal.
3.2.1 Address Structures – The USPS identifies four address structures. This structure is an USPS arrangement that contains all the elements necessary for mailing a letter using the postal address type. There are four address structures: Residential Address Structure, Business Address Structure, Puerto Rico Address Structure and Military Address Structure. Each structure has a unique set of address information for achieving a complete postal address[5]. A decision tree showing the appropriate structure is shown in Appendix A (informative).
3.3 Descriptive Elements – A descriptive element identifies a discrete unit of information stored for an
address group. Descriptive elements document all the information about an address, an addressee, or a contact that has been stored to meet the address purpose. Appendix B (normative) lists descriptive elements recognized by the Standard as commonly stored discrete units of information for an address group. These descriptive elements are organized by address type. Appendix C (normative) records the recognized descriptive elements’ name, definition and source documentation.
All descriptive elements deemed relevant by the data producer shall be recorded in an address specification. The amount of information that shall be recorded for a descriptive element varies, and depends upon whether or not the descriptive element is recognized by the Standard and is listed in Appendix C (normative). The recorded information shall include:
|
Descriptive element information |
Definition |
Obligation |
Domain |
|
Name |
The generally acknowledged name by which the address information is commonly referred. |
Mandatory. |
Domain = either (1) the set of commonly used names from Appendix C (normative) or (2) the data producer’s set of names if Appendix C (normative) does not include a descriptive element with the desired meaning |
|
Alias |
A name differing from Name, commonly used by the data producer when referring to the address information. |
Conditional, required if the descriptive element is listed in Appendix C (normative) and the data producer refers to the descriptive element by a name other than the descriptive name listed in Appendix C (normative). |
Free text |
|
Definition |
A statement expressing the essential nature of the address information. |
Conditional, required if the descriptive element is not listed in Appendix C (normative) and Reference is not provided. |
Free text |
|
Reference |
The standard, guideline, specification or documentation containing the definition of the descriptive element used by the data producer. |
Conditional, required if (1) the descriptive element is listed in Appendix C (normative) or (2) the descriptive element is not listed in Appendix C (normative) and Definition is not provided. |
1) Address Data Content Standard 2) Appropriate Standard |
Table 2. Obligations for Recording Descriptive Element Information.
EXAMPLES of descriptive element information
that is provided based on Obligation
1.
The
descriptive element “ZIP+4” from Appendix A (normative) is used
Name = ZIP+4
Alias
= ZIP Add-On
Definition
Not required
Reference
= Address Data Content
Standard
2.
A
descriptive element from Appendix A (normative) is not used
Name =
Legal Area Description
ID
Alias Not required
Definition
Not required
Reference
= FGDC Cadastral Data Content
Standard
3.
The
descriptive element “State” from Appendix A (normative) is used
Name =
State
Alias Not required
Definition
Not required
Reference
= Address Data Content
Standard
4.
A
descriptive element from Appendix A (normative) is not used
Name =
Low House Number 1
Alias Not required
Definition
= Low House number one position
in an address range
Reference
= US Census Bureau MAF
Documentation (Not required)
4.0 REFERENCES
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the reference document (including any amendments) applies.
American Society of Planning Officials, March 1978, Report #332 Street-Naming and Property-Numbering Systems, 46 pgs.
British Standards Institute, December 1994, BS 7666 Part 3, Spatial Datasets for Geographic Referencing: Specification for Address.
Canada Post Corporation, September 1995, T575003 The Canadian Addressing Standard Handbook (Version #2), 42 pgs.
Centers for Disease Control, July 1998, Draft Common Data Element Implementation Guide.
City of Winnipeg, December 1995, Property and Addressing Logical Model, 166 pgs.
Emergency Services Communication Bureau, March 1999, Maine Enhanced 9-1-1 Addressing Guidebook for Local Governments (third edition), 96 pgs.
FGDC, April 2002, Directive #6: FGDC Standards Documents
FGDC, June 1998, Content standard for digital geospatial metadata (revised June 1998), FGDC-STD-001-1998, 78 pgs.
