Auxiliary file requirements
GeoStan requires that the auxiliary file comply with the following:
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File must be a fixed-width text file
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On Windows and UNIX, text file must be ASCII
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On MVS, each text file must be in EBCDIC, and the DDNAME for the auxiliary file must end in a number (for example, AUXFIL1)
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File must have a .gax extension on Windows and UNIX
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File must have less than 500,000 records
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File must follow the column field order and lengths specified in Auxiliary file layout
Record types
You can include two types of records in your auxiliary file.
Street Records
A street record contains a range of one or more addresses on a street. To be a valid street record the record must have the following fields:
- ZIP Code
- Street name
- Street type abbreviation, if part of the address
- Predirectional abbreviation, if part of the address
- Postdirectional abbreviation, if part of the address
- Low house number within the street segment
- High house number within the street segment
- Beginning longitude of the street segment
- Beginning latitude of the street segment
In addition, a street record may NOT have:
- Secondary address information, such as unit numbers
- Mailstops
- Private mail boxes (PMBs)
Landmark Records
A landmark record represents a single site. To be a valid landmark record the record must have the following fields:
- ZIP Code
- Name of the landmark – placed in the street name field
- Beginning latitude of the landmark
- Beginning longitude of the landmark
In addition, a landmark record may NOT have the following fields:
- Street type abbreviation
- Predirectional abbreviation
- Postdirectional abbreviation
- Low house number
- High house number
During processing GeoStan ignores any record that does not comply with the preceding requirements.
Auxiliary file organization
You must comply with the following organizational rules when creating your auxiliary file.
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Use semicolons in the first column to indicate a row is a comment, not a data record; GeoStan ignores rows that begin with a semicolon.
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Order the records within the file by descending ZIP Code then descending street name for optimal performance.
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All records must represent one or both sides of a street.
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All records must represent segments that are straight lines. Records cannot represent a non-straight segment.
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If house numbers are present in the record, the house number range must be valid according to USPS rules documented in Publication 28.
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The numeric fields, such as ZIP Codes, must contain all numbers.
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Latitude and Longitude values must be in millionths of decimal degrees.
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Records cannot contain PO Box addresses.
Default values
GeoStan uses the following defaults if you do not include the values in the auxiliary file:
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House number parity = B (both odds and evens)
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Segment direction = F (forward) or A (ascending), these are interchangeable.
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Side of street = U (unknown)