Maponics Carrier Routes and ZIP Codes - Spatial Insights, Inc.

Maponics offers two versions of this product line. Both use the same robust, proprietary system for building the carrier routes but each relies on a different street network:

Maponics Carrier Routes Professional: always based on the latest TIGER street network. With the significant advances in the TIGER database, including more complete addressing and major street alignment improvements, the resulting product captures more carrier routes than any competing product.

Maponics Carrier Routes – Tele Atlas® Version: always based on the latest Dynamap street network. Perfect for organizations already using Tele Atlas’ Dynamap street networks and where detailed street alignment is critical.

Carrier Routes

Maponics Carrier Routes attempt to represent the area served by a particular mail carrier. Using multiple data sources, Maponics creates boundaries that follow roads, for both accuracy and visual appeal. Our proprietary process captures residential and business routes with the resulting product being a great resource for direct marketers.

Uses multiple data feeds, including USPS data, to ensure completeness
CASS certifiable data imported each month
Rigorous linkage of ZIP+4 data to every US street segment
Scores segments based on match rates
Incorporates areas cleanly without the “fake accuracy” of jagged fence-posting used by other companies
Absorbs invalid holes or gaps
Iterative feedback loop for corrections
Excellent replacement for former users of the Tele Atlas® Carrier Route* product

* While our product results in a similar dataset to Tele Atlas’ product, and follows roads the same way, the methodologies are distinct and this reference is not meant to imply an endorsement.

Our process creates a single record for each carrier route feature, regardless of the number of polygons that constitute it. Such “split routes” will still contain all the necessary information to draw each polygon. In cases of split routes, the centroid file will use the center point of the largest polygon in the set.

The Boundary version includes lat/lon coordinates for every polygon vertices but only includes records for Carrier Routes that have a defined area.

The Centroid version includes all Carrier Routes, one record per, including “point type” routes such as PO Boxes and other route types for which an accurate boundary could not be defined. PO Box CRs are located at the Post Office physical location, if possible; otherwise at the ZIP centroid. If the point CR is not a PO Box, then we attempt to place it at the centroid of the street segment where we have the best match. Otherwise, we place it at the ZIP centroid.

ZIP Codes

This product includes the names and boundaries (and other attributes as Maponics may choose to provide) for postal ZIP Codes in the United States. Maponics’ proprietary process builds these polygons using multiple data sources. The ZIP Code boundaries are based off of the carrier route boundaries, using a combine/dissolve/extend approach. Because there are cases where carrier routes do not exist, the ZIP Code boundaries have been extended using a proprietary process so that ZIP Codes cover the entire US. However, there are intentional holes in the ZIP Code layer for major water and landmark areas. In all cases where carrier routes exist, the ZIP Codes share the border line with carrier routes.

There are some areas where there is not sufficient data to create ZIP Code polygons. Where possible, Maponics has created temporary ZIP Code areas and given the area a ZIP Code starting with the three digit ZIP Code followed by either an “MH” or “MX” (ex. 901MH) to differentiate area encompassed by water (“MH” ) or land (“MX”). Other such areas appear as holes. Some unique ZIP Codes might appear as polygons (for example, a university).

The Boundary version includes lat/lon coordinates for every polygon vertices but only includes records for ZIP Codes that have a defined area.

The Centroid version includes all ZIP Codes, one record per, including “point type” ZIPs such as PO Boxes. If truly a point ZIP, then we attempted to place its centroid at the Post Office or at the business’s address. For centroids of polygonal ZIP Codes, we use a modified geographic center (essentially, the geographic center but we ensure that it falls within the polygon itself). For multi-poly ZIPs, we use the modified geographic center of the largest polygon.

Description

Maponics Carrier Route Boundaries

9-digit carrier route ID (combination of the ZIP Code and the CR)
5-digit ZIP Code
4-digit carrier route code
Postal Town Name, Primary
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
County FIPS code; this is the county the CR centroid falls in, not the county of the ZIP Code
Total count of residential deliveries in this route
Total count of multifamily deliveries in this route; generally analogous to apartments
Total count of single family deliveries in this route; generally analogous to homes
Total count of PO Box deliveries in this route
Total count of business deliveries in this route
Numeric value for colorization in a map, so that no two adjacent carrier routes within the state have the same color
Release version (e.g. 1.8.4)
“MULTIPOLYGON” label, followed by coordinate pairs to define polygon (longitude, latitude) - only in WKT format file

Maponics Carrier Route Centroids

9-digit carrier route ID (combination of the ZIP Code and the CR)
5-digit ZIP Code
4-digit carrier route code
Postal Town Name, Primary
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
County FIPS code; this is the county the CR centroid falls in, not the county of the ZIP Code
Total count of residential deliveries in this route
Total count of multifamily deliveries in this route; generally analogous to apartments
Total count of single family deliveries in this route; generally analogous to homes
Total count of PO Box deliveries in this route
Total count of business deliveries in this route
R=rural, C=city, B=PO Box, H=highway contract, G=general delivery
If the CR is a “point only” CR, then this field indicates the polygonal CR it falls within
Release version (e.g. 1.8.4)
“MULTIPOINT” label, followed by the defining coordinate pair (longitude, latitude) - only in WKT format file

Maponics ZIP Code Boundaries

5-digit ZIP Code
Postal Town Name, Primary
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
County FIPS code
3-digit ZIP Code (the first 3 digits of the 5-digit ZIP Code)
Latitude of ZIP Code Centroid
Longitude of ZIP Code Centroid
Numeric value for colorization in a map, so that no two adjacent ZIP Codes have the same color
Release version (e.g. 1.8.4)
“MULTIPOLYGON” label, followed by coordinate pairs to define polygon (longitude, latitude) - only in WKT format file

Maponics ZIP Code Centroids

5-digit ZIP Code
Postal Town Name, Primary
State Abbreviation
State FIPS Code
County FIPS code
3-digit ZIP Code (the first 3 digits of the 5-digit ZIP Code)
Latitude of ZIP Code Centroid
Longitude of ZIP Code Centroid
If the ZIP is a “point only” ZIP, then this field indicates the polygonal ZIP it falls within
County Name
The type of ZIP Code, per one of three types:
NON_UNIQUE, PO_BOX, or MILITARY
Release version (e.g. 1.8.4)
“MULTIPOINT” label, followed by the defining coordinate pair (longitude, latitude) - only in WKT format file

Maponics ZIP Code Alternate Names

5-digit ZIP Code
Each Valid Postal Town Name, listed as a separate record
State Abbreviation
only available in delimited text format