[OSGeo-Discuss] Batch geocoding

[Pieter De Graef]

When we created the GeoCoder plugin for Geomajas we faced that same 
problem. The google geocoder has a few drawbacks that makes it unsuitable.
In the end we used the Yahoo service together with the Geonames service, 
with pretty good results.

Hope that helps.


On 02/04/2011 02:34 PM, JP Glutting wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a large set of addresses (around 150k) that I need to geocode 
> for a study (my Masters thesis on heat-related mortality). I am 
> looking into different solutions, but I can't find anything that seems 
> like it would work properly.
>
> I could script a solution using Google's map API, but there is a limit 
> of 2,500 addreses per day (I can get around them with a little patience).
>
> Right now the best solution I am looking at geopy for geocoding 
> addresses (http://code.google.com/p/geopy/). It seems like a good 
> system, I think I can use it to pull addresses out of my database and 
> write back coordinates. There is one thing that I am not sure, about, 
> though, is whether I am actually allowed to use the Google API without 
> my use being liked to a specific web page. The terms of service and 
> form for getting a Google API key require a URL linked to a Google 
> account. In fact, it looks like the API can only be used through a web 
> site:
>
>     "5.2 _Account Key_. After supplying Google with your account
>     information and the URL of your Maps API Implementation, and
>     accepting the Terms, you will be issued an alphanumeric key
>     assigned to you by Google that is uniquely associated with your
>     Google Account and the URL of your Maps API Implementation. Your
>     Maps API Implementation must import the Google Maps APIs using
>     this key as described in the Maps APIs Documentation
>     <http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/>, and Google will
>     block requests with an invalid key or invalid URL. You may only
>     obtain and use a key in accordance with these Terms and the Maps
>     APIs Documentation <http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/>."
>
>
> So it looks like I can't even get it to work without a URL.
>
> I can always write a script that loops through results extracted from 
> the database, creates URLs and parses the XML results one at a time, 
> but that seems like a fairly inelegant solution.
>
> Does anyone have any good ideas about how to geocode a few thousand 
> addresses?
>
> Many thanks,
> JP
>
>
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-- 
Pieter De Graef

Community Manager
GeoSparc nv.
http://www.geosparc.com/

Chairman of the Geomajas project
http://www.geomajas.org/


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