Address Collection - How to Make Sense of Your Data
Address collection can be a difficult task. When you're collecting addresses to be used for weddings, parties, or holiday cards, it's crucial to have clean data.
Valid addresses help businesses save time and money. Incorrect addresses result in rejected mail, additional fees and missed opportunities. Address verification tools can help reduce expenses 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. Many governments have difficulty managing authoritative address repositories. They require simple workflows to record the physical location before the process of developing an address, standard map products that inform decision-makers and the general public about quality and accuracy of their addresses, as well as tools for sharing authoritative address with other agencies.
Local government officials employ Esri solutions to meet these needs. These pre-built applications and maps are designed to work with specific workflows. This makes it simple for local government employees of all sizes and levels of geospatial knowledge to use them.
According to Scott Oppmann, State and Local Government Solutions Team Director, Esri, solutions are organized into categories that represent "the most commonly-used requirements in the state and local governments." To view the complete list of the capabilities available click here.
For example, a solution known as Maintaining an Authoritative Address Repository contains a series of tasks to 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 by using Address Field Inventory. This feature layer can be used to generate USNG coordinates as well as a mailing address. The solution allows you to split a street at a particular point, calculate the municipal boundary, and update address attributes in the master road table.
Managing Address Field Operations is another Esri solution that can be used to help address authority staff collect inaccurate or missing information from both external and internal stakeholders. Office staff can assign a task to their field employees to use the address crowdsourcing app on their mobile devices. They can then check the addresses submitted and record any new ones they observe when they are out in the field. The data is automatically added into the appropriate database tables to be processed and published.
The solution also enables office personnel to assign tasks with the option of validating an existing set of address data using an established accuracy threshold which helps them identify errors such as duplicates and duplicate addresses in the database. The data can then be imported into the master database to improve the data quality and ensure it is more accurate.
Reverse Geocode Geoprocessing Tool
Reverse geocoding is a method to understand data when you're trying find the location of a business or just want to find out which areas are most profitable. Many mobile apps, such as Uber or Lyft, rely on reverse geocoding to convert raw GPS coordinates into something that drivers can understand. Retail chains use it to analyze customer shopping habits, while urban planners can connect address data with the density of their population to decide the best location to build new public infrastructure.
Reverse Geocode is a tool that converts point locations within a feature class to addresses. It does this by searching for the nearest intersection or address in relation to distance. It can be used to reverse geocode single points or multiple points in a batch. Its output is organized and ready to be integrated into other systems and tools.
It can handle both standard and custom formats for address data, including the standard attributes X and Y of the Point Address feature, and the identification codes for POIs (Point of Interest). You can also specify the type of location of the matching geometry--it can be a routing area or a side-of-street location that can be used to route or the rooftop here or parcel centroid of an address.
In addition you can use the tool to create a composite locator by connecting two or more existing locators together. If it cannot find the address using your local information, the resulting locator will use ArcGIS World Geocoding.
Reverse geocoding can be an expensive process, especially when you're working on large amounts of coordinates. You'll need to stay under Esri's free usage level--which is about 200 thousand requests each month--or you'll be charged. You can also purchase a service to convert coordinates to address en masse.
It's important to lastly to confirm the accuracy and completeness of any address information you receive from customers using reverse geocoding. This can be accomplished by using an address verification API that is CASS certified, such as PostGrid. This will ensure that the addresses you use in your direct mail campaigns are delirable and can be delivered to your customers.
Data Assistant Add-in
The Data Assistant addin contains a set of tools that will aid you in moving data between different datasets using different data structures. These tools can be used to complete various tasks, including concatenating several source fields into one target field or dividing a string into multiple fields of target.
Installing the Data Assistant is required before you can use it. To do this simply select Start then select Control Panel, and then select Add or Remove programs. Then, locate Microsoft Data Assistant 1.0 and follow the on-screen directions to remove it.
After the Data Assistant addin is installed It can be configured to create a source/target configuration file. You can then load or replace data using this file. The Data Mapping tool includes a number of methods for converting data to different formats and handling special characters.
Learn about the Data Assistant Add-in to learn more about how it can assist you with your address collection requirements. This solution explains how to utilize the Data Assistant add in and how to perform work flows to collect parcel data and update the parcel data and populate community layer.
Data Validation Tool
A reliable tool to verify addresses is a powerful tool that helps businesses maintain data accuracy and operational efficiency. It ensures that the correct address is used for mail, invoices go to the right customer and marketing campaigns are sent to the right target audience. When selecting a validation tool pick one that provides seamless integration into your business processes and comprehensive country coverage. You should also consider pricing structures and select tools that have a high ROI.
When it comes to collecting addresses on handwritten forms in a retail store, or during digital inputs during the checkout process online or via 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 traditional postal code or ZIP code lookup; it involves a process of thorough address verification and collection.
The process begins with a sophisticated data parsing tool that breaks down an address into its distinct elements, like the street name, the city, and postal code. The tool then compares these components with commercial databases to verify their accuracy. The tool then standardizes the address to be in line with international postal standards. For instance, it converts extended forms into standard abbreviations or capitalization.
The address is geocoded to verify its location. This step is especially important for companies operating globally. It lets them estimate shipping costs accurately and arrange transparency for customers, minimizing the chance of costly delays caused by inaccurate or incomplete information. A robust geocoding API will assist businesses in complying with international shipping regulations and avoid issues with customs.
Once the address has been verified, it's automatically updated in CRM systems and enterprise resource planning systems to ensure that every contact with a customer or shipment delivery is based on accurate data. A precise address can also simplify the logistics side of operations by reducing logistics and procurement processes, which saves time and money.