Definition
OpenAddresses is a public data project that maintains a global, freely-available dataset of address-level geocoding. The project was founded in 2013 by OpenAddresses founder and lead developer, Alexander Wirth, and is supported financially by a collaboration of governmental and private organizations.OpenAddresses was created in response to the growing need for reliable address data in order to better understand and improve lives through services such as transportation, energy, foodsafety, etc. OpenAddresses is an open source project, meant to be freely available worldwide. The goal is to make quality address-level data accessible to citizens and businesses around the world.
The data is gathered from government data sources, open content on the web, volunteer mappers, and researchers. The data is then compiled into one global open dataset which is easy to use and analyze by anyone. Each address is assigned a standardized format, making it easier for users to work with the data. The data can then be used for a variety of purposes, such as mapping, geolocation, search, analytics, and more.
OpenAddresses is constantly adding data sources and improving the accuracy of its datasets. Over the years, OpenAddresses has added international sources for its datasets, such as the US Census and India's Bhoomi initiative, as well as launched a number of projects to get better quality address-level data from difficult countries.
OpenAddresses is also a growing problem-solving platform working to make data open and free while enabling data researchers, governments, and other entities to use this data to increase quality in their services. OpenAddresses is working to create an open infrastructure of address-level dataset that is open source and free to use, improving accuracy and providing access to data that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.
