Address Collection - How to Make Sense of Your Data
Address collection can seem like an overwhelming task. If you're collecting addresses for weddings, parties or holiday cards, it's important to have accurate data.
Valid addresses help businesses save time and money. Invalid addresses lead to returned mail, extra fees and missed opportunities. Address verification tools reduce costs by ensuring addresses are correct.
ArcGIS Solutions for State and Local Government
Address collection is essential for local government and is a key component of geospatial data management. However many governments are faced with difficulties in managing authoritative address repository. They need simple workflows to capture the physical location before the creation of an address, standard map products that inform decision-makers and the public about the quality and accuracy of their addresses, as well as tools to share authoritative address with other agencies.
Local government officials use Esri solutions to meet these requirements. These pre-built maps and apps are designed around specific workflows, which makes it easy for local governments of all sizes and levels of geospatial expertise to adopt them for improved efficiency and greater insight.
Scott Oppmann is the State and Local Government Solutions Team Leader at Esri. According to his team, solutions are organized in categories that represent "the common needs of the state and local governments." To view the complete list of the capabilities available click here.
For instance, a program known as Maintaining an Authoritative Address Repository includes a series of tasks that help you create a site address layer from a list of verified sites that you have collected via an online form or gathered in the field with Address Field Inventory. This feature layers can then be used to create USNG coordinates as well as a mailing address. In addition this solution allows you to divide roads at a specified point, calculate municipal boundaries, and 주소주라.com update address characteristics in the master road name table.
Another example of an Esri solution is Managing Address Field Operations, designed to help address authority staff solicit addresses that are not correct or incomplete from internal and external stakeholders. It allows office staff to assign tasks to their field workers, who can utilize the address crowdsourcing tool on mobile devices to check submitted addresses and to record new addresses they see out in the field. This information is then added to the appropriate database tables for further processing and publication.
The solution also permits office personnel to assign tasks with the option of validating an existing set of address information using a specific accuracy threshold, which allows them to identify errors such as duplicates and incorrect addresses in the database. This information can be incorporated into the master database to improve the quality of data and make it more accurate.
Reverse Geocode Geoprocessing Tool
Reverse geocoding can be used to make sense of data, whether you're trying to find the location of a business or just want to know which areas are most profitable. Many mobile apps, including Uber and Lyft use reverse geocoding to convert raw GPS coordinates into information that drivers can understand. Retail chains use it to analyze customer shopping habits, while urban planners can connect data on address with the density of people to determine the best location to build new public infrastructure.
Reverse Geocode is a tool that converts the location of points within a feature class into addresses. It does this by searching for the closest intersection or address in relation to distance. It can be used to reverse geocode one or more points or multiple points in a batch. The output is well-structured and ready to be integrated into other tools or systems.
It allows both custom and standard formats for address data, including the standard attributes X, Y of the Point Address feature, and the identifiers for POIs (Point of Interest). You can also specify the geometries match the type of location it is. It can be an address location for routing (a street-side location that can be used to route) or the parcel's centroid, or the rooftop of an address.
Additionally, you can use the tool to create a composite locator by linking two or more existing locators together. The resulting locator will fall back to the ArcGIS World Geocoding service if it cannot find an address with your own local data.
Reverse geocoding is an expensive process. This is particularly when you're working with a lot of coordinates. Esri has a free usage limit of about 200 thousand requests per month. If you exceed this limit, you'll incur charges. You may also purchase a subscription to convert coordinates into addresses in masse.
As a final note it is crucial to confirm the accuracy of any address information you receive from customers using reverse geocoding. This can be accomplished by using an address verification API that's CASS certified, such as PostGrid. This will ensure that the addresses used in your direct mail campaigns are delirable and will be delivered to your customers.
Data Assistant Add-in
The Data Assistant add-in contains a collection of tools that assist you in moving data from one dataset to another one that might have an entirely different data structure. You can use these tools to perform many tasks, like concatenating multiple source fields into a single target field or splitting the string into multiple target fields.
To make use of the Data Assistant add-in, you must first install it. Click Start, choose Control Panel, then Add or Remove programs. Uninstall Microsoft Data Assistant 1.0 by following the directions on screen.
After the Data Assistant addin is installed, it can be configured to create the source/target configuration files. You can then import or replace data using that file. The Data Mapping tool also includes an array of methods you can employ to convert data between different formats and to handle special characters.
Learn how to use the Data Assistant Add-in to learn more about how it can help you with your address collection requirements. This article explains how you can use the Data Assistant add in and how to carry out processes to collect data from parcels and update data on parcels and populate the community layer.
Data Validation Tool
A reliable tool for verifying addresses is a powerful tool that can help companies maintain accuracy of their data and operational efficiency. It ensures that the correct address is used for mail and invoices are sent to the right person and marketing campaigns are delivered to the right recipients. When choosing a validation tool, choose one that offers seamless integration into your business processes and comprehensive country coverage. Consider the pricing structure and select tools that provide a good return on investment.
Whether collecting addresses on handwritten forms at a retailer store, during digital inputs at an online checkout, or from integrated data flowing in from CRM systems, precise initial data entry is crucial to reducing shipping errors and returns, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is more than using a conventional postal code or ZIP code lookup, it requires a process of thorough address collection and verification.
The process begins with an advanced tool for data parsing that breaks down an address into its various elements, like the street name, the city, and postal code. The tool then compares these parts with commercial databases to ensure their accuracy. It then standardizes an address to conform with global postal norms. For example, it converts extended forms into standard abbreviations or capitalization.
The address is geocoded to verify its place of residence. This is crucial for companies that are globally-based. It allows them calculate shipping costs accurately and to provide transparency to customers. This decreases the chance of costly delays caused by inaccurate or incomplete data. A robust geocoding API will assist businesses in complying with international shipping laws and avoid customs issues.
Once the address is verified, it is updated in CRM and enterprise resource planning software to ensure that every customer contact, shipment or service delivery is based on accurate data. Accurate address information can simplify the logistics side of business by reducing the procurement and logistics processes, which saves time and money.