OACoder Postcode Coding Tool

What is the OACoder Software?

The OAC classification has previously been disseminated by the ONS at the Output Area Level. For a lot of users this has been problematic given that address records typically consist of lists of unit postcodes. A recent development at the ONS has created an open licence version of the National Statistics Postcode Directory (NSPD), which usefully includes an OAC Code for each unit postcode in the UK. Researchers at University College London and University of Liverpool have created a free tool which uses this file and can read a CSV list of postcodes, and then append the corresponding OAC code for each of these addresses.

How do I get the Software?

The good news is that this tool is free to use – the only requirement being that you agree to the terms of a license as part of a short software request form. This is available here.