Research Guides
What is geocoding?
The process of converting text-based locations (either street addresses or place names) into geographic coordinates that can be added to maps.
Two main components of geocoding:
1. Addresses (usually in the form of a table)
2. Data to match addresses with (points, lines, or polygons), provided by an address locator
A address locator is used to connect the two components together for the end result of adding locations to your map. A locator is essentially a set of instructions that tells the GIS software how the attribute table of a particular street network is constructed, so it can appropriately match addresses to that network. Locators can come in the form of .loc files or as services accessible through organizational portals.
Locator services available with the UW ESRI account, depending on user role, are: ArcGIS World Geocoding Service, ArcGIS World Geocoder, and ArcGIS StreetMap Premium. Note: These geocoding services will consume credits, estimate credit consumption before running geocoding tools.
You can build your own locator in ArcGIS with appropriate data using the Create Locator tool.
More information on geocoding available on ESRI ArcGIS Pro Geocoding Help Page.
In ArcGIS Pro: In the appropriate geocoding tool, select from 'Input Locator' drop-down menu the locator file or locator service compatible with your locations. Any locators that have already been added to the project will appear in the menu, otherwise you can switch to a different locator using the 'Browse' button.
In ArcMap: To match addresses to a street network, you must set up an address locator service using the ArcCatalog prior to selecting the geocode option in ArcMap. In order to set up the locator service, you will need to know how the street network table is constructed - does it contain just the street address, or are there zip codes (also called zones) as well? Does it differentiate between addresses on the left and right side of the street? Is the network in a shapefile or geodatabase format? Examining the file and viewing the associated metadata will help you answer these questions and set up the service.
For more information, see the following resources:
Business Analyst datasets are stored locally on the CSDE R Drive. While using the CSDE virtual desktop, you can set the network source as the Business Analyst data available on the server to avoid using credits through ArcGIS Online.
To locate the files, click through the following steps: File Explorer > This PC > Net (lnetid.washington.edu\csde) (R:) > Data > GIS