Each level can contain multiple entries of the level below it. For example, Los Angeles County contains many cities, and each city contains multiple districts or neighborhoods.
Country (e.g., United States, United Kingdom, Germany)
State/Region (e.g., California, Bavaria, England)
Commune/County (e.g., Los Angeles County, Göttingen, Suffolk)
Intermediate Admin Level (City/Town) (e.g., Santa Monica, Munich, London)
Lowest Admin Level (District/Neighborhood) (e.g., Downtown, Schwabing, Westminster)
Street Address (e.g., Main Street 123)
Address Lookup Configuration
Address lookup endpoints are unique to each dispatch center configuration. The system only provides addresses from your configured coverage area, ensuring fast and relevant searches while requiring proper initial setup.
Required Configuration Steps (In Order)
Step 1: Select Address Package
Navigate to Admin Area > General Settings
Select an address package (e.g., "United States", "D-A-CH", "British Islands")
The package contains all available geographic data for that region
This step must be completed before any other address configuration
Step 2: Define Coverage Area
Navigate to Admin Area > Areas
Add the geographic areas your dispatch center covers
Options include: entire communes/counties, specific cities, or individual districts
Only addresses within your defined area will appear in lookups
Step 3: Enable Grouping Options (If Needed)
Navigate to Admin Area > Dispatch Center Options
Enable grouping if your coverage area exhibits one of the scenarios described below. This step is optional but recommended for large or complex areas.
District Grouping Scenarios
Most address systems work efficiently when each district has a unique name and ZIP code combination. Two common scenarios can complicate address management and indicate that grouping options should be enabled.
Scenario 1: Multiple Districts Sharing ZIP Codes
Large metropolitan areas often contain hundreds of administrative districts, many sharing the same postal codes. Berlin, for example, contains over 190 administrative districts (Ortsteile). A single postal code like 10117 might cover a dozen different neighborhoods.
Impact without grouping:
Nearly 200 individual district choices when adding coverage area
Area list becomes cluttered with similar-looking entries
Street searches return duplicate results when streets span multiple districts
Time-consuming to add comprehensive city coverage
Common in:
Large European cities (Berlin, Paris, Rome)
Major US metropolitan areas
Regions with shared postal codes across administrative boundaries
Scenario 2: One District with Hundreds of ZIP Codes
Regions with granular postal systems may have a single administrative district appearing hundreds of times with different postcodes. Babergh, a local authority district in Suffolk, England, appears in the database with hundreds of different postcodes: IP7 5AA, IP7 5AB, IP7 5AD, IP7 6AA, IP8 3AA, CO10 1XX, etc.
Impact without grouping:
Hundreds of nearly-identical entries in selection interface
Difficult to determine which entries are needed
Area list becomes enormous and difficult to navigate
Same streets appear multiple times in search results
Common in:
United Kingdom and Ireland (granular postcodes)
Any region where postal codes are more specific than administrative boundaries
Large cities with extensive postcode systems
Grouping Options
Option 1: Group Districts by ZIP Code
This option consolidates districts that share the same postal code within a city.
How it works:
All districts with identical ZIP codes are treated as one logical unit
System presents one entry per ZIP code instead of multiple districts
Example: 12 neighborhoods sharing postal code 10117 → "Berlin (10117)"
Adding this entry automatically includes all underlying districts
Interface changes:
"Lowest Admin Level" selection field is hidden
Area selection: Commune → City (districts handled automatically)
ZIP codes remain visible (they identify the grouping)
Street searches deduplicate by ZIP code
Best for:
Large European cities with shared postal codes
German address data
Metropolitan areas with many districts per postal code
Operations requiring postal code-level precision
Example: Instead of managing 190+ individual Berlin districts, you manage 40-50 postal code zones while maintaining geographic accuracy.
Option 2: Group Districts by City Name
This option consolidates all districts within a city into one representative entry.
How it works:
All districts within a city are treated as one unit
System presents one entry per city regardless of postcode count
Example: 300 Babergh postcodes → "Babergh"
Adding this entry automatically includes all districts and postcodes
Interface changes:
"Lowest Admin Level" selection field is hidden
Area selection: Commune → City (all districts included automatically)
ZIP codes are hidden (entry represents entire city)
Street searches deduplicate by city
Best for:
UK and Ireland address data (granular postcodes)
Large US cities (Los Angeles: 90+ ZIP codes, NYC: 200+ ZIP codes)
Operations working at city level rather than district level
International operations requiring consistent interface
Example: Instead of managing 300+ individual Babergh postcode entries, you manage one Babergh entry representing the entire district.
Regional Recommendations
German Address Data
Recommendation: Enable "Group Districts by ZIP Code"
German cities organize multiple neighborhoods under shared 5-digit postal codes. Administrative boundaries are more granular than postal boundaries.
Why this works:
German postal codes are stable and well-organized
Reduces entry count significantly while maintaining dispatch precision
Prevents duplicate street names across neighborhoods
Aligns with German postal system structure
UK Address Data
Recommendation: Enable "Group Districts by City Name"
UK postcodes are extremely granular, with single administrative districts containing thousands of postcode units.
Why this works:
UK postcodes are too specific for practical dispatch operations
Emergency services typically organize by town/district, not postcode
Dramatically reduces entry count
Matches operational reality of UK dispatch centers
US Address Data
Recommendation: Usually disabled; consider "Group Districts by City Name" for major metros
Smaller US cities typically have straightforward city/ZIP relationships. Large metropolitan areas may benefit from grouping.
When to enable grouping:
Major cities: Los Angeles (90+ ZIPs), NYC (200+ ZIPs), Chicago (60+ ZIPs)
Operations organized by neighborhood rather than ZIP code
Area list exceeds 100+ entries
International/Multi-Region Operations
Recommendation: Enable "Group Districts by City Name"
Different countries use different address structures. Consistent interface reduces training complexity.
Why this works:
Uniform workflow across all regions
Handles both shared-postcode and granular-postcode systems
Simplifies staff training
Stable operational model as coverage expands
Both Options Enabled
If you enable both grouping options simultaneously, "Group Districts by City Name" takes precedence because it represents broader consolidation. You'll work at the city level, ZIP codes disappear from the interface, and you get maximum simplification. This might make sense for very large operations where simplicity trumps all other concerns, but most operations should choose one option or the other based on their specific address data patterns.
When to Disable Both Options
Not every operation needs grouping. If your coverage area includes modest-sized cities with straightforward address structures, unique district names, reasonable numbers of ZIP codes, clear boundaries, the standard interface without grouping works perfectly well. Managing 20-30 districts across several cities is entirely practical without consolidation.
Troubleshooting
Address lookup returns no results
Verify address package is selected (Step 1)
Verify coverage area is defined (Step 2)
Confirm searching for addresses within configured area
Hundreds of nearly-identical districts appear
Scenario 2 detected (one district, many ZIP codes)
Solution: Enable "Group Districts by City Name"
Dozens of entries for one city
Scenario 1 detected (many districts, shared ZIP codes)
Solution: Enable "Group Districts by ZIP Code"
"Lowest Admin Level" selection disappeared
Expected behavior when grouping is enabled
System handles district selection automatically
Streets appear multiple times in searches
Occurs without grouping when streets span districts
Solution: Enable appropriate grouping option
System deduplicates results automatically
Slow search performance
Large number of entries affects performance
Solution: Enable grouping to reduce entry count
Performance improves with fewer entries to search