Geocode Addresses

Description

The geocodeAddresses operation is performed on a Geocode Service resource. The result of this operation is a resource representing the list of geocoded addresses. This resource provides information about the addresses, including the address, location, score, and other geocode service-specific attributes.

This operation allows you to geocode an entire list of addresses in one request. Geocoding many addresses at once is also known as batch or bulk geocoding.

This operation can be used to find the following types of locations:

The addresses in your table can be stored in a single field or in multiple fields, one for each address component. Batch geocoding performance is better when the address parts are stored in separate fields.

NoteNote:
The REST request URL must include HTTPS. Requests with HTTP are not supported.

NoteNote:

When sending a long JSON object in a request, it is necessary to use the POST method instead of GET. This is due to URL length limitations. When GET is used, the entire request is encoded in the URL, as a long JSON object can cause the limit to be exceeded and the URL to be truncated.

Maximum addresses

There is a limit to the maximum number of addresses that can be geocoded in a single batch request with the service. The MaxBatchSize property defines this limit. For instance, if MaxBatchSize=2000, and a record set sent to the service contains 3,000 addresses, only the first 2,000 will be geocoded. The SuggestedBatchSize property is also useful, as it specifies the optimal number of addresses to include in a single batch request.

Both of these properties can be determined by querying the service description at https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer?f=pjson.

The client application must account for the limit by dividing the input address table into record sets of MaxBatchSize or fewer addresses and send each record set to the service as a separate request.

Batch size

For batch geocode operations, the service only returns a response after each address in the input record set has been geocoded. If an unhandled error such as a time-out occurs during the process, the server will not return any results for that request, even if most of the addresses in the input record set have already been geocoded. For this reason, the client application should implement logic to detect and handle such errors.

Response time-outs tend to occur when input addresses are poorly formed or include many extraneous tokens that are not likely to be matched to real address components. The frequency of lost batches due to such time-outs can be mitigated by reducing the number of addresses included in each batch. Follow these general guidelines when choosing a batch size for your operation:

  • If the addresses you want to geocode are poorly formatted, ambiguous, or include many tokens, decrease the batch size to reduce the likelihood of time-outs. For extreme cases, you may need to set the batch size as low as 10 addresses. Be aware that using smaller batches will cause the geocodeAddresses operation to perform more slowly overall.
  • If the addresses you want to geocode are well-formatted and unambiguous, increase the batch size to improve overall performance. For example, a batch size of 1,000 will result in better performance than smaller batch sizes in this scenario.
    NoteNote:

    Ambiguous addresses are those that include little distinguishing information, and for which there may be many potential matches. For example, 100 Main St USA is an ambiguous address. There may be hundreds of places in the United States with an address of 100 Main St. Including more details with the address, such as city and postal code, distinguishes it from other similar addresses and reduces the amount of time needed to find a match. For example, 100 Main St, Escondido, CA, 92026, USA is distinct and will likely only be matched to a single place.

New at 10.9

The outFields parameter allows you to specify the list of fields to be returned within the attributes object of the geocodeAddresses response.

New at 10.8

The preferredLabelValues parameter allows simple configuration of output fields returned in a response from the geocoding service by specifying which address component values should be included in output fields.

New at 10.7

New at 10.6

New at 10.3

Request parameters

Parameter

Details
addresses

(Required)

A record set representing the addresses to be geocoded. Each record must include an OBJECTID attribute with a unique value, as well as values for the address fields supported by the service.

For passing in the location name as a single line of text-single field batch geocoding, use the SingleLine input field.

For passing in the location name as multiple lines of text-multifield batch geocoding, use the address fields described in findAddressCandidates.
category

(Optional)

A place or address type that can be used to filter geocodeAddresses results. The parameter supports input of single-category values or multiple, comma-separated values. See Category filtering for complete parameter details.

NoteNote:
If more than one value is specified for the parameter, the values must be separated by a comma, with no spaces after the comma.

Example

category=Address,Postal
sourceCountry

(Optional)

A value representing the country. When a value is passed for this parameter, all of the addresses in the input table are sent to the specified country to be geocoded. For example, if sourceCountry=USA is passed with a batch request, it is assumed that all of the addresses in the table are in the United States, so only matching addresses in the United States are returned. Using this parameter can increase batch geocoding performance when all addresses are within a single country.

Supported countries will depend on the data used to build the locator on which your geocoding service is based.

