GeoCoder.ca

Real Time Geocoding | Batch Geocoding | Canadian Postal Codes | US Zip data | US Zip+4 data | Dedicated Geocoding Server Solution

Geocoding Data Services

• Real Time Geocoding:

  We strive to provide the most reliable and accurate geocoding services for Canada and the USA. Using our xml port you can integrate geocoding functionalities into your application in real time. We currently provide forward and reverse geocoding of street addresses, postal/zip codes and street intersections in both the USA and Canada. More information on usage can be found on the API pages. [Non-For_Profit Port | Commercial Port (cost $0.01 for 4 lookups)]
  Both XML ports provide the same quality of geocoding; but the Commercial Port has higher priority process scheduling, hence queries execute faster. Users of the commercial port also receive unthrottled use of the service, and priority response on support queries.

  How it is done:
  The base data set is provided by various agencies which gather GIS data (one of our Canadian data sources for example is compiled by GeoBase, whereas data for the USA are mainly based on the TIGER line dataset of the US census bureau). This data is then filtered by our system for inconsistencies. (We find that some of the data we acquire from these sources is incorrect possibly due to human data entry error. We have developed a way for discovering and correcting the majority of such errors. )
  After that raw data has been corrected and imported it is algorithmically processed to geocode locations.

  • Forward Geocoding is done by building a "line" (in most cases) or a "curve" through the data points representing a street then doing an interpolation based on the input street number of the location, or finding the intersection of two streets. You can input a location string in many different ways, as a civic address, intersection, geographical area, etc. Our location parser will take care of identifying all location components and geocode the result against our database of the north america's road network, and geographical features. Our customers use this information to build intelligent location aware applications.
    
  • Reverse geocoding is done by first finding the closest street segments to the input point out of a two dimensional matrix containing roughly 3 billion elements. Then we compute the closest point on the segment and return this street address along with the area's postal code and other information such as the county name, metro area, nearest intersection, nearest major intersection, the positioning of the nearest street relative to other streets, etc.. Our customers use this information for fleet management, cell phone tracking, Raw data analysis, Emergency 911 services, GPS tracking and route planning.
  
  
• Batch Geocoding:

  We process batch geocoding jobs for our clients. The rates vary with the size of the batch with the maximum rate being 1 cent for every 4 data items, a processing fee applies for small batches.
  There are discounts for batches over 1M records. Here are some sample pricing schemes, depending on the size of the batch:
  1 million addresses $1195
  2 million addresses $1793
  5 million addresses $2390
  10 million addresses $3585
  Contact us to find out more.

• Canadian postal codes geocoded Dataset:

  We offer some of our data as a batch download for those wishing to build commercial location based applications. One example of our batch products is our geocoded Canadian postal code database.
  

  How it is done:
  Our canadian postal code dataset contains over 850,000 postal codes. (As of the last update on 2010-09-01 00:15:01 the exact number is 890144 unique postal codes, all verified and geocoded to street level accuracy)
  Each postal code in fact covers an "area". This area could be as small as a single house or city block; or as large as a whole town.
  Finding the most accurate geographical representation of this postal code, involves finding the point having the smallest relative distance from all locations included in the postal code area - also called the geodesic point. (normally this area is approximated to a convex hull, but it could also be a non-convex shape). We have built a system that computes this central location with a large degree of accuracy

  The Canadian postal codes dataset we offer can be adjusted according to customer's needs to include additional information about the city, streets and other geographical features related to any of the postal codes in addition to the relevant latitude/longitude information. Contact us for information about obtaining a customized Canadian postal code database. We also offer regular monthly updates of this database.
  Data Samples:
  Click here to download a sample postal code dataset for Pickering Ontario | Click Here to download a recent update file for the Canadian postal code dataset. (Optionally you may obtain the same database including street names and address ranges associated with each postal code: Click here to download a small sample of a postal code file for Monton, NB including street information.)

  Cost: $499CAD | Register to purchase the Canadian Postal Code Dataset (Immediate Download upon purchase.) Unrestricted Use License

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• US Zip5 geocoded Dataset:

  A Zip5 postal code is a five digit string, identifying a certain zip code polygon in the USA. (for example : 10001 is a zip code polygon for New York, NY) Our 5 digit US zip code dataset contains the latest data from the USPS (United States Postal Service) postal code file, which is processed by our system to compute the Zip5 area polygons, and the resulting geodesic center for each Zip5 code. There are currently 41,700 unique five digit zip codes in our database as of the last update on April 20, 2007. Contact us for more information.
  Data Samples:
  Example Zip code polygon for the 59928 area | Example Zip5 centroid file |

• US Zip+4 geocoded Dataset:

  A Zip+4 code, is a nine digit Zip code, which normally represents a single civic address in the US. It is comprised of the Zip5 code plus a 4 digit extension. (for example: 10001-1111 corresponds to 601 30TH ST W, NEW YORK, NY). We regularly geocode and maintain a geocoded database of all US Zip+4 codes based on the USPS ZIP + 4® Product. This database contains over 30 million unique Zip+4 codes. The product comes with the following fields by default: zip+4,latitude,longitude,city,state. We can customize this data according to the client's needs by including additional information such as building name, congressional district code, county, etc.. We also provide Zip code polygons with this product if requested. Contact us to learn more.
  Data Samples:
  Example Zip+4 data for the 10001 zip code

  Other custom services we offer on demand, include batch geocoding, location data cleanup and standardization and geospatial data analysis. Contact us for more information.