http://civicaccess.416.s1.nabble.com/slightly-OT-Free-snail-mail-to-your-MP-well-you-need-to-buy-an-envelope-tp161p170.html
The StatCan FSA files are .shp as are the 3 and 6 digit point files. I
of Ottawa from DMTI when I worked there. Nathalie (she is on the list!)
the time was suitable for viewing map and not analysis. And yes there
that data! We did already pay for it. As for recreating it, well, as a
a big job.
>Hi Tracey, list-members,
>
>I was waiting to introduce myself before jumping into this conversation.
>
>Postal codes are pretty handy for a lot of applications. The longitude
>and latitude for zip codes in the US is free, so many programmers have
>used them for store locators. Because of their cost in Canada, this
>has not been used as widely. The results: we have worse locators, and
>our programmers didn't have the same opportunity to create projects
>for local customers that could then be re-sold.
>
>As I was researching the topic, I found the following:
>
http://www.geoconnections.org/CGDI.cfm/fuseaction/developersCorner.details/id/1845/gcs.cfm>
>The .doc linked from that page mentions support for complex geometry
>for postal codes, so I emailed Patrick King, the contact listed about
>this and license terms. This was over a week ago, and he responded
>very promptly that he was trying to get the information and would get
>back to me soon. I'm pretty sure some higher-up bureaucrat is having
>fits over the implications of this demand. Some of my requests to
>other departments have taken months to get answers. Seeing how the
>government has made more and more things freely available (such as
>road network information), this would be a plausible development.
>
>The data you liked to that is sold by Canada Post is mainly useful for
>writing address validation and correction. The license terms cover
>re-distribution, but not web-services- I checked with the contact at
>CPC about this. This still leaves open the issue of 'derivative
>works'. That is, what if I had a web service that returned a postal
>code for an address- and you were to systematically query it with all
>the addresses in Canada? It would take some 10 million requests. You
>would not be able to reconstruct my data set- that is, you could not
>validate or correct addresses, as you would still be missing
>alternative spellings for locales. What you *would* be able to do is
>construct shapefiles and determine centre-points for each postal code.
>
>That data is currently sold by large vendors for $5,000 for a single
>license. This same data could be re-constructed for $3,000 and a lot
>of code. I am not a lawyer... anyone know the legal implications of
>this? It would be neat to put this in the public domain if Canada Post
>didn't/couldn't stop it.
>
>Once the postal code shapefiles are out, these could be
>cross-referenced with the federal riding information to re-create
>another product that is currently being sold by Statscan - the Postal
>Codes by Federal Riding that used to sell for $2,900 (I can't find any
>updated information or free sources in the public domain).
>
>Cheers,
>
>Daniel.
>
>On 1/15/06, Tracey P. Lauriault <
[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
>>Patrick! A nice sagueway for me to go on about Postal Code Data,
>>Geomatics and Access! My favorite!
>>
>>**************
>>Canada Post also manages and SELLS important datasets that
>>geodemographers, researchers, and companies use to manage mailing lists.
>>
>>These are unfortunately FOR SALE on a 12 month subscription basis and
>>priced for internal end-user and those who resell value added products
>>to a third party!
>>(
http://www.canadapost.ca/business/offerings/address_management/can/other_data-e.asp).
>>There is also a cute little find a postal code tool -
>>
http://www.canadapost.ca/business/tools/pcl/bin/quick-e.asp.
>>
>>Statistics Canada Geography Division in cooperation with Canada Post
>>also produce 3 digit (K1R) and 6 digit (K1R 7J4) postal code framework
>>data files (base maps)
>>(
http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=92F0153U). Each postal
>>code is represented on the base map as a point, and you can georeference
>>(link) other data sets to those points and map them (e.g. see where my
>>natural gas customers in Ottawa are). These data sets are also
>>aggregated into areas (polygons) called Forward Sortation Areas (FSA).
>>The area is defined by the geographic area of the first three digits of
>>a postal code and these can be mapped with census data and work with the
>>3 and 6 digit point files (e.g. i know where my customers are, and I
>>overlay that (points) onto an average income or language spoken at home
>>map (polygons/ares) to glean more information about who my customers are
>>and the nature of the neighbourhoods they live in). These data sets are
>>also aligned with road network, hydrography (rivers, lakes, etc.),
>>electoral boundaries to name a few.
>>
>>So when you buy something and you are asked you for your postal code -
>>guess what they are doing with that info! Then again, you can also map
>>the distance traveled by the customers of an organic food store, the
>>characteristics of their hoods and then decide the best place to build
>>another! Conduct spatial location analysis.
>>
>>These Base Map data sets are also FOR SALE, by Data resellers such as
>>DMTI or directly from Statistics Canada with all kinds of special data
>>licensing agreements . These data are only available for free if you
>>are a professor or a student conducting research for non-for-profit
>>purposes through the Data Liberation Initiative
>>(
http://www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/dli.htm)
>>
>>These data sets are very powerful as you can, with the right GIS
>>software & knowledge & financial resources, map these to other data
>>sets such as Census of Population, Census of Agriculture or other
>>Statistics Canada, federal ridings results or private sector data and
>>conduct some excellent analysis. Much important analysis such as
>>demographics, profiling, risk assessment, spatial location analysis,
>>territory management, target market, delivery routes etc. can be done
>>with these.
>>
>>Few NGOs, neighbourhood associations or individual citizen have access
>>to these data as they are too costly.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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