NoteNote:

The sourceCountry and countryCode parameters are similar but serve different purposes. The countryCode parameter defines the country value for an individual record in a multifield batch geocode request. The sourceCountry parameter defines the country value for the entire table of addresses. If both countryCode and sourceCountry are included in a geocodeAddresses request, and the country values are different, the countryCode value takes priority over sourceCountry.

NoteNote:
If more than one value is specified for the parameter, the values must be separated by a comma, with no spaces after the comma.

Example

sourceCountry=FRA,DEU,ESP
outSR

(Optional)

The spatial reference of the x,y coordinates returned by a geocode request. This is useful for applications using a map with a spatial reference different than that of the geocode service.

The spatial reference can be specified as either a well-known ID (WKID) or a JSON spatial reference object. If outSR is not specified, the spatial reference of the output location is the same as that of the service.

For a list of valid WKID values, see Projected coordinate systems and Geographic coordinate systems.

Example

outSR=102100
matchOutOfRange

(Optional)

A Boolean that specifies whether StreetAddress matches should be returned even when the input house number is outside of the house number range defined for the input street. Out-of-range matches have Addr_type=StreetAddressExt=StreetAddressExt. The geometry of such matches is a point corresponding to the end of the street segment where the range value is closest to the input house number. If matchOutOfRange is not specified in a request, its value is set to true by default.

With matchOutOfRange, better spatial accuracy is provided for inexact street address searches. Most street segments are assigned house number ranges. For example, Main Street may include house numbers from 2-100 on one side of the street and 1-99 on the other. A user may search for a house number that is not within this range, such as 109 Main Street. If matchOutOfRange=false is passed in this request, the geocode service will return a StreetName-level match to Main Street, with geometry corresponding to the centroid of a street segment that most closely matches the input values. StreetName matches can be ambiguous because there may be multiple street segments with the same name that equally match the input. However, if matchOutOfRange=true in this case, a more precise geometry is returned to the specific side of the segment of Main Street with house number range 1-99.

NoteNote:

Input house numbers that exceed the range on a street segment by more than 100 will not result in StreetAddressExt matches. For streets with smaller house number ranges, the maxOutOfRange tolerance is less than 100.

Example

matchOutOfRange=false

locationType

(Optional)

Specifies whether the output geometry of PointAddress matches should be the rooftop point or street entrance location. Valid values are rooftop and street. The default value is rooftop.

Geocode results include one geometry object (the location object) that defines the location of the address, as well as two sets of X/Y coordinate values within the attributes object: X/Y and DisplayX/DisplayY. In most cases, for geocode results with Addr_type=PointAddress or Subaddress, the X/Y attribute values describe the coordinates of the address along the street, while the DisplayX/DisplayY values describe the rooftop, or building centroid, coordinates. By default the geometry returned for geocode results represents the rooftop location of the address (if the rooftop location is available in the source data). This is useful for most spatial analysis and map display purposes. However, for routing scenarios it may be desirable to use the street location because the rooftop location of some addresses may be offset from a street by a large distance. For these cases the locationType parameter can be used to specify that the street entrance geometry should be returned.

It is important to note that locationType is limited by the address data sources used to build the locator on which your geocoding service is based. Not all PointAddress and Subaddress features include rooftop and street location coordinates. For some addresses, only a rooftop location is available; for others, only a street location is provided by the data source. For cases such as this, the locationType parameter may not function as expected. For example, if only rooftop location coordinates are available for an address, the rooftop geometry will be returned for the geocoded address even when locationType=street is requested.

NoteNote:

The locationType parameter only affects the location object in the geocode JSON response. It does not change the X/Y or DisplayX/DisplayY attribute values.

Values: street | rooftop

Example

locationType=street

searchExtent

(Optional)

A set of bounding box coordinates that limit the search area to a specific region. This is especially useful for applications in which a user will search for places and addresses within the current map extent.

You can specify the spatial reference of the searchExtent coordinates, which is necessary if the map spatial reference is different than that of the geocoding service; otherwise, the spatial reference of the map coordinates is assumed to be the same as that of the geocoding service.

The input can either be a comma-separated list of coordinates defining the bounding box or JSON envelope object. The spatial reference of the bounding box coordinates can be included if an envelope object is used.

NoteNote:
The searchExtent coordinates should always use a period as the decimal separator, even in countries where traditionally a comma is used.