[http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/constan.html]
FGDC, December 1996, Cadastral data content standard, FGDC-STD-003, 123 pgs.
[http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/documents/standards/cadastral/]
FGDC, December 2001, Standard for a United States National Grid, FGDC-STD-011-2001, 43 pgs.
[ http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/status/usng.html]
Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Health Data Standards Dictionary.
[http://www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/hdsd/dictionary/hregistry/address.html]
Government of Canada, February 1997, Document IWG-N135 Addressing Standard: Overview and Summary of Core Data Elements (draft version), 80 pgs.
Government of Canada, February 1997, Document IWG-N136 Addressing Standard: Contact (draft version), 112 pgs.
Government of Canada, February 1997, Document IWG-N137 Addressing Standard: Physical Locations (draft version), 60 pgs.
Government of Canada, February 1997, Document IWG-N142 Addressing Standard: An Integrated Addressing Data Model (draft version), 131 pgs.
ISO, 1993, ISO 11180 Standard for Postal Addressing, 9 pgs.
ISO/TC 211, ISO 19111 Geographic Information – Spatial Referencing by Coordinates. 42 pgs.
[http://www.statkart.no/isotc211/protdoc/211n934/]
NOTE: Access to ISO/TC 211 draft standards is restricted to committee member national bodies and liaisons.
ISO/TC 211, ISO 19112 Geographic Information – Spatial Referencing by Identifiers, 22 pgs.
[http://www.statkart.no/isotc211/protdoc/211n822/]
NOTE: Access to ISO/TC 211 draft standards is restricted to committee member national bodies and liaisons.
National Archives and Records Administration, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) Database Files, September 1997 (Part 1), 1933 -9/24/1997 [Electronic Records]; Index to the Sites and Related Documentation in the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record Materials, ca. 1980 - 1997; Records of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)/Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Division; Record Group 515; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD [Online version on April 1, 2003, at http://www.archives.gov/aad.]
National Archives and Records Administration, Historic American Engineering Record, undated.
NIMA TM 8358.1 Datums, Ellipsoids, Grids, and Grid Reference System
URISA, August 1999, Address Issues and IS/GIS Implementation.
URISA, 1999, GIS Guidelines for Accessors (second edition), 77 pgs.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, May 1998, Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Technical Guide.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, June 2000, TIGER/Line File 1999 Technical Documentation.
[http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger]
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, FIPS Pub 95-1 Codes for the Identification of Federal and Federally Assisted Organizations.
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, FIPS Pub 6-4, Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, July 1998, Common Data Elements Implementation Guide
(Version 1.6), 105 pgs.
[http://www.cdc.gov/data/index.html]
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, July 1996, Draft HUD Address Quality Standards.
U.S. Environment Protection Agency, 2003, Contact Information Data Standard (1-88433:1).
http://www.epa.gov/edr
USPS, October 1998, Address Element Correction (AEC) Technical Guide, 24 pgs.
USPS, Addressing Standards for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (on-line documentation).
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/addressstds/addressstdsmenu.htm
USPS, July, 2000, International Mail Manual.
[http://pe.usps.gov]
USPS, Official USPS Abbreviations – State Abbreviations, Street Suffixes, and Secondary Unit Designators.
[http://new.usps.com/cgi-bin/uspsbv/scripts/content.jsp?A=H&D=10090&K=H&U=X&U1=B&U2=H]
USPS, November 1997, Publication 28 Postal Addressing Standards, 120 pgs.
[http://pe.usps.gov]
USGS, January 1999, TIGER ZIP Improvement Plan 1998, 6 pgs.
[http://new.usps.com/cgi-bin/uspsbv/scripts/front.jsp?A=H&U=X&U1=B&U2=H]
Appendix
A
(Normative)
CONFORMANCE TO THE STANDARD:
THE ADDRESS SPECIFICATION
Conforming to the Address Data Content Standard involves three parts. The first necessary component is the address group; the data that is to be exchanged. The second part involves explaining the data in the form of an address specification. Thirdly, metadata is necessary for documenting the data. The final product of the data transfer shall include all three parts: the address group, the address specification and the metadata. Note that the Standard does not impact the internal structure of the address group nor does it describe distribution processes.
