I was looking for a (German) data source containing current post code areas (PLZ).
I only know this (old) data link from PLZ - Seven which is licensed CC0 1.0.
They are also included in OSM, but I didn’t test it yet.
Are there similar areas for other European countries?
ANSWERS:
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PLZ - Seven
License: CC0 1.0
© unknown (Post)
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OSM extract
License: ODbL
© OpenStreetMap contributors
OEDB: boundaries.osm_postcode
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eurostat NUTS links
License: Diese Daten dürfen nur unter der Berücksichtigung nachstehender Klauseln heruntergeladen und genutzt werden: Die Kommission gewährt das nicht ausschließliche und nicht übertragbare Recht zur Nutzung und Verarbeitung der von dieser Seite heruntergeladenen Eurostat Daten (nachstehend “Daten”). Die Genehmigung zur Nutzung der Daten wird unter der Voraussetzung gewährt, dass:
- die Daten nicht zu kommerziellen Zwecken verwendet werden und
- ihre Quelle in jeder Veröffentlichung in Papier- oder elektronischer Form, in der die von dieser Seite heruntergeladenen Daten verwendet werden, mittels eines Hinweises, wie im Hilfstext ausgeführt, angegeben wird.
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Destatis Gemeindeverzeichnis
License: Vervielfältigung und Verbreitung, auch auszugsweise, mit Quellennachweis gestattet.
© Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), 2017
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GADM
License: This dataset is freely available for academic use and other non-commercial use. Redistribution, or commercial use is not allowed without prior permission.
https://www.suche-postleitzahl.org/downloads has well maintained OSM extracts as shapefiles, which should thus be ODbL licensed (but couldn’t find a note about it)
I don’t know about anything similar in other countries other than NUTS.
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Hi Ludwig,
Eurostat has made linkages between countrywise postal codes and NUTS areas.
As far as I can see, they’ve just been updated this month:
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts/correspondence-tables/postcodes-and-nuts
Best, Fabian
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For Germany there is also the list Gemeindeverzeichnis from the German “Statistisches Bundesamt” with the following copyright: “Reproduction and distribution, also of parts, are permitted provided that the source is mentioned.”
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For administrative boundaries, http://gadm.org/ can also be useful (at least for academic purposes). Probably some matching of the region names to tables from statistical offices is required of course.
This dataset is freely available for academic use and other non-commercial use. Redistribution, or commercial use is not allowed without prior permission.
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Hi Ludwig. New Scientist just ran an article on addressing systems (Howgego 2017) and in particular what3words. But they also discuss at length the fact that United Kingdom postcodes are the intellectual property of the now privatized Royal Mail and the government-owned Ordnance Survey. Third party websites which used to map UK postcodes to lat/long have now shut after receiving cease and desist letters. The article notes (p32) that “the irony is that an open database allowing users to convert postcodes to geocodes for free would be a catalyst for innovation”. And then goes on to quantify the economic benefits of making postcode information freely available.
References
Howgego, Joshua (5 August 2017). “Getting on the map: how to fix the problem with addresses”. New Scientist. 235 (3137): 30–32. ISSN 0262-4079.
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Thanks for the help and nice links.
I included the OSM data set in the OEDB - boundaries.
I will have another look at the other links and include them if open data.
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