NAVTEQ PostCode

NAVTEQ PostCode is new map content that provides the unit postcode location for incorporation into turn-by-turn navigation systems to customers of NAVTEQ map data for the United Kingdom. This content enhances destination selection and arrival functionality by providing a boundary area of approximately 15 households in urban areas.

NAVTEQ PostCode, based on Royal Mail's Personal Address File (PAF), provides a high level of completeness. The product contains 98.7% of all postcodes within PAF that have a geographic position in reality. These unit postcodes are geocoded to the NAVTEQ map as a single point representing all addresses sharing the same unit postcode.

NAVTEQ PostCode includes:

• More than 1.6 million unit postcodes
• Post office box listings that do not have a geographic reference
• Latitude and longitude of each postcode associated to the NAVTEQ map using the location's median point or snapped to the road segment

PostCode Example:  PO 1 3AX

Each postcode represents a cluster of approximately 15 physical point addresses. A single coordinate acts as the representative location of all the addresses that share the same unit postcode.  

To determine the specific latitude and longitude of a postcode, NAVTEQ creates a point location median wherever possible (over 60% of the time). This process, which is exclusive to NAVTEQ, calculates the midpoint of the spread of addresses along the road network within a postcode.

Coordinates are then moved 3 meters away from the road. For cases in which the postcodes apply to only one side of the road, they are placed on the correct side of the street enabling the navigation system to provide a more accurate route. Where median calculation is not possible, the postcode placement is calculated out of Royal Mail's Postzon file and snapped to the nearest link.

Key uses of NAVTEQ PostCode include:

• Navigation—postcode used as destination input
• Internet—location lookup by postcode (not yet available for licensing)
• Fleet Management—postcodes used as routing destinations (not yet available for licensing)
• GIS/Geomarketing—address verification (not yet available for licensing)

In general, if used as destinations, the commonly used postcode units are sufficient to navigate or calculate a route. No further address details are required.

The NAVTEQ Difference

Other products associate the UK postcode X/Y coordinate to a map. Instead of the more common centroid placement, only NAVTEQ PostCode uses the X/Y median. These X/Y coordinates are created by NAVTEQ to fit on top of the NAVTEQ map and are positioned on the correct side of the street.

As shown above, centroid placement establishes the location independent of the road network, potentially reducing the accuracy of the location or even causing the navigation system to place the destination on the wrong street. Median or snap georeferencing to the NAVTEQ map provides placement on the street network and on the correct side of the street, enhancing user destination selection and accurate arrival.

Currently NAVTEQ PostCode is available for licensing for turn-by-turn guidance applications. NAVTEQ PostCode is available as a separate file to the core database and is updated semiannually.

For more information, contact NAVTEQ.