Part 1 is the address group. This is the database of addresses that are to be exchanged. This structure may be in any form that the data producer chooses.
Part 2 outlines the procedures the data producer shall use to create an address specification. The address specification describes the address group sent by the data producer. It contains four parts: purpose, address type, address structures and descriptive elements (Figure A.1). Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the specification apply to all address groups, regardless of their address type. Part three is only relevant if the address type is postal.
1. Address Purpose – the data producer’s reason for creating the address group. (Section. 3.1)
2. Address Type – the method of categorizing an address. These addresses can either be geographic,
postal or
physical. (Section. 3.2)
3. Address Structure – the USPS sanctioned address lines in the address group. An address
structure must be identified if the address type is postal. There are four address structures: business, residential, military or Puerto Rico. (Section. 3.2.1) Use the Postal Address Structure Decision Tree (Figure A.2) to choose the appropriate address structure
4. Descriptive elements – the discrete units of information that are in the address group. The descriptive elements recognized by the standard are listed in Appendix C. If a data producer uses a descriptive element not recognized by the standard, the data producer will give the descriptive element’s name, the corresponding ADCS descriptive element if applicable or a definition and reference. (Section 3.3)
.
Part 3 is the Metadata. The metadata that accompanies the address data shall conform to the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, Version 2. This metadata shall provide information about the quality, condition, source and other important characteristics of the address group.
+

+
Metadata
Figure A.1: Address Data Content Standard Final
Products
Figure A.2 Postal Address
Structure Decision Tree

Appendix B
(Normative)
DESCRIPTIVE ELEMENTS BY ADDRESS TYPE
Appendix B lists the descriptive elements recognized by this standard, grouped by address type. Refer to Appendix C for the definitions and source information.
POSTAL ADDRESS TYPE:
Residential Address Structure:
Addressee Name/
Name Prefix
First Name
Middle Initial
Middle Name
Last Name
Name Qualifier
Educational
Achievements
Urbanization
Street/
Street Number
Fractional Street
Number
Predirectional
Street Name
Suffix
Postdirectional
Secondary Address Identifier
Secondary Address Range
Highway Contract Route/
HC Route Number
HC Box Number
Rural Route/
Rural Route
Description
Rural Route Number
Rural Route Box Number
Post Office Box
City
County/
County Name
County FIPS Code
State/
State Name
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
ZIP/
ZIP Code
ZIP+4 Code
International/
Country
International Postal Code
Business Address Structure:
Mailstop Code
Addressee Name/
Name Prefix
First Name
Middle Initial
Middle Name
Last Name
Name Qualifier
Educational
Achievements
Individual Title
Functional Title
Group, Department, Division Name
Business/Firm Name
Street/
Street Number
Fractional Street
Number
Predirectional
Street Name
Suffix
Postdirectional
Secondary Address Identifier
Secondary Address Range
Highway Contract Route/
HC Route Number
HC Box Number
Rural Route/
Rural Route
Description
Rural Route Number
Rural Route Box Number
Post Office Box
City*
County/
County Name
County FIPS Code
State/
State Name
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
ZIP/
ZIP Cod
ZIP+4 Code
International/
Country
International Postal Code
Military Address Structure:
Addressee Name/
Name Prefix
First Name
Middle Initial
Middle Name
Last Name
Name Qualifier
Educational
Achievements
Rank
Division
Delivery Option #1/
CMR or Unit Number
Box Number
Delivery Option #2
Ship’s Name
Post Office/
Army Post Office
Air Force Post
Office
Fleet Post Office
Box Number
State/
State Name
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
ZIP/
ZIP Code
ZIP+4 Code
Puerto Rico Address Structure:
Addressee Name/
Name Prefix
First Name
Middle Initial
Middle Name
Last Name
Name Qualifier
Educational
Achievements
Condominium/Apartment
Street/
Street Number
Street Name
Suffix (Calle, Avenida)
Post Office Box
Rural Route
Rural Box (Buzon Rural)
Rural Route (Ruta
Rural)
Urbanization Name
City
State/
State Name
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
ZIP/
ZIP Code
ZIP+4 Code
GEOGRAPHIC ADDRESS TYPE:
Latitude Degree
Latitude Minute
Latitude Second
Latitude Hemisphere
Longitude Degree
