Geocoder

Overview

Geocoding associates geographic coordinates with input addresses, letting you pinpoint locations and carry out geography-based analyses. The Geocoder tool converts a free-form address (first line and last-line) into a normalized form, with latitude and longitude, county and state FIPS code, and census tract and block number. Note that while the Geocoder tool performs a type of address standardization, the results are not CASS certified. If you require CASS certification, consider licensing Data Management's Standardize Address tool.

The Geocoder tool can produce any or all of the following outputs:

• First-line address

• Last-line address

• Address number

• Directional prefix

• Street name

• Street suffix

• Directional postfix

• Unit designator

• Unit number

• City

• State

• ZIP Code

• State FIPS

• County FIPS

• Census tract

• Census block

• Latitude

• Longitude

• Directional prefix2

• Street name2

• Street suffix2

• Directional postfix2

• Match score

• Geocoding result category code

• Geocode result flags

All elements are formatted in uppercase letters.

Geocoder tool configuration parameters

The Geocoder tool has two sets of configuration parameters in addition to the standard execution options: input and output.

Input

Output

See Output field names and sizes.

Configure the Geocoder tool

1. Select the Geocoder tool.

2. Go to the Input tab.

3. Select the Delivery Address box and select the input field that contains the first-line address. The first-line should be of the general form:
   Number Predirectional Suffix Street_name Postdirectional Unit_designator Unit_number

Not all first-line address elements need be included. The following are all valid address first-lines:

4270 Evans Dr
123 S MAIN ST APT A
12E17N GERBER AVE

4. If necessary, use the Calculate tool to construct a first-line address from address components.

5. Select the Last line as box:

6. Optionally, you can select the Share Geocoder library among tools check box.

When Share Geocoder library among tools is selected, Data Management uses a single shared Geocoder library even if there are multiple Geocoder tools. Because the Geocoder library can be very resource-intensive, you should leave this set to the default "Share" setting unless you are explicitly replicating the Geocoder tool for parallel execution with a Splitter/Merge technique.

The Alternate Geocoder data library is specified for support and testing purposes only.

7. Go to the Output tab, and then map Output fields.

8. You can select the Select arrow and choose All, None, or Typical to generate default Output field names.

9. If desired, select any box in the Output field grid to change or delete that output field name, or map the output to an existing field.

Data Management automatically creates output fields, using the names and the sizes listed below. If you choose to map the output fields to fields that already exist in the input file, the fields must be large enough to handle the standard size of the components as specified in the table below., or results may be truncated.

10. Optionally, go to the Execution tab, and then set Web service options.

Address First-lines and Last-lines

The Geocoder tool requires that input addresses be of the form first-line/last-line. If your database contains addresses that are already parsed into components, you'll need to reassemble the components into composite fields using the Calculate tool.

As an example, the expression below creates a first-line address out of components (your component field names will be different). Note the spaces inserted between components.

ADDR_NUM + " " + PREDIR + " " + ST_NAME + " " + SUFFIX + " " + POSTDIR + " " + UNITDES + " " + UNIT

Make sure the composite fields are at least 48 characters long or they may be truncated.

Match scores

Match quality is expressed as a score between 0 and 1000. Higher scores indicate greater confidence in the match of the street record to one in the geocoding database. Match scores are used to define Match thresholds (the match score that must be achieved to count as a match) and Multiple thresholds (the minimum distance allowed between the scores match candidates before the multiple match flag is set).

Result Category codes

The Result Category describes the type of geocode applied to a record.

Result Flag codes

The Result Flags describe the disposition of a geocoded record.