Smarty Expands Its Address Data Capabilities: A Look at the Latest Innovation in Secondary Address Data

In the increasingly data-driven world, accurate and expansive geolocation data is vital across industries such as telecommunications, insurance, and real estate. Smarty, a 120-person tech company based in Provo, Utah, has long been at the forefront of providing accurate address validation, geocoding, and address enrichment. The company’s latest offering, a groundbreaking U.S. secondary address data tool, promises to further revolutionize the geospatial industry.

In a recent interview with Smarty’s Vice President of Product Management, Berkley Charlton, I had the chance to dive into the details behind this innovative product. Charlton highlighted the significance of secondary addresses—additional units within a primary address, such as apartments or suites—and their critical role for various industries.

“For industries like telecommunications, knowing how many units are within a complex can determine whether it’s worth investing in infrastructure. Similarly, insurance companies can assess risk more accurately by understanding the number of units within a property,” said Charlton. This granular level of address detail is crucial for business decisions but has traditionally been difficult to access.

Until now, businesses either had to rely on incomplete datasets or purchase expensive national databases. Smarty’s new secondary address data tool offers a more accessible and efficient solution, providing access to over 56 million secondary address components across the U.S. The tool allows customers to pull specific secondary addresses related to a primary one in an instant. Using Smarty’s proprietary system, every address in the U.S. is linked to a unique identifier called a “Smarty Key,” ensuring consistent and reliable data retrieval.

When asked about the challenge of collecting such a massive dataset, Charlton emphasized Smarty’s unique position in the market: “We process over 2.3 billion U.S. addresses a day through our servers, which gives us unparalleled access to address data. This allows us to achieve 99% coverage of secondary addresses across the country.”

Smarty’s reach extends beyond just secondary addresses. The company’s comprehensive offerings include a master address list for clients needing state, county, or national coverage. Charlton noted that industries such as insurance and telecommunications particularly benefit from this extensive database. In addition to address data, Smarty offers APIs that provide property attributes and tax assessor data, further enriching its offerings.

Despite the sophisticated technology behind the product, Smarty has made it a priority to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations. “As long as we don’t reveal personally identifiable information (PII), our work complies with data privacy laws, even in places with stricter regulations like California or the EU,” Charlton assured.

This announcement, timed alongside the rollout of Smarty’s secondary address data tool, has captured attention across the geospatial industry. The U.S. secondary address data API fills a significant gap for businesses needing more accurate, reliable data in an ever-changing landscape.

Smarty also continues to differentiate itself from its competitors. The company’s focus on speed, match rates, and comprehensive coverage sets it apart from industry giants like MapInfo and Pitney Bowes (now Precisely). By linking secondary address data, geocoding solutions, and address validation seamlessly, Smarty provides a more user-friendly experience for its clients, helping them avoid the complexities of integrating massive datasets on their own.

Looking to the future, Charlton hinted at potential expansions based on customer demand, though for now, the company is focused on perfecting its current offerings. With global address validation and geocoding capabilities already in place, Smarty is positioned for continued growth on the international stage.

Outside of work, Charlton is a Utah local who enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. A music enthusiast, he spends his downtime playing acoustic guitar, mainly focusing on folk and light pop. Charlton also revealed that he’s an avid reader of international spy novels, a fact that even his colleagues may not know about him. He’s a dog person, too—sharing his home with a 13-year-old Puggle, a cross between a Beagle and a Pug.

As Smarty continues to innovate and expand its data services, it’s clear that the company is not just filling gaps in the market but reshaping the way industries interact with address and geolocation data. For more information about Smarty’s services or to test their offerings through generous trial plans, visit www.smarty.com.

Sanjay Gangal is the editor of GIS Café. He has conducted over 3,000 interviews across various industries related to geospatial technologies, EDA, MCAD, and AEC.

Tags: address validation, geocoding, GIS, secondary address data, Smarty, telecommunications

Categories: Smarty, Video Interview

This entry was posted on Friday, September 6th, 2024 at 5:54 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.