Geocoding
For both calculation and allocation actions, we need to generate activity distances for all consignments. To be able generate distance, we need coordinates for each origin and destination.
Commonly, many organizations don’t have this kind of information stored in their source systems. The information they do have are addresses, although sometime only built up of postal codes or place names.
Geocoding is the process of converting geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) into a geographic reference - such as an address, a place name, or locality - or vice versa. Going from address to coordinates is known as forward geocoding, coordinates to address is known as reverse geocoding. Forward geocoding expects a full adddress or placename as the input.
For example: Philipsbornstraße 2, 30165 Hanover, Germany is converted to the coordinates 52.387783, 9.7334394.
BigMile offers a geocoding service to help users find coordinate for their origin and destinations. We’ve partnered up with OpenCage.
Absence of commercial databases
Working with Open Source data also have some caveats. Take for example the Irish postal code (Eir system) system, which is only available through commercial license. OpenCage/BigMile therefore does not support this.
Accuracy
Proving us detailed input can have quite some influence on the results. Some best practices to consider:
- Send us complete addresses
- Containing Streets, postal codes, city names and a country code (ISO Alpha 2)
- Don’t send us Points of Interests
- Don’t use Abbreviations
- Don’t send us “Null” values”
- Sending only postal codes is not always accurate: Geocoding and postal codes, points to consider (opencagedata.com).
Useful links: