States Continue to Spur Growth of National Address Database, Bringing in New Partners & Making Strong Case for Multi-Use Data
New Orleans, LA -- At a pair of sessions presented at the annual conference of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) on Sept. 22 in Dallas, representatives from the US Department of Transportation delivered the latest update in the efforts to build a robust National Address Database to meet the needs for open and authoritative data across government and industry.
Steve Lewis, Geospatial Information Officer for the USDOT, provided a live demonstration of an innovative new visualization tool for the National Address Database (NAD), developed in partnership with geospatial technology giant Esri. This “sneak peek” offered a glimpse of the future of the NAD, which had been previously available only in bulk download.
“The National Address Database is clearly moving forward with greater momentum as additional partners bring their unique insights and tools to the table,” said NSGIC President Frank Winters, who serves as Geospatial Information Officer for the State of New York. Over his leadership term with NSGIC, Winters has devoted significant energy to convening a widening group of private sector firms to discuss authoritative data for wayfinding and other use cases for a true National Address Database.
Throughout the US, states and local governments work together to build and maintain geographic information systems (GIS) data for addresses, states, bridges, exit numbers, and work zones. NSGIC work as a convenor has taken the form of seeking out and developing new partnerships to help states maximize the benefits of the complex work of data development.
“We don’t expect our citizens and visitors to go to our state GIS websites in huge numbers to experience our work,” said Winters. “Instead, we reach our citizens and visitors by working with commercial GPS, wayfinding, mobile phone mapping, and vehicle companies. Even package delivery can be made noticeably more efficient using these data, reducing vehicle emissions and improving the economy. When millions of people, through billions of trips, benefit from our work, our impact scales.”
The existence and proper location of every address is essential to public safety, enabling dispatchers to quickly and accurately send help when needed and improving highway safety by notifying drivers of work zones or providing bridge clearance data so wayfinding apps or even automakers can consider vehicle heights when suggesting a route.
With 24 states currently contributing to the National Address Database and 11 more in the queue, the NAD has become a clear solution for uses across the public and private sectors.
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“The National Address Database is a true example of effective partnerships across all levels of government. These state, local, and tribal government partnerships allow USDOT to compile a cost effective, authoritative, and open database of address points. It should be a model for many other National Geospatial Data Assets.,” said Steve Lewis, US Department of Transportation Geospatial Information Officer.
“Esri is happy to contribute to the creation of this new tool,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “Accurate location data is crucial for the many government agencies charged with maintaining the structural integrity and safety of the nation’s infrastructure, and NSGIC has been instrumental in bringing that information to the professionals who need it the most.”
“Open access to authoritative geospatial data has always been critical for personnel in government,” said Sean Breyer, Esri ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World program manager. “The organizations and departments that deal with the physical assets that the country relies on are particularly dependent on valuable sources of information that can be easily accessed and visualized. This new tool makes their jobs easier to do at a greater scale than ever before.”
“The National Address Database is a trusted data source that will allow Google Maps to more seamlessly keep its US map accurate and up-to-date - empowering Americans everywhere to navigate, explore, and get things done,” said Holli Howard, Data Operations at Google Maps.
“TomTom is proud to support NSGIC, and the continued development of the National Address Database (NAD),” said Robert Hoyler, TomTom Senior Partner Development Manager. “The can-do enthusiasm of the NSGIC membership creates an impressive synergy, which drives collaborative action and promotes awareness of the importance of geospatial data. This is the basis from which beneficial public private partnerships can ultimately emerge. Access to open authoritative geospatial data, such as the NAD, will allow TomTom to more effectively contribute towards impactful solutions for the benefit of the public.”
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The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) exists to advance effective national coordination of geospatial information by supporting state-level cooperation by serving as a national forum for the development of capable and future-oriented geospatial leadership. Established in 1991, NSGIC’s members and collaborators are state government Geospatial Information Officers, other state GIS leaders, representatives from local, regional, tribal, and federal governments, subject matter experts from the private sector, and other national nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit nsgic.org or email Executive Director Molly Schar at molly.schar@nsgic.org.
Photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash