Design and Implementation of a Smart Data Model for Geospatial Addressing Systems for Urban Areas in Ghana Using an Area Zone Identifier: A Case Study

Abstract

Many organizations of local government in urban areas in Ghana maintain large databases for processing taxes, bills, recording crime events, and dispatching emergency services. Remarkably, within the same organization, various units and sections may use varying address formats for streets and properties. Furthermore, people often disagree as to what particular address system should adopted for a particular area. A homeowner may use one address, the city authorities may use different address for the same property, utilities company may also use another and the Post Office yet another. This normally poses great challenges in terms of sharing information, locating and extracting information that may be keyed to a situs address, and in terms of simply communicating about the location of an address. Therefore, one of the principal needs for this standard is to make addresses more uniform and, thereby, to facilitate the sharing of address information. With advances in technology, addresses can now be directly associated with features like points, polylines or polygons. In order to combine all formats of address systems into a unique and uniformed standard system, a smart data model for geospatial addressing system is designed and implemented for efficient courier system and communication in urban areas in Ghana. The results provide a system for naming existing and new roads. The system is capable of aiding proper delivery of parcels without delays or lost of parcels; efficient and timely responses by ambulance, fire services and law enforcement agents; and effective revenue collection for the Metropolitan authorities.