Example

//coordinates defining the bounding box
searchExtent=-104,35.6,-94.32,41

//JSON envelope object
searchExtent= { "xmin" : -109.55, "ymin" : 25.76, "xmax" : -86.39, "ymax" : 49.94, "spatialReference" : {"wkid" : 4326} }
langCode

(Optional)

Sets the language in which geocode results are returned.

Addresses and places in many countries are available in more than one language; in these cases, the langCode parameter can be used to specify which language should be used for results returned by the geocodeAddresses operation. This is useful for ensuring that results are returned in the expected language. For example, a web application could be designed to get the browser language and pass it as the langCode parameter value in a request.

Language code support is dependent on the data used to build the locator on which your geocoding service is based.

If the langCode parameter isn't included in a request, or if it is included but there are no matching features with the input language code, the resultant match is returned in the language code of the primary matched component from the input search string. Typically, this is either place-name or street name, depending on the search string.

Example

langCode=fr
preferredLabelValues

(Optional)

Allows simple configuration of output fields returned in a response from the geocoding service by specifying which address component values should be included in output fields. This supports a single value or a comma-delimited collection of values as input. If the parameter is blank or excluded from a request, default address label formats will be used.

A particular address may have multiple city names associated with it. In the United States for example, all addresses have a ZIP code (postal code) assigned to them. Each ZIP code has one or more associated locality names, which are known as postal cities. There is always one primary postal city value for each ZIP code. ZIP codes typically have no set boundaries, and the primary postal city name for the ZIP code that is assigned to an address may be different than the name of the local city that the address is within.

NoteNote:

In the context of the preferredLabelValues parameter, the name of the city whose boundary an address is within is referred to as the local city, as opposed to the postal city name assigned to the address's postal code.

Additional details:

  • The preferredLabelValues parameter takes a comma-delimited collection of values as input.
  • The parameter values correspond to two groups: a City group and a Street group, indicated by the suffix of the value name. The postalCity, localCity, and matchedCity values are part of the City group. The primaryStreet and matchedStreet values are part of the Street group.
  • A geocode request can include one City value and one Street value, for instance: preferredLabelValues=primaryStreet,postalCity.
  • A request can only include one value per group. In other words, a request with preferredLabelValues=matchedCity,postalCity is invalid.

NoteNote:
The functionality of the preferredLabelValues parameter is limited by the data sources used to produce the locator on which the geocoding service is based. Not all addresses have postal city and local city values assigned to them. Likewise, only certain streets may include primary and alternate names. If the preferredLabelValues parameter is used and the output labels don't correspond to expectations in some cases, it is likely because the expected values aren't included in the source data for the addresses.

Example

//Single label value
preferredLabelValues=matchedCity

//Multiple label values
preferredLabelValues=matchedCity,primaryStreet
outFields

(Optional)

The list of fields to be returned within the attributes object of the geocodeAddresses response.

Unless otherwise specified, all output fields are returned in a geocodeAddresses response. The outFields parameter can be used to limit the result set by allowing specific fields to be returned, which is useful if not all fields are required for a user workflow.

If outFields=none is passed in a geocodeAddresses request, only the minimum set of components is included in the response. This includes the ResultID field, which is always part of the geocodeAddresses response, no matter which values are defined for the outFields parameter. The minimum set of objects includes the following:

  • spatialReference
  • locations (full address and x/y coordinates of the match location)
  • score
  • attributes (including the ResultID output field

NoteNote:
The full set of output fields are included in a geocodeAddresses response for the following conditions:
  • The outFields parameter is excluded from the request.
  • The outFields parameter is included but empty (outfields=).
  • The wildcard character is passed as the outFields value (outFields=*).

NoteNote:

The outFields values included in a request should use the same casing as the name values listed within the candidateFields section of the service description page.

NoteNote:
If more than one value is specified for the parameter, the values must be separated by a comma, with no spaces after the comma.

Examples

//Return all output fields
outFields=*
outFields=

//Return a partial set of output fields
outFields=AddNum,StAddr,City

//Return the minimum set of output fields
outFields=none

token

(Required)

Specifies a token that provides the identity of a user who has the appropriate permissions to access the service.

f

(Required)

The response format. The default response format is html.

Values: html | json | kmz

Batch geocoding output fields

When geocoding a table of addresses, the output fields are returned as part of the attributes in the response. See the example JSON response below, which shows all of the output fields that are returned for each record from a batch geocode process.

