New system to help HK Post Office deliver the goods
ALL 2.5 MILLION addresses in the Special Administrative Region will each be assigned a unique eight-digit postcode in the next fiscal year, in an effort to upgrade Hongkong Post's services.
Once in place, the $11 million system will be the most advanced of its kind in the world. The first seven digits of a postcode are randomly generated for a specific delivery point. The last one enables machines to pick up input errors at the first point of entry.
This columnist tackled the need for a postcode in the territory last November, triggering a string of letters to the editor both for and against the proposition. The authority first studied the issue two decades ago. But officials are now convinced a state-of-the-art postcode scheme will benefit Hong Kong.
The code will be optional – people will still be expected to spell out addresses in full so the 1,700 deliverers will know where to take letters without referring to the address database each time. Unlike similar schemes in Japan and the US, a person cannot associate a particular location with a postcode.
In Singapore, the last two digits of a postcode define the block number of a premises in an estate.
Senior Controller of Posts (Development) Albert Li Chow-ming, who is in charge of the SAR project, said such a system would not work in Hong Kong because of the territory's rapid development. "We may soon run out of digits for a particular street area. Random numbers are the best safeguard against the need for changes as a result of local development," he said.
Among other benefits, the postcode system can enhance the efficiency of automated letter sorting.
The post office is already equipped with optical-character readers to handle mail traffic with type-written addresses in both Chinese and English without a postcode. The Chinese recognition rate, however, has been lower than desired. Meanwhile, there has been a surge in Chinese-addressed mail since the handover in 1997. A numerical code can help solve this problem. The system can also help fine-tune marketing activities and better scheduling of courier services.
The future Hongkong Post Address Database will be linked with the Planning Department's Tertiary Planning Unit demarcations, which have been adopted for census purposes. The connection will make the demographic and other data of a particular district more amenable for analytical purposes.
In theory, users can also type in their postcodes to locate, for instance, all the child-care centres in the vicinity. Hongkong Post will designate licensees to provide technical support for bulk mailers to migrate to the new system, while each household will be notified of the postcode assigned to it.
A postcode and address look-up facility will also be made available at the post office's Web site: www.hongkongpost.com.
"This is not meant to be a big bang event. We expect the postcode take-up rate to reach 70 per cent in three years," Mr Li said.
Deputy Postmaster-General Allan Chiang Yam-wang said a late start had its advantages. Most postcode schemes elsewhere have evolved over the years and are therefore not flexible enough to maximise the latest technologies. Once structured, it will be difficult for users to adapt to a new code.
The post office is considering whether special requests for both individuals and institutions to use their telephone numbers as their postcode can be entertained. It is also looking into the possibility of reserving some lucky numbers for auction. The proceeds could either go to charities or help finance the scheme.
