Postcode sectors, districts and areas

Introduction

Unit postcodes and the derivative postcode sector, district and area boundaries are the most widely used geographical building blocks in the United Kingdom.

The UK postcode system is hierarchical such that a full (unit) postcode

AB 1 1AA
falls within a postcode sector
AB 1 1
which is a component of the larger postcode district
AB 1
and postcode area
AB.
The number of units at each level of the hierarchy, and an illustration of the nesting of units within one another, is given in an Introduction to the UK postcode system.

Any postcoded data may be mapped using the postcode. Many organisations hold client records (eg new car sales) against an individual and their address. Addresses without postcodes can be postcoded using address matching software and the Postal Address File (PAF).

Numeric counts (eg the number of sales of a particular model of car) may be aggregated for mapping and analysis purposes to postcode sector, district or area levels. Sales performance, and other similar variables, may be displayed thematically using postcode boundaries in a Geographical Information System.

More sophisticated analyses might compare measured behaviour against predictive models designed around the 1991 Census, geodemographic classification schemes and survey research data. Output from such models can be used to define sales territories or plan wholesaler networks based on units of the postcode geography.

Prices are in UK Sterling and refer to single-user licensing on a personal computer.

Business Geographics postcode boundaries

Postcode boundaries compiled using Thiessen processing to produce contiguous non-overlapping boundaries around each of the 1.7 million unit postcodes on POSTZON, subsequently dissolved to postcode sector, district and area levels. This data set incorporates all geographic postcode sectors and is fully consistent with the Royal Mail files, ie unit postcode centroids from PAF and POSTZON will nest - except where there are gross errors on these data sets - within the correct postcode sector, district or area boundary.

Business Geographics postcode boundary sets are regularly updated in accordance with changes in PAF and POSTZON. 

Postcode sector, district and area boundaries: £2,000
Postcode district and area boundaries:         £1,650
Postcode area boundaries:                        £120
Full updates for sectors, districts and areas cost £1,000 pa guaranteeing at least two refreshes.

Geoplan postcode boundaries

Geoplan postcode boundary files are digitised directly from maps, at 1:50,000 scale (or larger scales in urban areas such as Central London), supplied by Royal Mail and updated every six months. The high positional accuracy facilitates the use of this data set with road and street maps, however, there is no guarantee that unit postcode centroids from PAF and POSTZON will fall within the sector, district or area boundaries.

Geoplan postcode boundaries are available at three resolutions. Optional six monthly updates cost £50 plus 30 per cent of list price plus inflation payable annually.

Geoplan high resolution boundaries

The most detailed boundaries. 
Postcode sector, district and area boundaries: £3,250
Postcode district and area boundaries:         £2,000
Postcode area boundaries:                        £195

Geoplan medium resolution boundaries

Boundaries generalised to a nominal 1:200,000 scale. 
Postcode sector, district and area boundaries: £1,950
Postcode district and area boundaries:         £1,200
Postcode area boundaries:                        £120

Geoplan low resolution boundaries

Boundaries intended for applications where positional accuracy is not critical. 
Postcode sector, district and area boundaries:   £500
Postcode district and area boundaries:           £300
Postcode area boundaries:                         £50

Customised Selections

If you require boundaries for a part of the United Kingdom contact us directly for a quote.
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For further information send mail to info@geoweb.co.uk