With batch geocoding, it is useful to define a unique ID for each record in your input table of addresses. You can pass the ID as the OBJECTID in the batch geocode request, and the ID will be returned as the ResultID in the response. The ResultID can then be used to link the output fields in the response records, including the X/Y location, to the attributes in the original table.

Batch geocoding examples

The following examples illustrate how to format JSON batch geocoding requests for multiline-address input (first example) and single-line input (second example) scenarios. In both cases, the response contains the exact same information.

Example: Batch geocode two addresses

Input multiline JSON record set (URL encoded)

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22Address%22%3A%22380%20New%20York%20St%2E%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Redlands%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22CA%22%2C%22Postal%22%3A%2292373%22%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22Address%22%3A%221%20World%20Way%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Los%20Angeles%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22CA%22%2C%22Postal%22%3A%2290045%22%7D%7D%5D%7D&sourceCountry=USA&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

For clarity, here is the addresses parameter in PJSON:

addresses=
{           "records": [
        {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 1,
                "Address": "380 New York St.",
                "City": "Redlands",
                "Region": "CA",
                "Postal": "92373"
            }
        },
   {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 2,
                "Address": "1 World Way",
                "City": "Los Angeles",
                "Region": "CA",
                "Postal": "90045"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Here is the input single-field JSON record set (URL encoded):

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22380%20New%20York%20St%2E%2C%20Redlands%2C%20CA%2C%2092373%22%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%221%20World%20Way%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20CA%2C%2090045%22%7D%7D%5D%7D&sourceCountry=USA&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

For clarity, here is the addresses parameter in PJSON:

addresses=
{           "records": [
        {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 1,
                "SingleLine": "380 New York St., Redlands, CA, 92373"
            }
        },
   {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 2,
                "SingleLine": "1 World Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90045"
            }
        }
    ]
}

JSON response

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "380 New York St, Redlands, California, 92373",
   "location": {
    "x": -117.19487199399998,
    "y": 34.057237000000043
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "M",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "380 New York St, Redlands, California, 92373",
    "LongLabel": "380 New York St, Redlands, CA, 92373, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "380 New York St",
    "Addr_type": "PointAddress",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "380 New York St, Redlands, California, 92373",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 20,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "380",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "New York",
    "StType": "St",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "380 New York St",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Redlands",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "San Bernardino County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "92373",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -117.19568252432872,
    "Y": 34.057237000231282,
    "DisplayX": -117.19487199429184,
    "DisplayY": 34.057237000231282,
    "Xmin": -117.19587199429185,
    "Xmax": -117.19387199429184,
    "Ymin": 34.056237000231285,
    "Ymax": 34.05823700023128,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, 90045",
   "location": {
    "x": -118.39846814499998,
    "y": 33.94432871600003
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "M",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, 90045",
    "LongLabel": "1 World Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90045, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "1 World Way",
    "Addr_type": "StreetAddress",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, 90045",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 20,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "1",
    "AddNumFrom": "1",
    "AddNumTo": "99",
    "AddRange": "1-99",
    "Side": "R",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "World",
    "StType": "Way",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "1 World Way",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "Westchester",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Los Angeles",
    "MetroArea": "Los Angeles Metro Area",
    "Subregion": "Los Angeles County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "90045",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -118.39846814543318,
    "Y": 33.944328715953219,
    "DisplayX": -118.39846814543318,
    "DisplayY": 33.944328715953219,
    "Xmin": -118.39946814543319,
    "Xmax": -118.39746814543318,
    "Ymin": 33.943328715953221,
    "Ymax": 33.945328715953217,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  }
 ]
}

Category filtering

The geocodeAddresses operation supports batch geocode filtering by category values, which represent address and place types. By including the category parameter in a geocodeAddresses request you can avoid false positive matches to unexpected place and address types due to ambiguous input.

For example, a user has a table of three-letter airport codes that they want to geocode. There may be city or business names that are the same as an airport code, causing false positive matches to other places. However, the user can ensure that only airport matches are returned by specifying category=airport in the request.

