In 2005 URISA petitioned the Federal Geographic Data Committee to allow it to develop a standard for addresses in the US.  The petition was granted and the project to develope the United States Thoroughfare, Landmark, and Postal Address Data Standard was initiated.  The standard has been built on previous FGDC work by the URISA Address Standard Working Group with extensive consultation with NENA, USPS, ISO, and FGDC subcommittees and other interested organizations and individuals.  It was sponsored by the Subcommittee on Cultural and Demographic Data, URISA and NENA.

At the URISA conference last week, the URISA Address Standard Working Group gave an update on the development of the standard, which after a five year effort is on schedule for completion and formal sign-off by the FGDC early next year.

• June 16 – Completion of Public Review
• Sep 30 – Final version and adjudicated comments report to Standard Working Group
• Oct 30 – Standards Working Group Approval
• Jan 15, 2011 – Signature by Chair, FGDC Steering Committee and publication

Two profiles of the standard have been developed 

• USPS – To support USPS Publication 28 and UPU Standards
• NENA – To manage emergency address uses

Already a number of jurisdictions in North America have adopted the address standard including Massachusetts, Oregon, and British Columbia.

The aspect of the development of this standard which differentiates it from other Federally sponsored standards initiatives and makes it an exemplary model for similar types of initiatives is that this was a community process, which Martha Wells, who gave the presentation, called “outside the beltway”, meaning that it was a grass roots project that was entirely done my volunteers, Martha Wells, Ed Wells, Carl Anderson, Sara Yurman, and Hilary Perkins, rather than by Federal bureaucrats.  Apparently, the only Federal money involved was a $20,000 grant at the start of the project to cover expenses such as conference calls.  Really an incredible achievement !