If you live or frequently send mail to the United States, then you probably understand that one of the most important components of the address is getting the ZIP code correct in order to have your mail successfully arrive at the intended address.  The city or community that you list is not as important as long as the ZIP code is correct.  Standing for “Zone Improvement Plant”, the Census Bureau defines ZIP code as:

A Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code is the numerical code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service to designate a local area or entity for the delivery of mail. ZIP Codes may consist of 5, 7, 9, or 11 digits, and may refer to a street section, a collection of streets, an establishment, a structure, or a group of post office boxes.

Downloading GIS ZIP Code Data

There are some free sources for downloading ZIP Code data.

The US Census Bureau offers what is known as ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) which is a shapefile format polygon file of the generalized ZIP Code service areas.  There is a boundary file for the 2000 Census but the 2010 Census data for ZIP Codes is offered as an ASCII file via the Gazetter page.  The downloable 2010 ZIP Code file contains the five digit ZIP code,   2010 Census population and housing counts, and latitude/longitude values.

The ZIP Code Database Project offers public domain data based on the 200 census for ZIP Codes in either CSV or MySQL dump format.  The databases include geographic coordinates.

Zipdecode

Some have looked at the numbering scheme used for ZIP Codes.  Ben Fry created an basic application calledzipdecode that shows the location of all the ZIP codes in the United States.  You can type in a ZIP code and the location and name of that location will show up on the map.  If you hold down the shift key and type the first number of the ZIP code, the region of the United States is highlighted.  For example the number “9” highlights California, Oregon and Washington.  Highlighting through the entire set of nine numbers sequentially (1, 2, 3 etc.) provides an interesting manual animation of how the ZIP codes are laid out across the country.

Ben Fry's ZIP Code Map: Zipdecode.

US ZIPScribble Map

Robert Kosara took this idea a step further and created the US ZIPScribble Map.  His premise was to “connect the dots”.  He connected all the ZIP code point locations in ascending order and color coded the map to see if the ZIP codes adhered to state boundaries.  He found that some ZIP codes did adhere to state boundaries and others did not.

Robert Kosara's ZIP Scribble Map

App developers should be able to quickly get to grips with the newly released iPad mini, and will also be presented with several opportunities, including the creation of location-based apps, according to an industry expert.

The iPad mini, unveiled earlier this week, goes into direct competition with Google’s Nexus 7, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

While it’s unusual for Apple to follow in the footsteps of its rivals, it’s been reported Apple is concerned about the threat from Microsoft’s Surface tablet, which launches tomorrow. 

Foad Fadaghi, research director at technology analyst firm Telsyte, says there are several things app developers need to consider with regard to the iPad mini.

“I think because of the fact the resolution is the same as the iPad 2, it shouldn’t cause too many challenges for developers,” Fadaghi says.

“With the normal iPad, most people use it in the landscape format. The fact that you can lift [the iPad mini] on one hand means people might use it in the portrait format. 

“That might impact the way people design applications… The other small thing to consider is the iPad mini is a more portable device.”

“It might be more suitable to take around in a small bag or large pocket, which could lend itself to more location-based applications.”

“When things get smaller, it’s likely some new ideas might be generated around location-based apps usage.”

According to Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach, the iPad mini marks a significant shift in Apple’s strategy,

“For the first time in its recent history, it is responding to market pressures from its competitors, namely Google and Amazon, in bringing a smaller tablet to market,” Leach says. 

“Apple in the past has defined new products with new form factors and waited for the market to follow.”

“In this instance, Apple is following the market trend towards smaller, cheaper tablet form factors. This reflects a fundamental change in the way Apple operates.”

According to Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, the iPad mini is a device unlike any other.

“Others have tried to make tablets smaller than the iPad, and they’ve failed miserably. These are not great experiences,” Schiller said in his demonstration.

Schiller hit out at the Google Nexus in particular.

“The entire Android product is thicker and heavier than the iPad mini even though it has a smaller display,” he said.

“You get a tablet experience on the iPad mini. You get a scaled-up phone experience on the other.”