Address Collection - How to Make Sense of Your Data

Address collection can be a daunting task. When you're collecting addresses to be used for weddings, parties, or holiday cards, it's essential to keep your data clean.

Businesses can save time and money by using valid addresses. Incorrect addresses can lead to returned mails, extra fees and missed opportunities. Address verification tools can cut costs by ensuring that addresses are properly entered.

ArcGIS Solutions for State and Local Government

Address collection is vital for local governments and is an essential element of managing geospatial data. However many governments are faced with difficulties in managing authoritative address repository. They require a simple workflow to capture the physical location at an early stage in the process of developing an address, standard maps that inform decision makers and the general public about quality and accuracy of their addresses, and tools for sharing authoritative address with other agencies.

To meet these requirements local government employees are making use of Esri solutions. These pre-built apps and maps are customised to specific workflows. This makes it simple for local government employees of any size and level of geospatial knowledge to use them.

According to Scott Oppmann, State and Local Government Solutions Team Director, Esri, solutions are classified into categories that cover "the most common needs in the state and local governments." To see the full list of the capabilities available go here.

For example, a solution known as Maintaining an Authoritative Address Repository contains a series of tasks that help you create a site address layer from a list of verified sites that are collected using an online form or in the field using Address Field Inventory. The feature layers can be used to generate USNG coordinates and a related mailing address. Additionally, the solution also enables you to split a road at a defined point, calculate the municipal boundaries and update the characteristics of addresses in the master road name table.

Another example of an Esri solution is Managing Address Field Operations, which is designed to help address authority personnel collect incorrect or missing address information from both external and internal stakeholders. It lets office staff assign tasks to their field workers to use the address crowdsourcing app on their mobile devices. They then can verify the addresses submitted and record any new ones they see when they are out in the field. This information is automatically inserted into appropriate databases tables to be processed and published.

The solution permits office personnel to assign tasks by giving them the option of validating existing set address data using an exact accuracy level. This allows them to identify mistakes, such as duplicates or mismatched addresses, in the database. This information can be transferred to the master address database to enhance data quality and make the database more accurate.

Reverse Geocode Geoprocessing Tool

If you're trying to find the exact location of a certain business or just want to find out which location is the most lucrative, reverse geocoding can help understand your data. Many mobile apps, including Uber or Lyft, use reverse geocoding to turn raw GPS coordinates into something drivers can read. Retail chains use reverse geocoding to learn about their customers' habits of shopping. Urban planners are able to link address information to population density to determine where to build public infrastructure.

Reverse Geocode is a tool that converts the location of points within a feature class to addresses. It does this by locating the closest intersection or address by calculating distance. It can be used to reverse geocode one or more get more info points or multiple points in a batch. Its output is well-structured and able to be integrated into other systems or tools.

It supports both standard formats and custom formats for address data. This includes the standard attributes X and Y from the Point Address feature, as well as the identifiers of POIs (Points of Interest). You can also specify the type of location of the geometry you are comparing to -- it could be either a routing location or an area on the street that can be used to route or the rooftop or parcel centroid of an address.

You can make use of the tool to create composite locators by linking to two or more different locators. The resultant locator will be back on the ArcGIS World Geocoding service if it cannot find an address matching your own personal data.

Reverse geocoding is costly, particularly if you're working with large amounts of coordinates. Esri has a free usage limit of about 200 thousand requests per month. If you exceed this, you'll incur charges. Another alternative is to purchase an online service that can convert coordinates into addresses en masse for you.

In closing it's crucial to confirm the accuracy of any address information you get from customers through reverse geocoding. You can do this by using a CASS-certified address verification API such as PostGrid. This will ensure that the addresses that you use in your direct mail campaigns are delirable and can 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 that may have a different data structure. These tools can be used to complete many different tasks, including concatenating several sources into a single target field, or splitting strings into multiple fields of target.

Installing the Data Assistant is required before you can use it. To do this you need to select Start and then choose Control Panel, and then select Add or Remove programs. Uninstall Microsoft Data Assistant 1.0 by following the steps on screen.

Once the Data Assistant addin is installed it can be set up to create the source/target configuration files. You can then import or replace data using that file. The Data Mapping tool includes a number of methods for converting data between formats and handling specific characters.

To find out more about the Data Assistant add-in, including how it can help you with your address collection needs, check out How to make use of the Data Assistant add-in. This solution explains how to use the Data Assistant add in and how to use tasks to collect parcel data and update data on parcels and populate community layer.

Data Validation Tool

A reliable address validation tool is a powerful tool that aids businesses in maintaining data integrity and operational efficiencies. It ensures that the correct address is used to mail, invoices go to the right customer and marketing campaigns are sent to the intended audience. When selecting a validation tool make sure you choose one that has extensive coverage of all countries and seamless integrations into business processes. Be aware of the pricing structure and pick tools that offer a high return on investment.

Whether collecting addresses on handwritten forms in a retail store, during digital inputs at an online checkout or via integrated data that is flowing into CRM systems, precise initial data entry is essential to reduce shipping errors and return and thereby increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is more than using a standard postal code or ZIP code lookup; it requires thorough address verification and collection.

This process begins by using an advanced data parsing tool that breaks down the address into its constituent components, like street name, city name and postal code. Next, the tool matches these pieces to commercial databases to validate their accuracy. It then standardizes an address to be in line with the global postal standards. For example it converts extended forms into standard abbreviations or capitalization.

Finally, the address is geocoded to confirm its place of residence. This is especially important for businesses that operate globally. It allows them calculate shipping costs accurately, and to be transparent to customers. This decreases the chance of costly delays resulting from incorrect or insufficient data. Additionally, a reliable geocoding API can help companies comply with international shipping regulations and avoid issues related to customs.

Once the address has been verified, it is automatically updated in CRM and enterprise resource planning software to ensure that each customer contact, shipment or delivery is based upon accurate data. A precise address can also simplify the logistical aspect of business by reducing the logistics and procurement processes, thereby saving time and money.