INTERNATIONAL ADDRESS STANDARDIZATION 
Features, Technologies and Formats

Presented to:

International Address Template Work Group

By: Joe Lubenow (lubenow@msn.com)

January 30, 2002

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION
DIRECT MAIL ADVISORY BOARD

•      Organized 1995 after Tom Leavey of USPS became UPU Director General

•      Members are Posts and private firms such as Group 1, Experian, Pitney Bowes and others

•      Work is funded by membership dues and contributions

•      Participate as observers in other UPU activities such as Standards Board and POST*Code project

•      Has Address Management, Products and Pricing, and Quality of Service project teams

UPU DMAB ADDRESS MANAGEMENT PROJECT TEAM GOALS

•      Support development of databases of delivery points to allow mailers to validate and correct address lists

•      Support development of change of address systems and procedures, with consideration of privacy issues

•      Foster development and use of standardized formats and techniques for the collection, dissemination, and maintenance of international addresses

•      Develop a detailed database of address management capabilities by country

•      Evaluate best practices and develop a list of recommended procedures

UPU POST*CODE PROJECT

•      Began work in 1998

•      Has produced Universal POST*Code database

•      Data available from all 189 UPU members

•      Common data format used throughout the product

•      Reasonable subscription price

•      Variable rates dependent on geographic scope and type of use intended

•      UPU contact is Guy Goudet at +41 31 350 31 56

UPU POST*CODE PROJECT
UNIVERSAL POST*CODE DATABASE

•      Some countries have data on localities only

•      Some have localities and associated postcodes

•      Some have localities, districts, and associated postcodes

•      Some have localities, streets and associated postcodes

•      In this last group, some have supplemental conditions and additional fees may be required

•      Specific delivery point data is not available through the POST*Code database

•      Updates to data are made on a quarterly basis

•      Documentation of typical address formats is included

RELATION OF DATABASE TO AN INTERNATIONAL ADDRESSING STANDARD

•      Database allows for validation of address elements

•      Common format of database provides needed address element definitions

•      Inclusion of typical address formats is very useful

•      Addressing standard must also cover names

•      Addressing standard also covers transmission of data through EDI and XML

•      Also covered is the final rendition on mailpiece

NEED FOR AN ADDRESSING STANDARD

•      International Addresses

–    International addresses have more lines and longer lines than can be imaged using much existing technology

–    International addresses are difficult to parse correctly

–    Storing addresses in block format means information loss

–    Addresses are parsed repeatedly and redundantly

–    Address elements vary from country to country

–    International coding rates vary from 95% to 80% or less

–    Lack of address standardization lowers delivery rates

–    Cost of international postage intensifies these problems

PRIOR EFFORTS AT INTERNATIONAL ADDRESS STANDARDIZATION

•      UPU has not previously developed standards

•      ISO has a standard that lacks sufficient rigor and precision

•      CEN TC 331 proposal includes a five stage development process: elements, printing rules, transmission formats, validation, and parsing of legacy data

•      DISA EDI/X12 Transaction Set 101 offers an option for permanent parsing for domestic addresses

•      E-commerce formats are generally line-by-line based, either with or without line identifiers

BUSINESS BENEFITS OF NEW STANDARD

•      Improved domestic and international coding rates

•      Better identification of potential undeliverables

•      Better identification of duplicate addresses

•      Ability to manage acquisition and exchange of missing elements

•      Ability to determine completeness of addresses

•      Late kills, early adds, move updates--cut cycle time

•      Use with GCA Mail.dat to split and combine mailings

•      Reduce postage utilizing upcoming USPS product redesign

FURTHER BUSINESS BENEFITS OF NEW STANDARD

•      Manage constant and variable message inserts

•      Add variable content into a publication

•      Manage correlation of graphics files with text messages

•      Delay generation of final ink jet formats

•      Link multiple addresses for same entity

•      Can support hybrid distribution systems

•      EDI version supports management of file updates

•      XML version with UNICODE support handles all alphabets in a single file format

