Address Service:
The COT Data Services and
Business Intelligence Branch offers an Address Service that standardizes and validates address data
to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) standards into agency applications and
systems. This service works on both internal and external web pages as
well as agency applications. It automatically reviews and corrects the
address elements to create clean, quality and standardized address data that
become part of the agency's systems.
Agencies can either use the Address Service as a real-time web service
or use it in batch processing mode for large numbers of addresses. The
web service validates and corrects individual entries nearly instantaneously as
the data is entered into the system, while the batch processing can process
millions of address records in minutes on a scheduled basis.
Address Service Benefits:
Ensure accuracy of critical U.S. address information in agency databases
Allows agencies to ensure that an address list qualifies for USPS discounts on bulk mail
Lowers mailing costs by reducing the need for additional handling of returned mail
“Type ahead" feature saves time for citizens during data entry (if entering on a web page) or for agency staff who are entering data directly into the agency application
Address Service Features:
•Standardizes street types, creates all uppercase letters, removes most special characters, and handles minor corrections and some "typos" automatically
•Determines ZIP code (5-digit) and performs ZIP+4 automatic lookup
•Data is provided in upper and mixed case so the agency can choose which to incorporate into their system (Note: USPS requires upper case for discounts)
•Can describe an address as good, bad, or questionable
•Can identify address inconsistencies such as missing or invalid house numbers, apartment numbers, or rural route information
•Validates an address as it is entered to help prevent bad data from entering the system or application; response time is typically measured in milliseconds
•Can process millions of records on weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedules
•Can connect directly to various database systems and file formats
Death Verification Service:
The Office of Application Development offers a Death Verification Service, a tool that agencies can use as a real-time web service or in batch processing mode to verify a person's death. This service provides data from the Social Security Administration's Death Master File, which lists such information as a person's name, date of birth, month and year of death, and whether a death has been verified and documented.
Primary uses for the Death Verification Service are to identify fraud and identity theft.
NOTE: The Social Security Administration did not begin collecting information for the Death Master File until 1936; therefore, information about deaths prior to that time is not available.
Geocoding Services:
The Office of Application Development offers a Geocoding Service, a subscription-based, real-time web service that allows a Commonwealth of Kentucky agency to transform an address into geocoded latitude and longitude coordinates. Agencies can integrate this address information with their key business data to build applications and enhance business intelligence to further their business goals and responsibilities. Agencies can tailor the combined data for:
Enabling spatial-based searches to identify key consultant needs, such as "nearest Department of Revenue office"
Optimizing routing for such tasks as delivery of services or coordinating business audits or inspection routes
Enabling the location and identification of key geographic activities such as Parks and nearby facilities and businesses
Delivering emergency response and catastrophe management information (identify shelters, flooding info, etc.)
Tracking health issues such as infection outbreaks
Tracking compliance with government regulations
The web service provides information for the agency application such as the latitude and longitude coordinates, the county where the address is located, and codes that can indicate the accuracy and status of the address. Agencies can also use an optional record identifier to apply their own agency-specific name to an address.
Accurate geographic coordinates will be useful for any application that:
Stores address data
Plots location data on a map
Needs real-time coordinates
Needs to provide spatial-based searches