New system keeps address data accurate

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It is meant to simplify the process of combining location based services (LBS) with corporate strategies, which often requires hours of planning on a manual system. The AVT supposedly streamlines the whole process of capturing address data and assigning X and Y coordinates. It systematically guides the user through a step-by-step process of capturing province, town, suburb and street data.

Address validation determines if an address in question actually exists. The result should be an accurate, well-structured address with spot on GPS co-ordinates. According to MapIT, the application is especially useful for improving mail/goods delivery, ensuring high quality database marketing, enabling enhanced customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions and therefore increased ROI by ensuring your information is used in an optimal manner.

"By having an in-house spatial address database, the door to business intelligence opens and creates a multitude of possibilities," explains Etienne Louw, MD of MapIT.

An accurate database

Business intelligence requires an accurate address database. Address capturing has numerous complicating factors which can be controlled by using the tool, which removes opportunities for people to guess or input manual data and helps to lower operating costs due to fewer undeliverable returns.

For example, a common mistake would be to assume that Durbanville is in Durban, when it forms part of the greater City of Cape Town metropolitan area. The AVT solves this type of problem. The person entering the address information (either over the phone or via the Internet) will not be physically able to enter incorrect details by following the step-by-step process of entering the correct data, resulting in an accurate database.

"Dirty data"

"Our research has shown that one of the great challenges of improving competitiveness of business in South Africa is the concept of dirty data. This is information that can't be extracted, exported or re-used because it is poorly captured," says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, a South African technology research company.

"Dirty data undermines business in areas as diverse as business intelligence, customer relationship management, knowledge management and market research. It also has a negative impact on government services. Any tool that addresses the problem at its roots will be of great benefit in both public and private enterprise."

To view the tool, go to www.addressvalidation.co.za.