MapQuest Geocoding Overview

Geocoding is the process of resolving a latitude/longitude for a location. MapQuest uses multiple street level data sources to provide a “best of breed” geocode with a highly informative result code when using our Licensed Data services.

Geocoding can be accessed through the Geocoding API Web Service, either one address at a time, or by batch. File geocoding can be accomplished through the Data Manager web tool.

MapQuest provides a robust platform to accomplish high-volume geocoding. Contact MapQuest Sales for further information. See the Terms Overview for details on transactional limits within a Community or Enterprise license.

Geocode Result Code

The MapQuest Geocoder provides an informative five character geocode result code that provides both the match level (i.e. parcel, intersection, zip+4) and a confidence code that indicates how well each portion of the address input was matched. The granularity of the result code allows for the creation of precise business rules to determine things such as when to confirm location with the user or when to flag a location for data clean-up.

The details of the result code can be found in the Geocoding API Web Service documentation. To try the MapQuest geocoder and see the result code, go to the MapQuest Explorer.

Geocoding on Open Data

Another option for geocoding is to use the Nominatim Search API Web Service on Open Data. The terms of use are different when using Open Data, and MapQuest does not impose any transactional limitations on using the Open Data with a Community Edition license.

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