Address Collection - How to Make Sense of Your Data
Address collection can be an overwhelming task. Whether you're collecting addresses for weddings, parties or holiday cards, it's important to have clean data.
Valid addresses help businesses save time and money. Incorrect addresses result in rejected mail, extra fees and missed opportunities. Address verification tools help reduce these costs by ensuring that addresses are correct.
ArcGIS Solutions for State and Local Government
Address collection is crucial for local government. It is also a crucial element in geospatial management. However, many governments face challenges with managing authoritative address repositories. They require a simple workflow to capture the physical location before the development of an address, standard map products that inform decision-makers and the general public about the quality and accuracy of their addresses, as well as tools to share authoritative addresses with other agencies.
To meet these needs, local government staff are making use of Esri solutions. These pre-built maps and applications are configured around specific workflows, making it easy for local governments of all sizes and levels of geospatial knowledge to use them for better efficiency and greater insight.
Scott Oppmann is the State and Local Government Solutions Team Leader at Esri. According to the team leader, solutions are arranged in categories that represent "the common requirements of state and local government agencies." To see the full list of the capabilities available go here.
For example, a solution known as Maintaining an Authoritative Address Repository comprises a set of tasks to help you create a site address layer from a list of verified sites that are collected using an online form or gathered in the field by using Address Field Inventory. The feature layers can be used to create USNG coordinates and a related mailing address. The solution allows you to split a street at any particular point, calculate the municipal boundaries, and update address attributes in the master road table.
Another illustration of an Esri solution is Managing Address Field Operations, which is designed to help address authorities collect incorrect or missing address information from internal and external stakeholders. It lets office staff assign a task for their field staff to make use of the address crowdsourcing app on their mobile devices. They then can verify the submitted addresses and capture any new ones they see while in the field. This information is then automatically inserted into the appropriate databases for further processing and publication.
The solution allows office staff to assign tasks with the option of confirming existing set address data using a specified accuracy level. This helps them spot errors, such as duplicate addresses or incorrectly matched addresses in the database. This information can be imported into the master address database to improve the data quality and make the data more accurate.
Reverse Geocode Geoprocessing Tool
Reverse geocoding can be used to make sense of data regardless of whether you're trying to determine the location of a business or just want to know what area is most profitable. Many mobile apps, including Uber or Lyft, rely on reverse geocoding to transform raw GPS coordinates into something that drivers can read. Retail chains employ it to study the habits of their customers when shopping, and urban planners can link address data with the density of people to determine where to build new public facilities.
Reverse Geocode is a tool that converts point locations within a feature class into addresses. It does this by locating the closest intersection or address in relation to distance. It can be used to reverse geocode single points or multiple points in the form of a batch. Its output is structured and ready for integration into other tools and systems.
It can handle both standard and custom formats for address data, including the standardized attributes X and Y of a Point Address feature, as well as IDs for POIs (Point of Interest). You can also specify which location type the matching geometry is. It can be an address location for routing (a side-of street location that can be used to route) or the parcel's centroid, or the rooftop of an address.
You can also use the tool to create composite locators by connecting together two or more locators. The resultant locator will fall back on the ArcGIS World Geocoding service if it is unable to locate an address matching your own personal data.
Reverse geocoding can be a costly process. This is especially when you're working with a large amount of coordinates. You'll need to stay under Esri's free usage level--which is approximately 200 thousand requests per month, or you'll incur costs. You may also purchase a subscription to convert coordinates into address in masse.
It's important, as a final point, to verify the accuracy and completeness of any address data you receive from customers using reverse geocoding. This can be done by using a CASS-certified address verification API like PostGrid. This will ensure that the addresses used in your direct mail campaigns are delirable and are able to be delivered to your customers.
Data Assistant Add-in
The Data Assistant add-in contains a collection of tools that aid you in transferring data from one dataset to another that may have a different data structure. These tools allow you to perform a variety of tasks, like concatenating multiple source fields into one target field or dividing the string into multiple fields to be used as targets.
To utilize the Data Assistant add-in, you must first install it. Click Start then select Control Panel, then 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 an appropriate source/target configuration file. You can then load or change data by using this file. The Data Mapping tool also includes an array of methods you can use to transform data into different formats and handle special characters.
Learn how to use the Data Assistant Add-in to learn more about how it can help you in meeting your address collection needs. This guide explains how to use the Data Assistant add in and how to perform work flows to collect parcel data, update parcel data, and populate community layer.
Data Validation Tool
A trusted tool for validation of addresses is a potent tool that helps businesses maintain the integrity of their data and increase operational efficiency. It ensures that mail goes to the correct location and invoices are sent to the correct customer and marketing campaigns reach their intended audience, thus increasing the accuracy of delivery systems and improving overall satisfaction of users. When choosing a validation tool make sure you choose one that has seamless integration into your business processes and comprehensive country coverage. It is also important to consider pricing structures and opt for tools that offer a high return on investment.
It is crucial to ensure that the initial entry of addresses is correct, whether it's on handwritten forms in the retail store, or electronically at the time of online checkout or integrating data from CRM systems. This will help reduce the chance of errors in shipping and return and ultimately improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is more than using a standard postal code or ZIP code lookup, it involves a process of thorough address verification and collection.
The process begins with an advanced data parsing tool that breaks down an address into its individual components, such as the street name, city, and postal code. The tool then matches these pieces to commercial databases to confirm their accuracy. It then standardizes the address to conform to international postal standards for example, converting extended forms to standardized abbreviations and capitalization.
Finally, the address is geocoded to confirm its location. This step is particularly important for companies operating globally. It helps them calculate shipping costs accurately, and also to provide transparency to customers. This reduces the risk of costly delays caused by inaccurate or incomplete information. Additionally, a robust geocoding API can help businesses adhere to international shipping regulations and avoid issues related to customs.
Once the address is verified, 주소주라 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. A precise address can also streamline the logistical side of operations by reducing logistics and procurement processes, thereby saving time and money.