The GIS Support Center has implemented an Enterprise Geocoding Service that provides address standardization, address geocoding, and spatial analytical capabilities. This service utilize the AddressBroker system along with the Spatial+ module.

Features of the Geocoding Service

Address Standardization - Correct misspellings, incomplete or poorly formed addresses. Append +4 to ZIP Codes. Correct addresses at the point-of-entry to ensure good information is being captured. Scrub addresses in your existing databases before entering them into your Warehouse.

Geocoding – Assign the latitude and longitude to your customers. Determine the location of your customers or events.

Spatial Analysis – Analyze the location of your customers. Answer questions such as “What tax district does an address fall within?” or “Where is the closest location to renew a drivers license?”

Compatible with GIS – Put your customers on a map. Use the geocoded information in your GIS to analyze patterns and make informed decisions.

Customizable – Embed address processing into your existing applications. Access the Enterprise Geocoding Service through ActiveX, .NET, Java or C/C++ APIs. Available for real-time on-line or batch processing. Available for Web based applications.

Clients - Department of Taxation, Department of Public Safety/Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Department of Job and Family Services, Department of Health, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Administrative Services, Department of Commerce, Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Legislative Office of Education Oversight and Public Utilities Commission.

Glossary

AddressBroker - An integrated address processing software product that provides address standardization, matching, geocoding, and spatial analytical functionality.

Address Elements - The components of a street address (house number, prefix direction, street name, street type, suffix direction, city, state and ZIP Code).

Address Geocoding - The process of assigning x and y coordinate values to a street address. An x and y coordinate value is assigned by interpolating a position on a street segment with address ranges. To perform this interpolation, AddressBroker compares the input address to the low and high addresses of a street segment and estimates the position.

For example, 150 Main Street is placed at the mid point and offset to the right of a segment of Main Street with addresses on the left ranging from 101 to 199 and addresses on the right ranging from 102 to 200. See illustration below. 175 Main Street is located approximately at the ¾ point offset to the left along the same street segment.

Address Matching - The process of comparing address elements that identify the same location but which are recorded in different lists. For example, customer addresses are compared and matched to addresses stored with AddressBroker.

Address Processing - The complete process of address standardization, address matching, and address geocoding. The result of address processing is a standardized and geocoded address.

Address Range - The street numbers running from lowest to highest along a street or street segment.

Address Standardization - The process of correcting address elements to meet U.S. Postal Service Standards. Poorly formed addresses, misspelled address elements, and ZIP codes will be corrected to meet specifications established by the U.S. Postal Service.

Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) - Enables the Postal Service to evaluate the accuracy of address-matching software programs in three areas: 1) ZIP+4 delivery point coding, 2) carrier route coding, and 3) 5-digit coding. CASS allows vendors/mailers the opportunity to test their address-matching software and, after achieving a minimum percentage of accuracy, be certified by the Postal Service. However, CASS does not measure the accuracy of ZIP+4 delivery point, 5-digit ZIP, or carrier route codes in a mailer’s existing files. CASS enables mailers to measure and diagnose internally written, commercially available address-matching software packages. The effectiveness of service bureaus’ matching software can also be measured.

Geocoding Interpolation - The process of assigning x and y coordinate values to an event. Estimating an unknown value that falls between two known values.

Point-in-Polygon Analysis - Point-in-Polygon can provide answers to questions such as “Who is my State representative?” or “What taxing district do I live in?” Radial Analysis Radial Analysis is simply the distance between two geocoded addresses. This can be used to answer questions such as “Where are the 5 closest locations to get a fishing license?”

Spatial Accuracy - Refers to the locational accuracy of a feature such as a street, geocoded address, or jurisdictional boundary.

Spatial Analysis - The process of analyzing locational relationships between geocoded addresses or a geocoded address and a geographic feature such as a congressional district. Spatial analysis is performed with the Spatial+ module. Two types of spatial analysis can be performed within AddressBroker.

Spatial Data - Information about the locations and shapes of geographic features, and the relationships between them. Examples of spatial data include roads or streets, taxing districts, and geocoded addresses.

Transaction - A unit of interaction with AddressBroker. A transaction can include an address standardization and geocode, or it can optionally include a spatial lookup.