Melissa Data awarded patent for distance matching technology

Melissa Data, a leading provider of global contact data quality and integration solutions, today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded the company patent #9,262,475 for proximity matching technology used in its global data quality tools and services. The patent features an algorithm enabling distance criteria to be used in matching customer records, capitalizing on latitude, longitude and proximity thresholds to help data managers eliminate duplicate customer contact data. Customer communications are improved and mailing costs are reduced based on the ability to confirm that a home address and post office box indeed belong to the same individual; the technology can also match buildings with different addresses, using proximity to identify different entrances common to large campus-type facilities.

“Address data can be nuanced and complex, particularly on a worldwide scale where data is not standardized or consistent. By enabling geographic proximity as criteria for matching, we’re helping data stewards solve a longstanding data quality challenge – establishing a single version of the truth for each of their customers. Users can employ a smarter, more globalized method for matching customer records, better protecting business operations, mailing costs and customer satisfaction,” said Marc Bernier, Melissa Data’s director of Massachusetts research and development.