BASIC APPROACH OF NEW STANDARD

•      The address is not the same as the address label

•      The address is a structure of elements

•      Addresses in each country can be classified in terms of one or more templates

•      The label is merely one rendition of the address

•      The label must preserve address deliverability even when address space is limited

TECHNOLOGICAL LEVELS - RELATIONAL DB, EDI, XML

•      Relational DB level with data dictionary incorporated in  GCA ADIS 2001-1

•      GCA ADIS 2001-1 includes rendition instructions

•      DISA EDI/X12 Transaction Set 101 Is in Use

•      UN/EDIFACT PROLST is a Message In Development

•      XML level provides a Document Type Definition (DTD) for organizing address elements

•      XML formats for addresses also developed by OASIS and various proprietary efforts

•      ebXML and UBL seek to define full business vocabularies

TECHNOLOGICAL LEVELS - RELATIONAL DB

•      Separate data tables for each type of information

•      Name and address tables, message data tables, tables of templates and rendition instructions

•      Can combine with IDEAlliance Mail.dat for bulk mailings

•      Form a complete representation of all mailing data

•      Enables combining and dividing of parts of mailings

•      Well established software and development paradigm

•      Mailer companies are familiar with this approach

•      International standards bodies do not find it rigorous

TECHNOLOGICAL LEVELS - EDI

•      DISA EDI/X12 Transaction Set 101 has both element based and identified line formats

•      UN/EDIFACT PROLST is a Message In Development

•      EDI formats generally utilize reusable segments

•      EDI requires data validation upon receipt

•      EDI processes are designed for unified outcomes

•      Most EDI processes have cumbersome updating procedures

•      PROLST gets around this by externalizing elements

•      EDI organizations worldwide are trying to move to XML

TECHNOLOGICAL LEVELS - XML

•      XML level provides a Document Type Definition (DTD) for organizing address elements

•      XML incorporates UNICODE and supports many alphabets

•      XSLT provides for reference implementations within XML

•      XML schemas offer strong data typing

•      Some XML schema approaches support object oriented design

•      XML based standards processes support quicker updating

•      A variety of XML approaches continue to appear

•      This raises an issue of multiple distinct implementations

TEMPLATES

•      Address instances reflect basic patterns

•      There are fewer basic patterns than countries

•      Country based templates are being defined

•      Language of presentation must be specified

•      A template can be thought of as a sequential ordering of lines and elements

•      Address format varies if mailing is internal vs. external

•      Usable for single country applications without external knowledge

•      Templates need to support variations in formats

–    One way is to support conditional logic

–    Another way is to allow subtemplates

RENDITION INSTRUCTIONS

RENDITION INSTRUCTIONS (continued)

CURRENT STATUS

•      DISA EDI/X12 TS101 now supports templates and rendition instructions

•      PROLST received Message In Development status at UN/EDIFACT in 2000

•      Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA) manages International Address Element Codes (IAEC)

•      GCA ADIS relational DB model published in 2001 with XML DTD and rendition instructions

CURRENT STATUS (continued)

•      UPU Standards Board passed two resolutions at Status P covering elements, templates, rendition

•      UPU POST*Code Group has issued Universal POST*Code Database

•      European CEN TC 331 work on address elements to be followed by country based printing rules/templates

•      OASIS Customer Information Quality (CIQ) Technical Committee (TC)  has issued its extensible Name and Address Language (xNAL) standard

CURRENT STATUS AND NEXT STEPS
(continued)

•        UPU SB Electronic Exchange Group to further define the scope and features of future standards

•      CEN TC 331 to define printing rules/templates for European countries

•      IDEAlliance will work with OASIS on interoperability, internationalization, and XML schema technologies

•      ADIS software for rendition instructions to debut at Spring 2002 IDEAlliance Addressing/Distribution conference

•      USPS NCSC Template Working Group will help define further steps in address element technology