Example: Batch geocode airport codes with category

Here is the input single-field JSON record set:

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceURL]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22LAX%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22SFO%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&category=airport&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "LAX",
   "location": {
    "x": -118.40896999999995,
    "y": 33.942510000000027
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "T",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "LAX",
    "LongLabel": "LAX, Los Angeles, CA, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "LAX",
    "Addr_type": "POI",
    "Type": "Airport",
    "PlaceName": "LAX",
    "Place_addr": "Los Angeles, California",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 7,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Los Angeles",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "Los Angeles County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -118.40896999999995,
    "Y": 33.942510000000027,
    "DisplayX": -118.40896999999995,
    "DisplayY": 33.942510000000027,
    "Xmin": -118.43396999999996,
    "Xmax": -118.38396999999995,
    "Ymin": 33.917510000000028,
    "Ymax": 33.967510000000026,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "SFO",
   "location": {
    "x": -122.37579999999997,
    "y": 37.618820000000028
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "T",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "SFO",
    "LongLabel": "SFO, CA, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "SFO",
    "Addr_type": "POI",
    "Type": "Airport",
    "PlaceName": "SFO",
    "Place_addr": "California",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 7,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "San Mateo County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -122.37579999999997,
    "Y": 37.618820000000028,
    "DisplayX": -122.37579999999997,
    "DisplayY": 37.618820000000028,
    "Xmin": -122.40079999999998,
    "Xmax": -122.35079999999996,
    "Ymin": 37.593820000000029,
    "Ymax": 37.643820000000026,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  }
 ]
}

Batch geocoding coordinates

Geocoding services based on locators created with the Create Locator geoprocessing tool support batch geocoding of coordinates with the geocodeAddresses operation. The output is a geometry point with a match address that is the same as the input coordinates. This is different than reverse geocoding, in which input x/y coordinates are resolved to a matching street address. The following types of coordinates are supported for batch geocoding:

Detailed information about valid input formats for coordinate geocoding is provided in the findAddressCandidates topic. Examples for batch geocoding coordinates with the geocodeAddresses operation are provided below.

NoteNote:

Coordinates must be passed as the value for the singleLine or Address field in the request. If the coordinates are included in the Address field, all other input fields, such as Address2, City, Region, and Postal, must be empty.

Example: Batch geocode latitude/longitude coordinates

Here is the input single-field JSON record set:

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%2218.9919543%2C47.5283605%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22Y%3A47.5283605%20X%3A18.9919543%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

JSON response

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "18.991954 47.528360",
   "location": {
    "x": 18.991954300000032,
    "y": 47.528360500000076
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "T",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "18.991954 47.528360",
    "LongLabel": "47°31'42.097\"N 18°59'31.035\"E",
    "ShortLabel": "18.991954 47.528360",
    "Addr_type": "LatLong",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 0,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "",
    "Region": "",
    "RegionAbbr": "",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "",
    "LangCode": "",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": 18.9919543,
    "Y": 47.528360499999998,
    "DisplayX": 18.9919543,
    "DisplayY": 47.528360499999998,
    "Xmin": 18.990954299999999,
    "Xmax": 18.992954300000001,
    "Ymin": 47.5273605,
    "Ymax": 47.529360499999996,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "Y:47.528360 X:18.991954",
   "location": {
    "x": 18.991954300000032,
    "y": 47.528360500000076
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "M",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "Y:47.528360 X:18.991954",
    "LongLabel": "47°31'42.097\"N 18°59'31.035\"E",
    "ShortLabel": "Y:47.528360 X:18.991954",
    "Addr_type": "YX",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 0,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "",
    "Region": "",
    "RegionAbbr": "",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "",
    "LangCode": "",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": 18.9919543,
    "Y": 47.528360499999998,
    "DisplayX": 18.9919543,
    "DisplayY": 47.528360499999998,
    "Xmin": 18.990954299999999,
    "Xmax": 18.992954300000001,
    "Ymin": 47.5273605,
    "Ymax": 47.529360499999996,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  }
 ]
}

Batch geocoding points of interest (POI)

If the locator on which your geocoding service is based was built with point of interest data, it supports batch geocoding of POIs with the geocodeAddresses operation. A POI is a named point location that can represent a cultural or geographic landmark or a business. For example, you can find amusement parks, museums, schools, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, or other types of businesses or landmarks, as well as geographic features, such as mountains, lakes, rivers, or deserts.

As with street addresses, you can search for POIs with geocodeAddresses using the single-field or multifield approach.

Single-field POI search

To search for POIs with single-field search, use the singleLine parameter. In general, valid singleLine POI search strings can be formatted in variations of three basic structures:

  1. <name> <optional connextor> <zone>
  2. <zone> <name>
  3. <name> <address> <zone>

Where

  • <name> = A place-name, such as Disneyland, Starbucks, or Niagra Falls.
  • <zone> = A postal code or administrative boundary—such as neighborhood, city, subregion, region, country, or any combination thereof—that provides a spatial boundary to the search. It can be included in the search to limit matching candidates but is not required.
  • <optional connector> = in or at; this is not required for the search.
  • <address> = A street name, such as Main St, or a complete street address, such as 590 N Main St.