Longitude Minute
Longitude Second
Longitude Hemisphere
USNG Complete Value
UTM/
Grid Zone
Designation
Northing
Easting
PHYSICAL ADDRESS TYPE:
Reference Item
From Distance
From Direction
Appendix C
Normative
DESCRIPTIVE ELEMENTS DEFINITIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
|
Descriptive
Element |
Description |
Source |
|
Addressee |
The person or organization to whom a mailpiece is addressed as shown in the delivery address |
USPS |
|
Alternate Delivery Address |
|
|
|
(Highway Contract Route) |
|
|
|
Alternate Delivery Address |
|
|
|
(Post Office Box) |
|
|
|
Alternate Delivery Address |
|
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|
(Rural Route) |
|
|
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Army/Air Force post office or Fleet post office box number |
A branch of a designated USPS civilian post office that serves either Army or Air Force personnel |
|
|
Box Number |
|
|
|
Business/Firm Name Line |
|
USPS |
|
Calle, Avenida (street) |
Street – used in Puerto Rico Address Structure |
USPS |
|
City |
A finer partitioning of geographic subdivisions of a state or county, usually associated with additional levels of government |
EPA |
|
CMR or Unit Number |
|
|
|
Condominium / Apartment Name |
For Puerto Rico only. The name of the public housing project without street names in which apartment numbers are not repeated. In these cases, the name of the housing project becomes the street name and apartment numbers become the primary number. |
USPS |
|
County name |
The primary administrative subdivision of a state in the United States |
EPA |
|
County FIPS Code |
The three-digit code assigned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to identify each county and statistically equivalent entity within a State. NIST assigns the codes based on the alphabetic sequence of county names, it documents these codes in a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) publication (FIPS PUB 6-4) |
Census |
|
Country |
The largest of the geo-political boundaries that define address areas of the world |
EPA |
|
Delivery Address Line; military (Option #1) |
|
|
|
Delivery Address Line; street or alternate |
Primary address (the delivery point) with primary address number, pre-directional, street name, post-directional, secondary address identifier and secondary address range |
USPS |
|
Department of Organization |
Within the US military, the division |
USPS |
|
Easting |
Distance in a coordinate system, eastwards (positive) or westwards (negative) from a north-south reference line |
ISO 19111 (FDIS) |
|
Educational Achievements |
One or more advanced degrees that may be important to an establishment ( I.e. educational institution) Examples: Ph.D., Ed.D., JD, MD |
EPA |
|
First Name |
Given name or nickname of an individual |
EPA |
|
Fractional Street Number |
A sub-number to a street number |
USPS |
|
From Direction |
Direction of the address location from the reference item |
Census |
|
From Distance |
Distance from the reference item to the address location |
Census |
|
Functional Title |
An explanation of a person’s role in relation to a group, department, or division within a business |
USPS |
|
Grid Zone Designation |
A 6-degrees of longitude by 8-degrees of latitude segment of the UTM system |
NIMA |
|
Group, Department, Division Name |
A subdivision of the business |
USPS |
|
HC Box Number |
|
|
|
HC Route Number |
|
|
|
Individual Title |
A profession or job classification held by a person within a business |
USPS |
|
Information/ Attention Line |
Optional for additional address information; can be used to direct mail to a specific person or provide other information that facilitates delivery within a company |
USPS |
|
International Line |
Country other than United States |
USPS |
|
International Postal Code |
The postal code used for final sorting by local or regional delivery unit. Different countries have their own coding systems and formats for this code. |
EPA |
|
Key Line |
Optional mailer information printed in or above the address or in the lower left corner of the envelope. The information in a keyline identifies the mailpiece and its’ presort level. Under some postage payment systems, the keyline is a required line that contains specific information about the mailpiece. |
USPS |
|
Last Line |
City + State + ZIP+4 Code within the United States |
USPS |
|
Last Name |
Surname (i.e. family name) of the individual |
EPA |
|
Latitude Degree |
First unit of measure; domain: the degrees latitude shall be represented by a decimal number between 0 and 90 inclusive, with either N or S hemisphere, or alternately, +/-. |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Latitude Minute |
