Review of Content StandardUniversal Postal Union Standards December, 2005
This review is intended to assess the potential utility of content standards for use and potentially for inclusion in an ISO 11179-based metadata registry. The review is directed primarily toward the utility of the standard itself, rather than to matching the standard with specific agency programs. The review covers issues such as the subject area, currency, quality, authority, and acceptance of the standards. These are factors that need to be taken into account no matter what the programmatic application of the standard may be.
1. Summary
This review provides a summary of the set of data definition and encoding standards developed by the Universal Postal Union. General information about UPU standards is given, along with a list of the relevant standards. The CMAP “UPU Standards Relationships” shows relationships among the UPU standards and other related standards.
The postal service forms part of the daily life of people all over the world. Even in the digital age, the Post remains, for millions of people, the most accessible means of communication and message delivery available. The postal services of the Universal Postal Union's 190 member countries form the largest physical distribution network in the world. More than six million postal employees work in over 700,000 postal outlets to ensure that some 430 billion mail items are processed and delivered each year to all corners of the world. Keeping pace with the changing communications market, Posts are increasingly using new communication and information technologies to move beyond what is traditionally regarded as their core postal business. They are meeting higher customer expectations with an expanded range of products and value-added services.
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with its Headquarters in the Swiss capital Bern is the second oldest international organisation after the International Telecommunications Union. With 190 member countries, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between postal services and helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services. In this way, the organisation fulfils an advisory, mediating and liaison role, and renders technical assistance where needed. It sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail volumes and to improve the quality of service for customers. However, as a non-political organisation, it does not interfere in matters that fall within the domestic domain of national postal services. For example, Posts set their own postage rates, decide which and how many postage stamps to issue, and how to manage their postal operations and staff. By virtue of its mission to develop social, cultural and commercial communication between people through the efficient operation of the postal service, the UPU is called upon to play an important leadership role in promoting the continued revitalization of postal services.
The same forces affecting the world's Posts - globalization, growing customer expectations, increased competition and progress in communications technologies - have also caused the UPU to review its own mission and role. Although its fundamental mission of developing social, cultural and commercial communication among the people of the world has remained remarkably constant throughout its history, the UPU has seen the need to reshape its structures in order better meet the needs and expectations of its members. The UPU will continue to work toward the goal of ensuring that all people have affordable and reliable access to postal services. One of its future roles will be to develop and monitor standards for the provision of universal postal service, including such features as access to service, efficiency, customer satisfaction, security and reasonable pricing. The UPU will also continue to provide technical assistance, training and consultant services in order to improve the quality of the postal service and help implement new systems in developing countries. The future role of the UPU will be one that is more inclusive of external stakeholders, ensuring that the changing needs of postal customers are addressed effectively. The UPU will therefore increasingly provide a global forum for its members and external partners. In this way, it will remain a vital force in the continued development of postal services.
The mission of the Universal Postal Union is to foster the sustainable development of quality universal, efficient accessible postal services in order to facilitate communication among the people of the world by:
· Guaranteeing the free circulation of postal items through an interconnected single postal territory
· Promoting the adoption of fair and common standards and the application of technology
· Cooperation and interaction among stakeholders
· Facilitating the effective provision of technical cooperation
· Ensuring that the changing needs of customers are addressed
Standards are important prerequisites for effective postal operations and for interconnecting the global postal network. The UPU's Standards Board develops and maintains a growing number of technical standards and EDI message specifications to improve the exchange of postal-related information between Posts, and promotes the compatibility of UPU and international postal initiatives. It works closely with Posts, customers, suppliers and other partners, including many international organizations. The Standards Board ensures that coherent standards are developed in areas such as electronic data interchange (EDI), mail encoding, postal forms and meters.
2. Identification of Standard
2.1. Title
UPUTechnical Standards and UPUEDIMessaging Standards are listed in Section 3.
