The U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee has released
the draft Address Data Content Standard for public review
between May 1, 2003 and July 31, 2003. The purpose of
this standard is to facilitate the exchange of address
information.
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 Address Data Content Standard
simplifies the address data exchange process by providing a
method for documenting the content of address information.
It codifies some commonly used discrete units of address
information, referred to as descriptive elements, and
provides standardized terminology and definitions to
alleviate inconsistencies in the use of descriptive
elements and to simplify the documentation process.
The Address Data Content Standard is applicable to
addresses of entities having a spatial component. It
does not apply to addresses of entities lacking a spatial
component and specifically excludes electronic addresses,
such as e-mail addresses. It 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. The Address Data Content
Standard places no requirement on internal organization
of use or structure of address data. However, its
principles can be extended to all addresses, including
addresses maintained within an organization, even if
they are not shared.
For guidance on obtaining a copy of the draft
Address Data Content Standard for review and comment
and submitting comments, please visit the FGDC
standards page on the Address Data Content Standard
at http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/status/sub2_4.html