Postal Code Conversion File [Canada], December 2023, Census of Canada 2021

The Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) is a digital file which provides a correspondence between the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) six-character postal code and Statistics Canada's standard geographic areas for which census data and other statistics are produced. Through the link between postal codes and standard geographic areas, the PCCF permits the integration of data from various sources. The Single Link Indicator provides one best link for every postal code, as there are multiple records for many postal codes. New to the June 2022 version, a separate data file is available for retired postal codes. The retired file uses the same record layout as the PCCF file. The same syntax file can be used for both the PCCF data file and the retired data file. The geographic coordinates attached to each postal code on the PCCF are commonly used to map the distribution of data for spatial analysis (e.g., clients, activities). The location information is a powerful tool for planning, or research purposes. The geographic coordinates, which represent the standard geostatistical areas linked to each postal codeOM on the PCCF, are commonly used to map the distribution of data for spatial analysis (e.g., clients, activities). The location information is a powerful tool for marketing, planning, or research purposes. In April 1983, the Statistical Registers and Geography Division released the first version of the PCCF, which linked postal codesOM to 1981 Census geographic areas and included geographic coordinates. Since then, the file has been updated on a regular basis to reflect changes. For this release of the PCCF, the vast majority of the postal codesOM are directly geocoded to 2016 Census geography while others are linked via various conversion processes. A quality indicator for the confidence of this linkage is available in the PCCF.

邮政编码转换文件（Postal Code Conversion File, PCCF）是一类数字文件，用于建立加拿大邮政公司（Canada Post Corporation, CPC）6位邮政编码与加拿大统计局（Statistics Canada）标准地理区域之间的对应关系，后者为普查数据及其他统计数据的生成载体。通过邮政编码与标准地理区域的关联，PCCF可实现多源数据的整合。
单链接指示器（Single Link Indicator）可为每个邮政编码提供唯一最优关联链路，因多数邮政编码对应多条记录。
2022年6月版新增退役邮政编码专属数据文件，该文件的记录布局与PCCF主文件完全一致，且二者可共用同一语法文件。
PCCF中绑定至每个邮政编码的地理坐标，常被用于绘制空间分析（spatial analysis）相关的数据分布（如客户、活动分布）；此类位置信息是开展营销、规划或研究工作的有力工具。
1983年4月，加拿大统计局统计登记与地理分部发布了首个版本的PCCF，该版本将邮政编码与1981年普查地理区域建立关联，并纳入了地理坐标字段。此后，该文件定期更新以适配各类变化。
在本次发布的PCCF中，绝大多数邮政编码已直接完成2016年普查地理区域的地理编码（geocoding），剩余部分则通过各类转换流程完成关联。PCCF中还提供了用于表征该关联置信度的质量指示器（quality indicator）。