Geocoding – Guide to Address Locating in ArcMap
January 27, 2009 by Timothy
Filed under ArcGIS, Data Management, GIS Tips
Geocoding is a process that enables you to match database records to a real world location based upon attribute fields such as addresses, PINs, Cities, etc. Carrying out this process in ArcMap is very simple and can be completed in just a few steps.
Note: This example uses addresses, but other attributes can be used.
1. Compile Address Table – This can be done in excel, access, or other compatible file format .
Read more on: Excel in ArcGIS Desktop
2. Create Address Locator – The address locator will be based upon the data that needs to be located and the reference data.
- Open ArcCatalog
- Open desired folder for Locator to be saved in
- Right click in contents area
- Click New -> Address Locator…
3. Choose Locator Style – This will depend upon the source data and reference data. These data types need to correlate.
4. Set Address Locator Options
- Name and Description
- Reference data – The data you will match to such as address points, streets, or city points.
- Match corresponding fields – This will vary by locator style. US Streets is shown here.
- Set Matching Options – You will find which configuration works best through trial and error.
- Click Ok
Your locator has now been create and is shown in ArcCatalog via the “House” icon.
5. Add Address Table to Map – You can add Excel tables directly into ArcMap (9.2 or later) or create a .dbf table to be added in.
6. Right Click Table -> Geocode Addresses…
7. Add Locator to Map and Select it to be Used – You will need to browse to the folder (via the “Add..” button) that contains the created locator.
8. Complete Locator/Geocoding Options
- Select Corresponding Input Fields
- Choose Output Location
- Click Ok
Status is updated during geocoding process and results are shown on map.
10. You can Review or Rematch Any Address
- Right Click on geocoded point file in Table of Contents
- Data -> Review/Rematch ddresses…
- Follow options in Interactive Rematch Dialog
Excel in ArcGIS Desktop
You may not realize it, but you can actually add Excel spreadsheets to ArcMap without having to convert it to a *.dbf. ESRI has made it possible in the ArcGIS 9.2 version and higher. This is a big time saver. There have been many times that I have had non-spatial data that I would like to join up to a feature class. I used to open the excel document and do a save as .dbf and then add the .dbf to my map to complete the join. Now you can add an individual sheet. I would go into details about this, but ESRI has a blog post entitled: Formatting Excel Data for Use in ArcGIS Desktop that covers it just as well as I could do.
Also note that Excel 2007 does not allow a file to be saved as a .dbf. Adding the actual excel file in this situation is the simplest way to integrate this data.
The Formatting Excel Data for Use in ArcGIS Desktop post has a main focus on formatting your excel data to be uses efficiently in ArcGIS. Towards the end of the post there are some basic instructions to adding the data to you map document.
A few things that were not mentioned that I would like to point out:
- If you add and excel sheet to ArcMap, make sure that you do not have it open. Although it will work fine and the data will update as you change it in excel, this could form issues. If you do keep it open, you must open the excel file before adding it to the map (see next item).
- If you have added an excel sheet to ArcMap then go to open the excel file, excel will say that the file is already open and only allow it to be viewed in read only format.
- Make sure the fields you use to join are formatted with the same field types as the joined feature class.
Learn how to Create Point File from XY Data that you add in from excel or a *dbf.
