These tools convert textual addresses into point locations at varying levels of detail. WashU has several options available to accomplish this process; see below for descriptions and access instructions. Some locators are accessed via an API or network service and would require address information to be sent over the network; if your project requires HIPPA protection, this type of locator may not be appropriate. Other locators can be installed on researcher systems for direct access that does not require any network traffic; this is a suitable option for those projects that must protect confidential personal information.
Reference the Geocoding Workflows page for instructions describing how to use these locators to perform individual or batch address geocoding.
This product includes an address locator that is updated several times per year and is the most current 'in-house' address locator available to the WashU community. We have added an online geocoding service that accesses our most recent version of the Streetmap Premium dataset.
Using Streetmap Premium on a locally installed instance of ArcGIS Pro is HIPPAA compliant.
This service is available to WashU community members who are logged into the secure campus network directly or via VPN. See the Streetmap Premium page for details.
The locator can also be accessed directly on one of the Research Studio computers or in some cases can be downloaded and installed on a researcher's lab or personal computer.
This cloud based option is provided by ESRI as the default locator in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online as long as the user is logged into their ArcGIS Online account in the application and has sufficient credits to cover the 'cost' of the geocoding operation. Individual addresses can be located at no cost using the appropriate search function in any of the ESRI suite of software. Batch geocoding will require credits and this locator should not be used for projects requiring more than 4000 records.
These locators use the Zip+4 format and are only able to match to the Zip Code level. The database was purchased from Geolytics in 2009 and again in 2016 and was used to create locators for each of those years. It would be an appropriate option for projects focused in or around that time. The locators can be downloaded and used without license from the Library's Geospatial Data Collection.
This collection was provided with the ESRI Data and Maps collection in 2008 and includes locators that return results at several levels of accuracy ranging from address points to the city/state level. The locators can be downloaded and used without license from the Library's Geospatial Data Collection.
Several options exist for skilled users who wish to take advantage of an API for programmatic control of the geocoding process. Review provider documentation for details on these sources.
