# Presentation: 540319

## National Change-of-Address 
Linkage System-NCOALink

**National Change-of-Address **
**Linkage System****-****NCOA****Link**

- USPS Confidential. Restricted Distribution

## PURPOSE OF TODAY’S BRIEFING

**Advise you of a new, secure change-of-address **_***technology***_** developed by Address Management**
**Demonstrate how NCOA****Link**** supports current USPS****®**** (United States Postal Service****®****) and Mailing Industry Task Force initiatives**

**SECURE DATA STORES BREAKTHROUGH “TECHNOLOGY”**

**NCOA****Link**** represents a breakthrough technology for securely storing data**
**Massive volumes data can be released in a manner that allows “revelation” to occur only in accordance with presentation of valid “authorizing” request**
**USPS has a patent application being processed for this new technology**

## Value of the National Change-of-Address Program:“Conversely, the rehandling costs avoided by USPS in FY 1998 as a result of not having to forward mail when individuals, families, and businesses move was estimated at $1.194 billion.” 1

** **

- 1 Grant Thornton LLP *Performance Audit of the National Change of Address Program, *March 1999, Contract # GS-23F-8196H, Pg. 4
- (Performed on Behalf of the Office of Inspector General)

**NATIONAL CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS (NCOA)**

## SAMPLE NCOA CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS DATA

**OLD SIDE**
_**	**__**	**__**	**__**	**_
**JIM WILSON**
**5891 PLUM VALLEY DR**
**MEMPHIS TN **
**38141-6826 (91)**

**NEW SIDE**
_**        **_
**512 KING RIDGE DR**
**COLLIERVILLE TN**
**38017-1705 (12)**

- This example represents a typical customer change-of-address.  This is also typical of the “text’ representation shown in NCOA.

## SAMPLE NCOALINK CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS DATA

**OLD SIDE**
_**	**_
**Not present within**
**NCOA****Link**** data format**_**	**__**	**_

**NEW SIDE**
**a7  52  f2  22  0a**

- This example represents what a typical customer change-of-address will look like within the NCOALink System.

## SECURE HASH ALGORITHM (SHA)	

**The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) is a FIPS  standard, data encoding technique that produces a mathematical value **_**unique to every**_** name/address combination presented**
**To build the NCOA****Link**** database, we combine the customer name and pertinent address data:**
**JIMWILSON38141682605892000**

## STANDARD HASH ALGORITHM	

**We then generate a SHA of the information, producing our “NCOA****Link**** Search Key”**
**Hexadecimal Representation: (20 Bytes)**
**	****80 e8 10 8d c4 ea 0d 2a 41 8c**
**	****8e 99 56 86 8b c3 9c 1a c8 63 **

## “HIDING THE NEW SIDE ADDRESS DATA”	

**	****This is the NCOA****Link**** KEY that will be used:**
**By USPS to install data representing customer’s new address into 8 separate hash tables **
**By customer to retrieve the data required to reconstruct the new-address text **
**	****No physical relationship between the data stored into the 8 tables exists**

## “RETRIEVING THE NEW SIDE ADDRESS” 	

**	****Customer processes their address data according to USPS prescribed method:**
**Generates SHA using name and address data the same way USPS did in creating the NCOA****Link**** database**

## RECREATING THE NEW-ADDRESS INFORMATION

**After the new-address DPBC is derived, a reverse lookup into the ZIP+4****®**** database using the DPBC produces the new-address text:**

## SATISFIES OF GAO RECOMMENDATIONS

**Removes potential that Change-of-Address information can be “data-mined” **
**Complies with Title 39 prohibition and Privacy Act restriction regarding release of name and address data**

## EXTERNAL SECURITY EVALUATION (EXCERPT)

**“****Using only the NCOA****Link**** files it is considered completely infeasible (that is essentially impossible) for anyone to directly reconstruct the COA files (name, old address, new address and associated data).”**
**“****The possibility of forwarding mail in error when it should not be forwarded due to the design of the COA/Link system has been assessed as negligible (essentially zero).”**

## EXTERNAL SECURITY EVALUATION (EXCERPT)

**“****This is an improvement (in terms of security) and a 1000 times better than the current system.”**
**“****Using only the NCOA****Link**** files it is considered infeasible to unambiguously reconstruct even one output record.”**

**	****USPS Transformation Plan**
**Growth through Added Value to Customers**
**Work with customers ... to improve the overall accuracy of address information**

**SUPPORTS KEY USPS/MAILING INDUSTRY INITIATIVES**

**	****	****Mailing Industry Task Force**
**To make the mail channel increasingly competitive with other communications media**
**... ****improving address quality**
**Encourage mailers to use methods to correct addresses prior to mail entry**
**Determine if it is feasible to establish a linkage between “intelligent” mail and address quality**

**SUPPORTS KEY USPS/MAILING INDUSTRY INITIATIVES**

## SUPPORTS PMG “KEEPING OUR FOCUS”

***KEEPING***
***OUR ***
***FOCUS***

**   ****IMPROVING SERVICE**
**4. Develop new systems**

**MANAGING COSTS**
**               ****3. Must show we are**
**    ****doing *****everything *****possible**
** ****to hold down our costs and **
**theirs**

**GROWING REVENUE**
**5. Develop new  products and services**

## MILESTONES

**Concept to mitigate risks**
**Provisional Patent**
**Third Party Security Evaluation**
**Alpha Test with NCOA vendor**
**Internal USPS strategy team**
**Beta Test with NCOA vendors**
**Pilot Test *****(in process)***
**Price Determination**
**Legal Document/license**
**Data Sets Commercially Available**

## ALPHA TEST DELIVERABLES

**Evaluate the ease of building an interface**
**Confirm the product does work (does produce changes of address and is secure)**
**Validate that the operation of NCOA****Link**** does not “break” any existing systems**
**Submit recommendations for improvement to development or developer guide documentation**

## BETA TEST DELIVERABLES

**Evaluate the ease of building an interface**
**Parallel test with NCOA processing**
**Evaluate “NIXIE” codes**
**Evaluate throughput and minimum computer requirements**
**Submit recommendations for monthly reporting requirements**
**Submit recommendations for improvement to development or developer guide documentation**

## PILOT TEST DELIVERABLES

**Determine processing times per platform**
**Compare results from NCOA to NCOA****Link**
**Modify product based on results of pilot**
**Provide feedback for performance requirements and reports**

## STEPS IN PROCESS

**Determining pricing**
**Working with vendors**
**Developing license agreements**

## NEXT STEP

**Release product July 1, 2003**