2.2. Acronym
UPU
2.3. Web page(s), Identifier, or Contact Information:
2.3.1 Web page(s)
http://www.upu.int/
2.3.2 Identifier
See Section 3.1.
2.3.3 Contact Information
Correspondence and questions about standards may be sent to the following address:International Bureau of the UPU
Standards Program manager
Case postale 13
3000 BERNE 15
SWITZERLAND
Tel.: / +41 31 350 32 44
or: / +41 31 350 31 11
Fax: / +41 31 350 31 10
E-mail: /
2.4 Authority
2.4.1 Creator
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties.
2.4.2. Acceptance as authoritative
Prior to the establishment of the UPU, a country had to conclude a separate postal treaty with each other country that it wished to carry international mail to or from. The United States called for an international postal congress, which was held in 1863. This led Heinrich von Stephan, Prussian Minister for Posts, to found the Universal Postal Union, the second oldest international organization (after the ITU). It was created in 1874, under the name "General Postal Union", as a result of the Treaty of Berne signed on 9 October 1874. In 1878 the name was changed to "Universal Postal Union".
The UPU established that (1) there should be a more or less uniform flat rate to mail a letter anywhere in the world; (2) postal authorities should give equal treatment to foreign and domestic mail; and (3) each country should retain all monies it collected for international postage.
One of the most important results of the UPU treaty was that it ceased to be necessary, as it often had been previously, to affix the stamps of any country through which one's letter or package would pass in transit; the UPU provides that stamps of member nations are accepted for the whole international route.
After the foundation of the United Nations, the UPU became its specialized agency.
2.5 Publisher
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the worldwide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties.
2.6 Language(s)
English.
3. Content description
Code list number Code list name
0 UPU Master Code List
001 UPU Standard numbers
100 Consignment Event Codes
101 Consignment Status Codes
102 Container Identifier Assignment Agency Codes
103 Container Event Codes
104 Dangerous Goods Type Code List Maintenance Agency Codes
105 EMSEVT Event Codes
106 Event Reason Codes
107 Handling Class Codes
108 International Mail Processing Centre (IMPC) Codes
109 Issuer codes
110 Item Customer Charging Arranging Codes
111 Item Customs Retention Codes
112 Item Non-Delivery Reason Codes
113 Item Non-Delivery Action Taken Codes
114 Location Type/Function Codes
115 Mail Category Codes
116 Mail Class Codes
117 Mail Sub-Class Codes
118 Organisation Identifiers
119 Receptacle Event Codes
120 Format of Contents Codes
121 Receptacle Type / Aggregate form of presentation Codes
122 Receptacle Weight Type Codes
123 Responsible Agency Codes
124 Service Indicator Codes
125 TRAKIT Event Codes
126 Transport Mode Codes
127 Accounting Method Codes
128 Date/Time Status Indicator
129 Container Disposition Codes
130 Representation Symbology Codes
131 Level of Presence Codes
132 Item Dutiable Indicator Codes
133 Item Duty Charging Arrangements codes
134 Proof of Delivery Level Codes
135 Reason Codes
136 Item Nature Indication Codes
137 Item Non-Delivery Disposition Codes
138 Payment On Delivery Method Codes
139 Location Codes
140 Payment on Delivery Validation Method Codes
141 Service Data Codes
142 Entity Type Codes (superseded; not for use)
143 Entity Condition Codes
144 Event Report (EVTRPT) Event Codes
145 Event Status Codes
146 Location Function Codes (superseded; not for use)
148 Entity Status Codes
149 S35 Party-ID Category Codes
150 UPU EDIFACT Data Element 9164 Group Codes
151 Money order product types
152 Money order product qualifier codes
153 Party role
154 Entity type code
155 Location function codes
156 S37 format codes
157 ISO/IEC 15459 identifier prefix codes
158 Container type
159 Interchange network identifier codes
160 Interchange network party addresses (not yet available)
161 Aggregate mailstream segregation codes
163 Basic service codes for letter mail
164 Supplementary service codes for letter mail
165 Basic service codes for parcels
166 Supplementary service codes for parcels
167 Basic service codes for EMS
168 Supplementary service codes for EMS items
169 Basic service codes for empty receptacles
170 Supplementary service codes for empty receptacles
171 Defining authority codes
172 Service code process data type
173 Size units codes
174 Weight units codes
175 Product
176 Special content descriptor
177 Service codes for use with defining authority code value 5
178 Event cross-reference type
3.1 Subject area of content and area of application/3.2 Kind of content
10 © UPU 2005 – All rights reserved
2 Data definition and encoding standards
S3 Airport identification
The standard IATA 3-character airport codes are used to identify airports for postal purposes.