Second unit of measure; 60 minutes = 1 degree |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Latitude Second |
Third unit of measure; 60 seconds = 1 minute |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Latitude Hemisphere |
North (N) or South (S) Hemisphere |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Longitude Degree |
First unit of measure; domain: the degrees longitude shall be represented by a decimal number between 0 and 180 inclusive, with either E or W hemisphere, or alternately, +/-. |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Longitude Minute |
Second unit of measure; 60 minutes = 1 degree |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Longitude Second |
Third unit of measure; 60 seconds = 1 minute |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Longitude Hemisphere |
East (E) or West (W) Hemisphere |
ANSI X3.61 |
|
Mailstop Code |
Box number for final sorting often assigned by private companies offering mailbox rental services to persons or businesses |
USPS |
|
Middle Initial |
|
|
|
Middle Name |
Second (or more) names given an individual |
EPA |
|
Name prefix |
Title proceeding the name of an individual. Examples: Judge, Mr., Mrs., Colonel |
EPA |
|
Name qualifier |
Qualifier indicating a person has the same name as another family member. Examples: Junior [Jr.], III |
EPA |
|
Non-address Data Line |
Any non-address data (such as account numbers, subscription codes, presort codes, advertising) should appear on this line that is placed above the Recipient Line or the Information/Attention Line, whichever is higher |
USPS |
|
Northing |
Distance in meters from the Equator |
ISO 19111 (FDIS) |
|
Optional Endorsement Line |
A series of specific printed characters on the top line of the address block that identifies the sorting level of a package or bundle and may contain an ACS participant code. The OEL is used in place of package labels. |
USPS |
|
PO Box Number |
A locked box, located in the post office lobby or other authorized place that customers may rent for delivery of their mail |
|
|
Postdirectional |
The directional symbol that represents the sector of a city where a street address is located. Example: E, W, S, N, NE, SE, NW, SW |
EPA |
|
Predirectional |
The street vector, or direction the street has taken from some arbitrary starting point. Example: E, W, S, N, NE, SE, NW, SW |
EPA |
|
Primary Address Number |
|
|
|
Recipient Line |
The name of the person or building to which the mailpiece is directed |
USPS |
|
Reference Item |
Permanent object used to find the location of an address |
Census |
|
Rural Route (Ruta Rural) |
|
|
|
Rural Route Box (Buzon Rural) |
Number of a box along the rural route |
USPS |
|
Rural Route Number |
Number assigned to the rural route |
USPS |
|
Secondary Address Identifier |
The room, suite, apartment, unit, or building designator and number that are used by the postal service for mail delivery and for assigning the ZIP+4 postal code |
EPA |
|
Secondary Address Range |
A geographic direction which follows the Street Name |
USPS |
|
Ship's Name |
|
|
|
State Name |
A type of governmental unit that is the primary legal subdivision of the United States |
|
|
State Abbreviation |
Two-character abbreviation for the name of a state (MA, MD), U.S. Territory (VI), or Armed Forces ZIP Code Designation (AA, AE, AP) |
|
|
State FIPS |
A two-digit FIPS code assigned by NIST to identify each State and statistically equivalent entity. NIST assigns the codes based on the alphabetic sequence of state names (NOTE: Puerto Rico and the Outlying Areas appear at the end); it documents these codes in FIPS PUB 5. |
Census |
|
Street Name |
Official name of a street assigned by a local governing authority. |
Census |
|
Street Number |
The number assigned to a building or a land parcel along the street to identify location and to ensure accurate mail delivery. |
|
|
Suffix |
The trailing designator in a street address. Ex: St., Ave., Dr. |
USPS |
|
URB |
|
|
|
Urbanization |
An area, sector, or development within a geographic area. This URB descriptor, commonly used in urban areas of Puerto Rico, is an important part of the addressing format as it describes the location of a given street. |
USPS |
|
Urbanization Name |
|
|
|
USNG complete value |
USNG complete value, to include Grid Zone Designation, 100,000-m Square Identification, and coordinate values of 2-10 digits, i.e. 18SUJ22850705 |
FGDC |
|
UTM |
UTM grid overlays areas between 80-degrees South to 84-degrees North. |
