USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons(postalpro.usps.com)
720 points by munro 2 days ago | 388 comments
tl;dr: USPS is now selling official ZIP Code boundary polygon data derived from its delivery address information, filling a long-standing gap since ZIP Codes are delivery routes rather than true geographic areas. The dataset is offered in three licensing tiers (Internal, Enterprise, Publication), each with quarterly updates, targeting industries like mapping, insurance, real estate, and logistics.
HN Discussion:
  • ↓Federal data should be free and publicly accessible, pricing is outrageous
  • ~Free alternatives like Census ZCTA shapefiles exist and suffice for most uses
  • ↓ZIP codes are fundamentally unsuited to represent as geographic polygons
  • ↑Official ZIP boundary data would solve real-world address ambiguity problems
  • •Questioning the legality/precedent of government selling taxpayer-funded data