by Mark Friend, VP, Sales and Marketing on November 8, 2010 at 4:44PM
I am happy to announce that Maponics today released a nationwide database of more than 53 million nine-digit ZIP Codes (ZIP+4) through the Maponics Online Store. While other ZIP+4 databases are available online, none are as complete in terms of the number of records and the inclusion of centroids for each ZIP+4.
Most ZIP+4 Databases offered online are simply repackaged address-range lists from the United States Postal Service (USPS). But the USPS data groups millions of ZIP+4 codes into single records for things like blocks of post office boxes and does not include location coordinates. Breaking out an additional 13 million ZIP+4 codes and including centroids is important information for businesses looking for a comprehensive dataset to enable granular segmentation and geo-targeting capabilities. National and regional direct marketing firms, political campaigns and any company looking to micro-target households based on proximity can purchase the database with just a few mouse clicks. Typically a database with this quality and coverage costs much more and is sold as part of an enterprise license.
We are excited to make it easier and more cost effective for firms looking for comprehensive ZIP+4 data to improve their direct marketing efforts. Our new ZIP+4 offerings complement our full suite of online postal map and data products, including 5-digit ZIP Codes, Carrier Routes, and custom maps.
Maponics ZIP+4 Database products are available immediately through the Maponics Online Store. Product options include:
ZIP+4 Database Premium Plus Centroids (Nationwide)
ZIP+4 Database Premium Plus Centroids (By State)
ZIP+4 Database Premium (Nationwide)
Don’t hesitate to give us a call with questions and post comments here.
by Zephyr on November 19, 2009 at 7:20PM
After its eighth consecutive quarter of significant financial losses, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it would begin a massive re-evaluation of its delivery infrastructure in February of this year (http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_015.htm ). Aiming to cut billions in ongoing costs, the USPS planned to look at:
- consolidating facilities (post offices, sorting centers, etc.)
- reducing staff (mostly by not filling open positions)
- reorganizing the areas covered by postal carrier routes* and ZIP Codes (to increase efficiency, and address facility closings and staffing reductions)
- changing mail delivery schedules and post office retail hours
The result of this postal reorganization has been higher quarterly ZIP Code and carrier route change rates, especially in the second half of 2009. As an example, in the three month period between this Maponics ZIP Code data release and the last one in August, 12% of all Cook County, IL ZIP Codes have been changed**. And since the February Maponics data release, 22% of these ZIP Codes have been changed.
The table below shows the % of ZIP Codes that have been changed since Maponics’ February ZIP Code data release for the five Cook County postal towns*** with the most ZIP codes.
What type of on-the-ground alterations cause ZIP Code data changes? Here are some announcements issued by the USPS that pertain specifically to Cook County postal reorganization:
Most of the Chicago area ZIP Code data changes seen in the last quarter were the result of ZIP Code and carrier route delivery area reconfigurations. But the image above shows an example of ZIP coverage area change in Henry County, IL that is the result of a postal branch closure. In this case, the Ophiem, IL post office was closed, and the surrounding ZIP Codes (including 61413, pictured) were expanded to pick up the delivery area no longer served by the Ophiem post office.
It is expected that the U.S. Postal Service reorganization will continue well into 2010. In fact, there are currently 437 post offices still under evaluation for closure. This week, Maponics issued a press release discussing the record number of changes we’re seeing in our postal data. You can read that announcement here, or learn more about our ZIP code data here.
Some definitions:
* Carrier Route: the building block of a ZIP Code. The U.S. Postal Services assigns the same carrier route code to a subgroup of addresses within a ZIP Code to aid in mail sorting and delivery. Typically, a carrier route represents the geographical area to which an individual mail carrier delivers every day.
** ZIP Code Change: the addition or deletion of a ZIP Code, or significant change to a ZIP Code’s delivery area (the addition or deletion of one or more carrier routes that make up a ZIP Code).
*** Postal Town Name: the town name the U.S. Postal Service associates with a given ZIP Code.
