SANS 1883:2009, Geographic information - Addresses is a framework for addresses for all types of service delivery in both urban and rural areas of South Africa.

Addresses come in many forms because they have many uses.

There is a need for spatial address databases at all levels of government for ensuring services to a country’s citizens. In South Africa, for example, according to the Bill of Rights in the constitution every citizen has the right to have access to, among others, adequate housing, a basic education, health care services, sufficient food & water, and social security. The constitution further stipulates how the different levels of government should ensure that these rights are delivered.

However, a critical part of being able to deliver, for example, running water to citizens, is knowing where the water has to be supplied.

In the private sector there is also a need for a national spatial address database. As an example, South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) was written to assist in the identification of the proceeds of unlawful activities and the combating of money laundering. For that reason, customers of financial services institutions must provide proof of their residential address before opening an account. But how does a bank know that the address of a prospective customer is valid?