{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.postal-code","code":"thing-q37447","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q37447/","name":"postal code","alternateNames":["postal codes in France","Código de Endereçamento Postal","ZIP code","postcodes in the United Kingdom","postal codes in Sweden","postal addresses in Gibraltar","Danish postal code","Australian postcode","Moroccan postcode","postal code in Italy","postal code in Germany","postal codes in Belgium"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A series of letters, digits or both appended to a postal address to aid mail sorting, used in most countries, such as the United States ZIP code introduced in 1963, United Kingdom postcodes rolled out from 1959 to 1974, the Brazilian Codigo de Enderecamento Postal or CEP, the five-digit French code postal, Swedish postal codes introduced in 1968 and Gibraltar s single postcode GX11 1AA; postal codes are widely reused for geography, statistics, pricing and service areas.","purpose":"Let an agent explain postal codes, relay formats, histories and uses from postal operator and UPU sources, describe the national systems the registry aliases name, and distinguish postal codes from addresses, administrative area codes, telephone area codes and geocodes.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Sorting aid","National formats","Reused for geography","Not administrative boundaries"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a postal code is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a postal code, and how does it differ from addresses, administrative codes, phone area codes and geocodes?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a specific country, looking up a code or data use?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"systems","name":"Systems","description":"Named national systems.","findings":[{"id":"systems-finding","name":"Systems","description":"Systems.","questions":[{"text":"How do ZIP codes, UK postcodes, CEP, French codes postaux, Swedish codes and the Gibraltar postcode work?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific system?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"origins","name":"Origins","description":"Origins.","findings":[{"id":"origins-finding","name":"Origins","description":"Origins.","questions":[{"text":"How did postal districts evolve into modern postal codes?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"mechanisation","name":"Mechanisation","description":"Mechanisation.","findings":[{"id":"mechanisation-finding","name":"Mechanisation","description":"Mechanisation.","questions":[{"text":"How did codes enable automated sorting?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"uses","name":"Uses","description":"Other uses.","layers":[{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Geographic data.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Data.","questions":[{"text":"How are postal codes used in statistics, insurance and geocoding?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits geocoding?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"concerns","name":"Concerns","description":"Concerns.","findings":[{"id":"concerns-finding","name":"Concerns","description":"Concerns.","questions":[{"text":"What concerns about postcode lotteries and redlining have been raised, with sources attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits redlining?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Addressing.","layers":[{"id":"addresses","name":"Addresses","description":"Addressing.","findings":[{"id":"addresses-finding","name":"Addresses","description":"Addresses.","questions":[{"text":"How do postal codes fit into address formats worldwide?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits address?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"alternatives","name":"Alternatives","description":"Alternative systems.","findings":[{"id":"alternatives-finding","name":"Alternatives","description":"Alternatives.","questions":[{"text":"How do systems such as Ireland s Eircode or grid-based codes differ?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Eircode?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain postal code formats and histories for different countries from postal operator sources.","Validate or format a postal code against the official format of the country.","Look up which area a postal code covers using an authorized dataset."],"mustNot":["Use a postal code alone to judge a person's creditworthiness, character or risk.","Combine a postal code with other data to identify a person without a lawful basis.","Invent or guess a postal code and present it as correct.","Copy proprietary postal code datasets in breach of their licence."],"requiresHuman":["Using postal codes to set prices, insurance or service levels that affect people."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Postal codes can act as a proxy for income, ethnicity or class, enabling discrimination.","Wrong codes delay mail, deliveries and emergency services."],"affectedParties":["Residents of disadvantaged areas","Senders and recipients","Emergency callers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The national postal operator or designated authority that assigns codes.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["National postal address files"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q2004972","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q36205316","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"administrative territorial entity identifier","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"address","type":"related"},{"target":"ZIP Code","type":"related"},{"target":"telephone numbering plan","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.postal-code","Wikidata: Q37447 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37447)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["US ZIP code: 1963 year - 5 digits, ZIP+4 from 1983","UK postcodes: 1959-1974 years - alphanumeric","Brazil CEP: 1971 year - 8 digits since 1992","Gibraltar postcode: GX11 1AA code - single code, 2012"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Code aiding mail sorting","ZIP code, UK postcode, CEP, code postal, Swedish postal code, Gibraltar postcode","Addresses identify places; administrative codes identify government areas; telephone area codes route calls; geocodes are coordinates","Not a visible object; codes written in addresses."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain formats","relay national histories","describe named systems","distinguish related codes"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Treating postal codes as administrative boundaries","Postcode-based discrimination in pricing, as reported","Stale code lists"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["UPU postal addressing standards S42","National postal operator rules"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Sorting mail and locating addresses.","numeric codes such as ZIP and code postal","alphanumeric codes such as UK and Canadian postcodes","single territory codes","extended codes such as ZIP+4"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q37447: postal code","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37447","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Postal code","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_code","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each national system be a separate entry?","How should postal operator sources be linked?","The registry alias postal addresses in Gibraltar is broader than postal codes; should it be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q37447/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q37447/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T19:53:27Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:59+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}