Encode is a stateless transaction used to retrieve back end system specific codes to be used in subsequent transactions.

Some back end systems may not support industry standard codes, for instance the common three letter IATA codes to identify airports and cities. Instead they require a code proprietary to the respective system. For these cases, the Encode transaction allows to request the proprietary code based on commonly known data, for instance the city name and iso country code.

Currently, Encode allows to request codes:

• by city name
• by address
• by point of interest