A 'forgotten' postal code is getting a new identity. On July 16, the Development Research Center of the State Post Bureau and the Space-Time Big Data Innovation Center of Peking University proposed the construction of a "new postal code". After the construction is completed, everyone in the future can establish a unified and unique "personal address ID (unique code)". In addition, each express package will also have its own ID, which can be associated with all package-related information, including courier information, shipping information, delivery information, etc.
The volume of express delivery business is growing explosively, and the traditional logistics operation model is somewhat "laggy". The traditional and original postal code has faded out of sight because it cannot adapt to the current complex distribution environment of the express delivery industry. Industry experts said that after the completion of the new postal code construction, in addition to the innovation of ID information technology, it will also reduce express delivery labor costs, distribution costs, vehicle costs, etc., greatly improve distribution efficiency, and even push the express delivery industry into an unmanned era.
"Recompile" postal code
When it comes to postal codes, most people's impressions still remain on the 6-digit number filled in when sending a letter or package. Due to its limitations, postal codes have gradually faded out of people's sight. When filling in express delivery information, postal codes have gradually become an unnecessary option. To this end, the Development Research Center of the State Post Bureau and the Spatiotemporal Big Data Innovation Center of Peking University proposed the construction of a "new postal code". The project is based on the national key research and development program "Global Location Framework and Coding System". Divide the earth's space (or earth's surface) into multi-level discrete grids with similar volume (area) shapes and no gaps or overlaps. Each divided grid has a unique code, which has the characteristics of multi-scale, identifiable, positionable, indexable, computable, and automatic spatial association. In the future, this system can be used for surveying and mapping place names and addresses, national postal codes, land and real estate, public security house numbers, and even manhole covers, telephone poles, etc. in smart cities.
From the perspective of postal codes, the current encoding granularity is too coarse and the capacity is insufficient to directly correspond to the space, which makes it difficult to be widely used in life. Therefore, it is crucial to innovate postal code rules based on the global location unified coding model. After the establishment of the "new postal code", it will form a unified rule across the country and even the world, which can be accurate to the door.
Chen Bo, deputy director of the Space-Time Big Data Innovation Center of Peking University, said that the current preliminary draft is to divide the new postal code into an address identification encoding model and a short code model. The former is mainly used to uniquely identify geographical entities and can interpret and calculate spatial relationships with a certain accuracy, while the latter is convenient for people to remember and use, and can simplify the address grid coding into the form of "short code + place name address".
can create exclusive ID
Specifically, after the "new postal code" system is completed, individuals can use ID card and other information to register a personal address ID. Zhou Xiaoguang, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said that in the future the State Post Bureau could establish a public platform for the management of residents’ personal shipping address codes. Residents can register on the platform through their ID card information and obtain a personal address library bound to their ID cards. The address database contains the recipient's mobile phone number information and shipping address coding information. During the express delivery service, citizens select the address they want to send to in the address database and send the corresponding code to the courier. The courier enters the address in the form of code into the system and starts shipping.
In addition, one ID card information can be registered for multiple addresses to meet the user's needs for multiple address receipts. For example, the company address and home address can be separately coded, and the user can change the address information at any time.
Enterprises can also establish unified compilation rules through this system. After future coding is completed, each package sent will have a unified ID that can be associated with all package-related information, including courier information, shipping information, delivery information, etc.
At this stage, when each express delivery company prepares express codes, due to differences in their own production methods and operating methods, the rules for preparing express codes vary.At present, express delivery companies mainly use three-segment codes for manual sorting. During the implementation survey, it was found that due to incomplete address database information or untimely system updates, there are cases where individual three-segment codes are generated incorrectly, requiring sorters to use Pen relabeling. In addition, the outlets of express delivery companies are frequently adjusted, and the responsible areas are also constantly changing, causing the three-segment code to constantly change, which is not conducive to management and memory. Some express delivery companies assign terminal address database maintenance rights to end outlets. Frequent turnover of personnel makes it difficult to improve the address database of express delivery companies, thereby reducing the accuracy and efficiency of end delivery.
It is understood that after the "New Postal Code" system is completed, enterprises can use the system to achieve data unification, so that business systems in different enterprises, industries and even different countries can use a unified spatial language to facilitate the coordination of multi-party logistics organizations and facilitate big data manage. In addition, the new postal code is more convenient for machine analysis, accurately identifies the destination based on the place name and address database, reduces the transfer link, further flattens the logistics process, and improves transfer timeliness.
In addition, the establishment of new postal codes will also accelerate the unmanned process of the express delivery industry. At this stage, complex and inaccurate place name and address information is a huge challenge for "machine delivery guys" whose level of intelligence is still limited. Drones and unmanned vehicles will be the "delivery brothers" of the future. In the future, drone routes may be more congested than roads, so it is crucial to use unified coding to solve the control problem of drones.
quickly reduces costs
In fact, at this stage, some companies have begun to make corresponding "map" products for "address needs". In 2018, JD released JD Maps focusing on robot maps and intelligent driving data applications. Relying on the full-process production system of map data collection, processing, release and application independently developed by JD.com, JD.com Maps has laid the foundation for the application layout and external technology of JD.com’s unmanned technology in the fields of smart logistics, smart retail, smart transportation, smart cities and other fields. .
And SF Express Technology also launched "SF Express Map" in March this year, accumulating a large amount of data in user ordering, intelligent dispatching, transit sorting, planning transportation, terminal distribution and other aspects, and precipitating a variety of logistics solutions, from the data level The map has been deeply customized and developed at the application level. SF Map relies on big data, cloud computing and other technologies to provide couriers with two-way geocoding, intelligent input prompts, address reachability services and other functions, improving the courier's entry efficiency.
In Zhou Xiaoguang's view, the establishment of new postal codes can better unify data information between enterprises and greatly reduce costs. He said that among the handling costs of distribution centers, the handling costs of sorting operations account for about 90%, while in labor-intensive distribution centers, the manpower directly involved in sorting operations accounts for 50%. 30%-40% of the entire distribution center's operating time is occupied by sorting operation time. According to the data he provided, after the establishment of the new postal code system, the area of the sorting area can be reduced by 27%, express delivery vehicles can be reduced by 71%, terminal delivery vehicles can be reduced by 77%, express delivery staff can be reduced by 41%, and total distribution costs can be reduced by 44%.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Chen Yunzhe