Examples of valid singleLine search strings include the following:

Business name searches

  • Starbucks San Diego
  • Starbucks in San Diego
  • San Diego Starbucks
  • Starbucks 92101
  • Starbucks 5th Ave San Diego
  • Reuben H Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA

Multifield POI search

When searching for POIs using multifield input, the name of the POI must be passed as the value for the address parameter. The zone information can be passed in the postal, neighborhood, city, subregion, region, and countryCode parameters. If searching for POI and address, the address should be passed as the value for the address2 parameter.

Example: Batch geocode amusement parks

Here is the input single-field JSON record set:

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22universal%20studios%20los%20angeles%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22disneyland%20anaheim%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

Here is the input multifield JSON record set:

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22Address%22%3A%22universal%20studios%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22los%20angeles%22%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22Address%22%3A%22disneyland%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22anaheim%22%7D%7D%5D%7D&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

JSON response

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "Disneyland",
   "location": {
    "x": -117.91894999999994,
    "y": 33.812770000000057
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "M",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "Disneyland",
    "LongLabel": "Disneyland, 1313 S Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA, 92802, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "Disneyland",
    "Addr_type": "POI",
    "Type": "Amusement Park",
    "PlaceName": "Disneyland",
    "Place_addr": "1313 S Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, California, 92802",
    "Phone": "(714) 781-4565",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 2.5,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "1313",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "S",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "Disneyland",
    "StType": "Dr",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "1313 S Disneyland Dr",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "Disneyland",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Anaheim",
    "MetroArea": "Los Angeles Metro Area",
    "Subregion": "Orange County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "92802",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -117.92369994070933,
    "Y": 33.815329917048274,
    "DisplayX": -117.91894999999994,
    "DisplayY": 33.812770000000057,
    "Xmin": -117.92394999999993,
    "Xmax": -117.91394999999994,
    "Ymin": 33.807770000000055,
    "Ymax": 33.81777000000006,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "Universal Studios",
   "location": {
    "x": -118.35245999999995,
    "y": 34.136470000000031
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "T",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "Universal Studios",
    "LongLabel": "Universal Studios, 100 Universal Citywalk, Universal City, CA, 91608, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "Universal Studios",
    "Addr_type": "POI",
    "Type": "Amusement Park",
    "PlaceName": "Universal Studios",
    "Place_addr": "100 Universal Citywalk, Universal City, California, 91608",
    "Phone": "(818) 622-3801",
    "URL": "http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com",
    "Rank": 19,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "100",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "R",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "Universal Citywalk",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "100 Universal Citywalk",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "Universal City",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Universal City",
    "MetroArea": "Los Angeles Metro Area",
    "Subregion": "Los Angeles County",
    "Region": "California",
    "RegionAbbr": "CA",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "91608",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -118.35245999999995,
    "Y": 34.136470000000031,
    "DisplayX": -118.35245999999995,
    "DisplayY": 34.136470000000031,
    "Xmin": -118.35745999999995,
    "Xmax": -118.34745999999996,
    "Ymin": 34.131470000000029,
    "Ymax": 34.141470000000034,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  }
 ]
}

Geocode addresses within an extent

The geocodeAddresses operation allows spatial filtering of search results by using the searchExtent parameter. To confine a search to a localized area, something that is especially useful in a mobile application, you can define a bounding rectangle to search within. No candidates outside of the rectangle are returned. When bounding rectangle coordinates are entered as a simple comma-separated string in the format <lower left corner>,<upper right corner>, the coordinates must be in the default spatial reference of the geocode service, which is the same as the data that was used to build the locator on which your geocode service is based. The searchExtent parameter can be used with all supported search types (street address, POI, admin place, postal code).

NoteNote:

The searchExtent parameter is not intended to be used with extents that cover large areas, such as entire countries or provinces/states. Geocoding quality and performance may be reduced with large searchExtent values. For example, if a request includes a searchExtent that covers the state of California, an ambiguous input address such as 100 Main St would cause an excessive number of matching candidates to be generated, which would slow down the response. To counteract such a delay, the service may not process all possible candidates, leading to unexpected results.