NIMA |
|
ZIP Code |
A five-digit code that identifies a specific geographic delivery area. ZIP Codes can represent an area within a state, an area that crosses state boundaries (unusual condition) or a single building or company that has a very high mail volume. “ZIP” is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan. |
USPS |
|
ZIP+4 Code |
ZIP equals the five-digit ZIP code (refer to ZIP Code) +4 describes the last four positions of a ZIP+4 code. Most delivery addresses are assigned a single ZIP+4 Code. However, large companies may be given a range of ZIP+4 Codes that can be used to route mail to a specific department. |
USPS |
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Sources: ADCS |
|
|
|
USPS PUB 32 Glossary of Postal Terms May 1997 |
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Appendix
D
(Informative)
ADDRESS SPECIFICATION: EXAMPLE
(Under Construction)
Note to reviewers: Would an example of an address specification be helpful for this standard?
Appendix
E
(Informative)
THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
E.1 PARTICIPANTS
FGDC Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data member agencies participating in the Standard development process:
Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service
Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Department of Commerce, Census Bureau (Chair)
Department of Commerce, Office of Ocean Resources, Conservation, and Assessment
Department of Defense, the CADD/GIS Technology Center for facilities, infrastructure, and environment
Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services
Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Department of the Interior Office of Self-Governance
Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Department of
Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of State, Office of the Geographer
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
National Archives and Records Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Capital Planning Commission
Social Security Administration
Tennessee Valley Authority
E.2 PAPERS/PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE STANDARD
O’Connor, Anne, “The Address Data Content Standard” Presented to the FGDC Coordination Group,
Washington, D.C. April 1, 2003.
O’Connor, Anne, “The Address Data Content Standard” Presented to the FGDC Standards Working Group,
Reston, VA. December 18, 2002.
McCready, Matthew, “The Address Standard” Presented to the Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic
Data, Washington, DC. June 18, 2002.
Godwin, Leslie, “What is the Current Situation of Addressing Standards”, panel discussion, 2nd Annual Street Smart and Address Savvy Conference, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), Baltimore, MD, October 2000.
Godwin, Leslie, “Address Data Content Standard, Comments Please!” presented at the URISA 37th Annual Conference and Exposition, Orlando, FL, August 2000.
Ray, Christopher, “Help to Develop an Address Data Content Standard”, presented at the 1st Annual Street Smart and Address Savvy Conference, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), San Antonio, TX, October 1999.
Hartung, Valerie L., “The Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Address Data Content Standard Development Process”, presented at the Annual Meeting, Association of American Geographers, Boston, MA, March 1998.
Appendix F
(Informative)
UML ADDRESS SPECIFICATION MODEL

Figure F. UML Address Specification Model
[1] FGDC-approved standards apply to geospatial data. However, data associated with an address is clearly georeferenced and therefore is, through the address, considered to be geospatial data.
[2] The Standard does not require addresses be shared and does not provide guidelines for determining whether addresses can be shared. Some organizations are prohibited by statute, from sharing addresses or some part of address information due to requirements for confidentiality and security.
[3] The CSDGM domain for address type is “mailing”, “physical”, “mailing or physical”, free text. The ADCS uses the term “postal address type” in place of “mailing address type” because “postal” is defined in ISO 11180, and hence is the preferred definition.
4Many USPS standards, manuals and technical guidelines are available on the Internet (URL = http://www.usps.gov)
[5] The USPS considers a complete postal address to be all USPS-recognized data elements necessary to allow an exact match with the current USPS ZIP+4 file to obtain the finest level of ZIP+4 code.