🆕 Constructing a Single Line Address using a Geographic Address
Overview
This article is meant to provide users of AddressBase Plus and Premium with instruction concerning appropriate and suitable inclusion or suppression of the four StreetRecordTypeCode’s at the end-user point for mailing purposes and creation of postally addressable single line addresses. Code has already been published on GitHub relating to creating a single line address, this article is looking at how to handle the Street Record Types in that process.
Please note that the instructions given for AddressBase Premium are also applicable for AddressBase Premium Islands unless otherwise mentioned.
Introduction
Sometimes it is necessary to construct alternate versions of an address, therefore it is essential to distinguish between the types of addresses and how this may impact the function and applicability of the address string output.
First there is the distinction that should be made a between Postal Address or Delivery Point Address, Geographic Addresses and Addresses that lie somewhere between the two to fit particular use cases.
Two Types of Address
The AddressBase Premium products contain a variety of data fields which allow a user to construct, for a given addressable object, different forms of an address dependent on how the address is to be used.
There are two types of address contained in the AddressBase products:
Delivery Point Address
A Delivery Point Address contains information sourced from Royal Mail (PAF), a non-geocoded list of addresses . These addresses are defined as a property that receives deliveries and is used primarily for postal purposes.
Stringent rules are used to match the PAF address to the Geographic Address and assign a common UPRN to link addresses from the two addressing sources together in the data model. Not every BLPU will have a Delivery Point (postal) Address, only those that have been matched to the Royal Mail PAF database (Multiplicity [0..1]).
Geographic Address
Geographic Addresses are maintained by contributing Local Authorities. The structure of a Geographic Address is based on the British Standard BS7666. These addresses are used to provide an accurate geographic locator for an object to aid, for example, service delivery, asset management, or command and control operations. They also represent the legal form of addresses as created under street naming and numbering legislation.
Street Record Types
| Value | Description | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Official designated Street Name | allocated by a Street Naming and Numbering (SNN) Authority |
2 | Street Description | not allocated an official Street Name by the SNN Authority, therefore the Street may not have a Street nameplate |
3 | Numbered Street | |
4 | Unofficial Street Description | |
9 | Description 9 used for LLPG Access |
When a new BLPU Record is created for an Addressable Object that is a Postal Address which has been through the SNN process, this BLPU can only be associated with a Street Name (type 1 Street).
BLPUs requiring a Postal Address must not be associated with a new Street Description (type 2 Street), the exception to this rule is applied when all of the following conditions are met:
A new BLPU is created on an existing Street Description (type 2 Street)
The Street Description is associated with existing Postal Addresses
The Addressable Object forms part of a Postal Address
The Addressable Object is approved by the SNN Authority
Constructing a single line address
Given that the AddressBase Premium products contain two different types of address, a decision needs to be made on whether to use the Geographic or Delivery Point Addresses, or a mixture. The following two options should be considered:
Use Delivery Point Addresses whenever they are available, and when they are not, use a Geographic Address.
Use Geographic Addresses in all cases.
Depending on user requirements, it may be worth considering displaying both forms of an address, since this will provide the maximum information available about a given UPRN.
‘Mixing and matching’ components from the two different forms of address into a single address label is not recommended as this is likely to cause confusion in some instances.
What if the constructed single line address does not look right?
If you opt to use geographic addresses when consolidating a mailing list then the following considerations may be applicable depending on the intended purpose and use case.
When using the Geographic address to construct a single line address, users may require for some attribution to be suppressed to meet their use case. Street records will impact the presentation of the address when concatenated along with other address string attributes.
Type 2 Street descriptors
Type 2 Street descriptors permit the use of generalised and descriptive language which may impact the deliverability or perceived validity of the mailing address created by the user.
For example, the identifier will either describe the end points or the general location and may include key words such as: from, to, adjacent to, next to, between, rear, alongside, passing across, joining, via, with branch to:
SIDE OF NOS WEST AVENUE
REAR 2 TO 12 NEWTON STREET
If properties are associated with a type 2 Street, you should consider excluding the STREET_DESCRIPTOR from any Address that is intended for mailing purposes for streets assigned a Type 2. However, if an address is generated for another reason, for example for a site visit, this information could be included to help locate the Addressable Object.
Possible solutions
Consider implementing one of the following interventions before constructing a single line address:
Exclude STREET_DESCRIPTOR where Type == 2
Exclude Type 2 Streets from inclusion
Only use DPA Addresses
Extract 'Postally Addressable' addresses using the 'Postal Flag'
Review the records subsequent to construction of the single line address and omit those that provide descriptive street information
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