The following best practices will help you avoid issues when using searchExtent:

  • Reduce the searchExtent area. Ideally, the size of the extent should not exceed an area corresponding to a map scale of approximately 1:1,000,000.
  • Include an administrative zone (such as city) or postal code in the request when searching for a place or address. For instance, instead of searching for 100 Main St, be more specific and search for 100 Main St, Barstow.
  • Use the suggest operation together with findAddressCandidates to take advantage of its autocomplete capability.

Example: Only return address matches in downtown Detroit using searchExtent with default spatial reference

Single-field request URL

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22315%20Bagley%20St%2C%20Detroit%2C%20Michigan%2C%2048226%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%2224241%20Scotia%20Rd%2C%20Detroit%2C%20Michigan%2C%2048237%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&searchExtent=-83.06757808033565%2C42.32169269843457%2C-83.03015590015993%2C42.3455495740986&category=Point%20Address&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

Multifield request URL

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22Address%22%3A%22315%20Bagley%20St%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Detroit%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22Michigan%22%2C%22Postal%22%3A%2248226%22%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22Address%22%3A%2224241%20Scotia%20Rd%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Detroit%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22Michigan%22%2C%22Postal%22%3A%2248237%22%7D%7D%5D%7D&searchExtent=-83.06757808033565%2C42.32169269843457%2C-83.03015590015993%2C42.3455495740986&category=Point%20Address&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

JSON response

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "315 Bagley St, Detroit, Michigan, 48226",
   "location": {
    "x": -83.053039965999972,
    "y": 42.333660001000055
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Loc_name": "World",
    "Status": "M",
    "Score": 100,
    "Match_addr": "315 Bagley St, Detroit, Michigan, 48226",
    "LongLabel": "315 Bagley St, Detroit, MI, 48226, USA",
    "ShortLabel": "315 Bagley St",
    "Addr_type": "PointAddress",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "315 Bagley St, Detroit, Michigan, 48226",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 20,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "315",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "R",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "Bagley",
    "StType": "St",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "315 Bagley St",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "Downtown",
    "District": "",
    "City": "Detroit",
    "MetroArea": "Detroit Metro",
    "Subregion": "Wayne County",
    "Region": "Michigan",
    "RegionAbbr": "MI",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "48226",
    "PostalExt": "14ND",
    "Country": "USA",
    "LangCode": "ENG",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": -83.053440536862823,
    "Y": 42.333773156783423,
    "DisplayX": -83.053039965710155,
    "DisplayY": 42.333660001090578,
    "Xmin": -83.05403996571016,
    "Xmax": -83.052039965710151,
    "Ymin": 42.332660001090581,
    "Ymax": 42.334660001090576,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "",
   "score": 0,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Loc_name": "",
    "Status": "U",
    "Score": 0,
    "Match_addr": "",
    "LongLabel": "",
    "ShortLabel": "",
    "Addr_type": "",
    "Type": "",
    "PlaceName": "",
    "Place_addr": "",
    "Phone": "",
    "URL": "",
    "Rank": 0,
    "AddBldg": "",
    "AddNum": "",
    "AddNumFrom": "",
    "AddNumTo": "",
    "AddRange": "",
    "Side": "",
    "StPreDir": "",
    "StPreType": "",
    "StName": "",
    "StType": "",
    "StDir": "",
    "BldgType": "",
    "BldgName": "",
    "LevelType": "",
    "LevelName": "",
    "UnitType": "",
    "UnitName": "",
    "SubAddr": "",
    "StAddr": "",
    "Block": "",
    "Sector": "",
    "Nbrhd": "",
    "District": "",
    "City": "",
    "MetroArea": "",
    "Subregion": "",
    "Region": "",
    "RegionAbbr": "",
    "Territory": "",
    "Zone": "",
    "Postal": "",
    "PostalExt": "",
    "Country": "",
    "LangCode": "",
    "Distance": 0,
    "X": 0,
    "Y": 0,
    "DisplayX": 0,
    "DisplayY": 0,
    "Xmin": 0,
    "Xmax": 0,
    "Ymin": 0,
    "Ymax": 0,
    "ExInfo": ""
   }
  }
 ]
}

Specify output fields

The geocodeAddresses operation allows you to specify individual output fields or return all output fields in a response. The outFields parameter is used for this. To return all supported output fields, set outFields=*, outFields=, or exclude the parameter from the request. If you only want to return the minimum set of default output fields, set outFields=none. To return specific fields, pass the desired field names as comma-separated values in the request, such as outFields=Addr_type,AddNum,StName,StType,Nbrhd,City,Region,Postal,Country.

