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Government initiative for a definitive source of spatial address data
Last month Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced that addressing information from local authorities and Ordnance Survey would be brought together to create a ‘National Address Gazetteer Database’ to provide one definitive source of accurate spatial address data.
Products from the national address gazetteer database will provide access to a definitive database of addresses in England and Wales for use by all parts of the public sector and the private sector, removing wasteful duplication in the public sector and providing more comprehensive and accurate information.
Accurate address data underpins a multitude of public services, ranging from the emergency services, to school transport and refuse collection together with many uses within the private sector including use by utility suppliers and insurance companies. This initiative will provide a platform for more collaborative working between central government, local authorities, and local service providers to deliver better, more innovative and more efficient local services.
It is anticipated that products from the national address gazetteer database will deliver significant efficiency savings and improvements by reducing the need for data matching across different address products.
Utility companies, for example, rely on address data to respond to incidents, such as, burst pipes. As part of this process, they work with local government, but often experience inefficiencies when they have to compare local government address data with their own systems, as both parties use different databases. A single gazetteer will provide utility companies with a nationally complete set of addresses that would assist them to provide services more effectively and efficiently.
As part of the Public Sector Mapping Agreement, products created from the national address gazetteer would be available for the entire public sector, delivering significant cost savings and enabling more partnership working with private and third sector delivery bodies.
Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said: “It’s crazy we don’t have one single address list in this country. It makes no sense that both the public sector and businesses have to bear the unnecessary expense of licensing two sets of data, especially in these straitened times.
“In particular, it is vital that the emergency services can get to people as quickly as possible. Having only one ‘address book’ will make that job easier, deliver vital savings that can be put towards frontline services and bring real benefits for business.”
Baroness Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the Local Government Association, added: “We are delighted to be working with Ordnance Survey to bring together, for the first time, this important information. This landmark agreement will allow councils and other public sector organisations to build a better, more accurate picture of where people live to help them deliver the services people need in a way that they want.
“I congratulate everyone involved in this joint venture for their hard work and effort in getting the project to this stage. It is a great step towards improving the customer experience of the services we provide.”
Sir Rob Margetts CBE, Ordnance Survey Non-Executive Chair, commented: "I am enthusiastic about the creation of a single national address gazetteer and very confident that it will bring new benefits to all users of address information. Much hard work has gone into creating this joint venture which will supply a definitive source of accurate spatial address data to both the private and public sectors. I would like to thank everyone involved for getting the project to this stage.
“Over the last nine months Ordnance Survey has achieved some major milestones with the launch of OS OpenData in April, the Public Sector Mapping Agreement in August and now the announcement of a single national address gazetteer database. The demand for accurate, accessible, high quality geographic information has never been so high and the products which will be created from the new national address gazetteer database will be another step in meeting the needs of all of our customers.”
The national address gazetteer database, which remains subject to regulatory approval by the OFT, is welcomed by Royal Mail. With 28 million addresses and 1.8 million postcodes, the Postcode Address File (PAF) will form a key component of the national address gazetteer database. In addition, Local Government in Scotland and Scottish Government are supportive of the goal to create a national address gazetteer database and are working with Local Government and Ordnance Survey to explore options for achieving this goal.
The Office of National Statistics are also working with the joint venture partners to ensure that investment in addressing as part of the preparations for the 2011 Census for National Statistics (ONS), is optimised through the national address gazetteer database.
Industry view
Spatial software provider, GGP Systems, welcomed the announcement that GeoPlace would create a new single source of address data, and it will be fully supporting and partaking in the consultation process to ensure its customers’ interests are wholly accommodated.
Tim Maxwell, Managing Director of GGP Systems, commented: “This is a really positive move for all connected to the GIS industry. For a long time, customers have had to contend with two competing products, but this new single source of data removes duplication and means that local authorities, the emergency services and other public bodies will no longer have to pay to licence two separate sets of data. That is great news for the public sector.”
GGP Systems is reassured that the changes will not affect its customers. The transition to the new dataset is expected to be a smooth, almost indiscernible process. GGP Systems’ customers will continue to be able to provide superior levels of service to their own internal and external clientele and their existing GGP Systems software portfolio and licences will not be impacted.
