U.S. Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) offers data programs and services, primarily for businesses, to help them manage mailing lists, track shipments, and optimize their mailings. These programs leverage the extensive address and mail-tracking data collected by the USPS to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Key USPS data programs and services:
1. Address Management and Data Quality
| • | NCOALink: This service provides businesses with access to a database of permanent change-of-address information. Licensed vendors use this data to update mailing lists with the new addresses of customers who have moved, helping to reduce undeliverable mail. |
| • | Address Information System (AIS) Products: The USPS provides a suite of products to help businesses standardize and correct addresses. These include the AIS Viewer, an application for retrieving and viewing ZIP Code information, and the Address Matching System API (AMS API), a software tool for developers to integrate address-matching logic into their own applications. |
| • | CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System) Certification: The USPS certifies software that accurately applies ZIP + 4 codes, delivery point codes (DPV), and other addressing information. CASS-certified software is essential for businesses that want to qualify for presort postage discounts. |
| • | Address Element Correction (AEC): This service is designed to identify and correct incomplete or inaccurate addresses that cannot be resolved through standard software. |
| • | Delivery Point Validation (DPV): DPV confirms that a ZIP+4 coded address actually exists as a known delivery point in the USPS's delivery file. |
2. Electronic Data Exchange and Mailing Management
| • | Business Customer Gateway (BCG): This is a central online hub for businesses to access and manage a variety of USPS services. It provides a single entry point for tasks like preparing and tracking mailings, managing Mailer IDs (MIDs) and permits, and enrolling in incentive programs. |
| • | PostalOne: An electronic data exchange system for business mailers to submit postage statements, qualification reports, and other mailing documentation online. This includes services like: |
| o | Postal Wizard: A tool for small-volume mailers to submit postage statements securely online. |
| o | Mail.dat and Mail.XM: Industry-defined file formats for transmitting complex mailing data to the PostalOne! system. |
| • | Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb): A barcode used to sort and track mailpieces. It combines data from older barcodes and other information, providing greater versatility and allowing businesses to track their mail and access services like OneCode ACS (automated address correction). |
| • | Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR): A near real-time tracking and reporting system that provides businesses with insights into the movement of their mail, from acceptance to delivery. |
3. Marketing and Geographic Data
| • | Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): A program that allows businesses to send marketing mail to specific neighborhoods without needing a mailing list. The USPS provides an online tool that allows users to select mail carrier routes and target customers by demographics. |
| • | "Beyond the Mail" Data Products: The USPS offers several specialized data products for industries like real estate, marketing, and logistics. These include: |
| o | USPS Occupancy Trends: Aggregate data on vacant addresses by ZIP Code, carrier route, and other geographic areas. |
| o | USPS Population Mobility Trends: A dataset based on National Change of Address data and census demographics, highlighting population migration trends between ZIP Codes. |
| o | USPS Post Office & Collection Box Data: Datasets with the geospatial coordinates and service information for Post Offices and collection boxes. |
4. APIs and Developer Tools
| • | USPS APIs: The USPS offers a suite of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that developers can use to integrate USPS services into their own websites and applications. These APIs allow for functions such as: |
| o | Printing shipping labels |