The examples below illustrate how to control the fields that are included in a geocodeAddresses response by using the outFields parameter. The first example shows what the geocode results look like when a partial set of output fields is defined for outFields. The second example shows how to use outFields to return the minimum set of default output fields.

Here is what the addresses parameter looks like in PJSON for the example addresses in single-field format (use with POST requests):

addresses=
{           "records": [
        {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 1,
                "SingleLine": "269 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, Victoria"
            }
        },
   {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 2,
                "SingleLine": "30 Flemington Rd, Melbourne, Victoria"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Here is what the addresses parameter looks like in PJSON for these addresses in multi-field format (use with POST requests):

addresses=
{           "records": [
        {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 1,
                "Address": "269 Lonsdale St",
                "City": "Melbourne",
                "Region": "Victoria"
            }
        },
   {
            "attributes": {
                "OBJECTID": 2,
                "Address": "30 Flemington Rd",
                "City": "Melbourne",
                "Region": "Victoria"
            }
        }
    ]
}

By default, all output fields are returned in a geocodeAddresses response. For some workflows or applications, this may cause the response to be larger than necessary. The outFields parameter can be used to limit the result set so that only the fields required by the application are returned. The example below shows how to return basic address and administrative zone fields in the response.

Batch geocode two addresses and use outFields to return a partial set of output fields (outFields-Addr_type,AddNum,StName,StType,Nbrhd,City,Region,Postal,Country)

Single-field request URL (GET example)

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceName]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%22269%20Lonsdale%20St%2C%20Melbourne%2C%20Victoria%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22SingleLine%22%3A%2230%20Flemington%20Rd%2C%20Melbourne%2C%20Victoria%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&outFields=Addr_type%2CAddNum%2CStName%2CStType%2CNbrhd%2CCity%2CRegion%2CPostal%2CCountry&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

Multifield request URL (GET example)

https://[myServerURL]/arcgis/rest/services/[myGeocodeServiceURL]/GeocodeServer/geocodeAddresses?addresses=%7B%22records%22%3A%5B%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A1%2C%22Address%22%3A%22269%20Lonsdale%20St%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Melbourne%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22Victoria%22%2C%7D%7D%2C%7B%22attributes%22%3A%7B%22OBJECTID%22%3A2%2C%22Address%22%3A%2230%20Flemington%20Rd%22%2C%22City%22%3A%22Melbourne%22%2C%22Region%22%3A%22Victoria%22%2C%7D%7D%5D%7D&outFields=Addr_type%2CAddNum%2CStName%2CStType%2CNbrhd%2CCity%2CRegion%2CPostal%2CCountry&f=pjson&token=<YOUR TOKEN>

JSON response

{
 "spatialReference": {
  "wkid": 4326,
  "latestWkid": 4326
 },
 "locations": [
  {
   "address": "269 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000",
   "location": {
    "x": 144.96369518600011,
    "y": -37.812086002999933
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 1,
    "Addr_type": "PointAddress",
    "AddNum": "269",
    "StName": "Lonsdale",
    "StType": "St",
    "Nbrhd": "Melbourne",
    "City": "Melbourne",
    "Region": "Victoria",
    "Postal": "3000",
    "Country": "AUS"
   }
  },
  {
   "address": "30 Flemington Rd, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052",
   "location": {
    "x": 144.95418692200008,
    "y": -37.797494785999959
   },
   "score": 100,
   "attributes": {
    "ResultID": 2,
    "Addr_type": "PointAddress",
    "AddNum": "30",
    "StName": "Flemington",
    "StType": "Rd",
    "Nbrhd": "Parkville",
    "City": "Melbourne",
    "Region": "Victoria",
    "Postal": "3052",
    "Country": "AUS"
   }
  }
 ]
}

To reduce the response size even more, set outFields=none in the request.

Handling JSON responses

The geocodeAddresses REST operation results in an output JSON response. However, the REST request may not always successfully return results. A variety of things could cause a REST request to fail:

You can write code to handle these request failures caused by server time-outs. When a time-out occurs, your code will need to do the following:

The retry logic described above is the recommended best practice when using the geocodeAddresses operation. The Geocode Addresses, Geocode File, and Geocode Locations from Table geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS Pro already utilize this logic to ensure batch geocoding never fails against a geocode service.

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