S4 Air carrier identification
The standard IATA 2-character air carrier codes are used to identify air carriers for postal purposes.
S5 Country identification codes
The standard ISO alpha-2 country codes are used to identify countries for postal purposes.
S6 Offices of exchange WITHDRAWN
Please refer to document S34, Registration of international mail processing centers, for the current standard.
S7 Postal consignments WITHDRAWN
Please refer to document S32, Postal consignments, for the current standard.
S8 Postal dispatches
A postal dispatch is a collection of mail – normally in bags or other receptacles – that is being transported from one international mail-processing centre to another. A dispatch is identified by a unique 20-character dynamic identifier which contains information about the dispatch.
S9 Postal receptacles – identification of content
A postal receptacle is a container used for the transportation of a uniquely identifiable collection of one or more letters, packets, empty bags, or items being transported together as part or all of a dispatch. Its contents are identified by a unique 29-character dynamic identifier which contains information about the receptacle. This identifier fulfils various objectives relating to operations, quality of service, security, and accounting.
S10 13 Character identifier for postal items
Part A: Identifier structures and encoding principles
This document forms Part A of a multi-part UPU standard, S10: Identification of postal items. S10 was originally published as a single part standard covering only one form of item identification, but has been split into parts in order both to permit different standardization status to be associated with its application to different types of mail item and to allow the standard to be extended to cover other forms of item identifier.
S10b Part B: 13 character identifier for EMS items
This part of the standard defines the structure of a 13 character identifier for items of mail class E (EMS items). It does not apply to items falling under other mail classes.
S10c Part C: 13 character identifier for special letter products
This part of the standard defines the structure of a 13 character identifier for items of mail class U (letters) that require item level reconciliation and/or tracking. It particularly applies to recorded delivery, registered, insured and Exprès letters, and to letters that are subject to cash-on-delivery services. It does not apply to normal letter-mail items or to items falling under other mail classes.
S10d Part D: 13 character identifier for parcels
This part of the standard defines the structure of a 13 character identifier for items of mail class C (parcels) that require item level reconciliation and/or tracking. It particularly applies to recorded delivery, registered, insured and EPG parcels, and to parcels that are subject to cash-on-delivery services. For these, it provides an alternative to the use of license plates, which are covered in S26.
It does not apply to items falling under other mail classes.
S10e Part E: Domestic / bilateral use of 13 character identifiers
This part of the standard defines the structure of a 13 character identifier for domestic items and for items, requiring item level reconciliation and/or tracking that are subject to bilateral or multilateral interchange agreements. It may be applied to any items of any mail class except EMS, but should be used only in circumstances in which adherence to parts C of D of the standard has been determined to be infeasible or inappropriate.
S11 Item tracking events
It is becoming increasingly important to track various events for particular postal products as they move through the postal system from posting to delivery. These item-tracking events were originally designed for EMS items but can be used to track other items as well.
S21 Data presentation in ASN.1
This standard is part of a series of standards for the UPU, for use in automatic data capture techniques (such as RFID and digital indicia). The document specifies the general presentation rules for transfer of ASN.1 data schemes between UPU members.