ZIP code resources (from Anurag Mehta)

From: mehtaag@ucunix.san.uc.EDU (Anurag Mehta)
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 22:07:09 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SUM: zipcode + thanks

before i summarize the responses i recieved, let me just say one thing - HOLY COW!! as you can no doubt see, i received an OVERWHELMING number of responses. to say that the lists came thru in fine style would perhaps be an understatement. hopefully people will be as enthusiastic in june when i graduate and need a job. thanks a lot to everyone that took the time to reply. of course i recieved some "put down" sort of responses as well: one gentlman was concerned about the misuse of government money for research, somebody thought it extremely improper to use lowercase letters and questioned my education, and somebody had the usual nationalistic problem about whether i needed american / non-american data.

while submitting the request i suppose i should have clarified that i knew about the zipcode coverages available in the sample datasets of various software, but had been given to understand that these are not very current, and not very homogenous. hence the search for other-than-software sources.

here's the summary of responses other than software sample datasets, in the following format:

source; url/phone; contact person; cost.

please note that this is only info i have received, i cannot vouch for any of it, and none of it is my recommendation.

1. Business Map - Scientific Technologies (includes the ArcView engine to drive the program); (520) 325-3185, fax 325-3073; Barbara Lucero; $99.95

2. (only url) zipcode.html

http:// 3. Dynamap/ZIP - Geographic Data Technology (updated yearly); 800-331-7881; Keith Druhl or Michelle; annual liscence fee - $250 per state or $995 entire country (US).

4. ArcCity data set includes zip code data.

5. (only url) http://www.switchboard.com

6. ZipBase - Urban Decision Systems; 800-633-9568; $200.

7. (only url) http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html

8. GDT data - Geographic Services Corp.; dick@geoserve.com (Dick Kelley) ; annual subscription with quarterly updates costs $1875.

9. Point zipcode data are at: http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/geo/www/tiger/resource.html and is 300 kb in size for all of the U.S. (including AK and HI). there is also a quick lookup of zipcodes by name, county, and zip at http://tiger.census.gov/places.html (both locations have ftp files)

10. Claritas - current zip code boundaries; Paul Evans; 800-234-5973.

11. CIESIN processed TIGER boundary files from which you can approximate zip code boundaries; http://ftp.ciesin.org:/pub/census/usa/zipeq

12. (only url) http://www.sammdata.com/

13. (only url) tsui.html

hope this is useful

regards

anurag

WWW Homepage: http://ucunix.san.uc.edu/~mehtaag/

All views expressed are my own. Any similarity with official university views is purely coincidental.