The video is a tour of the Remote Encoding Center (REC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is the last REC in the United States. The REC is responsible for deciphering scrawl and blurred ink into actual addresses when the postal service's automated systems fail to read the handwriting or the ink blurs. The REC's OCR technology is so advanced that it can now process 1.2 billion images annually, down from 19 billion images in 1997 when there were 55 RECs open.
The REC uses a unique keyboard layout to speed up the keying process. The home row keys (A, S, D, F) also function as numbers. The keying process involves extracting a small portion of the letter and comparing it to known-good addresses in the database. If the address matches a known-good address, the piece is sent back to the processing plant. If it doesn't match, the keyer has to type in the missing information.
The REC also handles mail that the machine can't read. If the machine can't read the handwriting, a keyer types in the missing information, and the information goes back to the processing plant. This process is cheaper than having someone physically sort the mail by hand.
The REC also handles mail that's been rejected by the machine. If the machine can't read it and a keyer isn't able to decipher it, the machine at the plant sends it to the reject bin. If the keyer can't figure it out, the mail would either get returned to the sender or go to the Mail Recovery Center.
The REC is connected to every processing plant in the country, including those in Guam, Anchorage, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The REC has three fiber optic lines coming into the building at different points, which allows it to maintain service even if one point gets chopped off.
The keying process involves a "3+1" rule. For example, the city and state are keyed as "outward", and the street address is keyed as "inward". The keying process also involves a "C coding" system, where "C" stands for zip code. The keying process is designed to be fast and efficient, with the goal of processing as many pieces of mail as possible.
The video concludes with a demonstration of the keying process. The keyer is asked to key in the first three characters of the first word in the city name, followed by the two-character state or territory abbreviation. The keyer is then asked to key in the first three characters of the second word in the city name. The keyer is then asked to key in the zip code, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the numeric part of the address, which doesn't exist in this case, so the keyer hits "None". The keyer is then asked to key in the outward part of the address, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the zip code, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the numeric part of the address, which doesn't exist in this case, so the keyer hits "None". The keyer is then asked to key in the outward part of the address, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the zip code, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the numeric part of the address, which doesn't exist in this case, so the keyer hits "None". The keyer is then asked to key in the outward part of the address, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the zip code, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the numeric part of the address, which doesn't exist in this case, so the keyer hits "None". The keyer is then asked to key in the outward part of the address, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the zip code, followed by the city and state, and then the street address. The keyer is then asked to key in the numeric part of the address, which doesn't exist in this case, so the keyer hits "None". The keyer is then asked
1. Almost all the letters that get sent in the United States are processed automatically.
2. The postal service sends the picture of the envelope to the Remote Encoding Center (REC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, if the machine can't read the handwriting.
3. The REC in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the last REC in the United States.
4. Back in 1997, all of the RECs combined keyed 19 billion images.
5. In 2021, as the last REC remaining, they only keyed 1.2 billion images.
6. The REC in Salt Lake City, Utah, has about 810 employees.
7. If the machine can't read your handwriting, one of the keyers here will type in the missing information, and the information goes right back to the plant.
8. The keying process is a small extract of what's on the letter, and then it compares it to the known-good addresses in the database.
9. Every known-good address in America is sitting on their servers in the back.
10. If the machine can't read it and a keyer isn't able to decipher it, the machine at the plant sends it to the reject bin.
11. If they can't figure it out, it would either get returned to the sender.
12. If there's no return-to-sender information, then it will go to the Mail Recovery Center.
13. The REC in Salt Lake City, Utah, is connected to every plant in the country, including Guam and Anchorage, Alaska; and Juneau, Alaska; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
14. The REC in Salt Lake City, Utah, has three fiber optic lines coming into the building at different points.
15. The speed with which you have to read that, parse it... is 7,150 keystrokes per hour.