Geocoding and address management > Preparing for geocoding
Commonly used address locator styles |
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Release 9.3
Last modified March 23, 2011 |
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When choosing an address locator style upon which to build your address locator, several things should be considered including the type of geometry in your reference data and the format of address data you want to geocode. The US Streets address locator style is used for the majority of common United States street addresses.
The following table shows some of the basic characteristics of each of the address locator styles provided with ArcGIS. Some styles may be extended to include a single zone field, such as US Streets with Zone, or three zone fields, such as US Streets with City State ZIP. These styles can be used to geocode an address with some additional zone information such as "320 Madison St, 53606" or "329 Holiday Court, La Jolla, CA, 92122". Some address locator styles are further extended to include an alternate name table, e.g., US Streets with Altname, and US Streets with Zone and Altname. These styles allow geocoding addresses based on either the primary or the alternate names of the street. See the Additional style properties section below for more details.
| Styles | Typical reference dataset geometry | Typical reference dataset representation | Address search parameters | Examples | Applications |
| US Streets | Lines | Address range for both sides of street segment | All address elements in a single field | 320 Madison St. | Finding a house on a specific side of the street |
| US Alphanumeric | Lines | Address with grid zone information | All address elements in a single field | N2W1700 County Rd. | Used in some regions of Illinois and Wisconsin |
| US Hyphenated | Lines | Cross street information in address | All address elements in a single field | 105-30 Union St. | Used in locations such as Queens, New York |
| US One Range | Lines | One range for each street segment | All address elements in a single field | 2 Summit Rd. | Finding a house on a street where side is not needed |
| US One Address | Points or polygons | Each feature representing an address | All address elements in a single field | 71 Cherry Ln. | Finding parcels, buildings, or address points |
| Single Field | Points or polygons | Each feature representing a particular place, landmark, or point of interest | Single, user-specified variable | Cabrillo College | Finding place names or landmarks that can be identified by names in a single filed |
| US Cities with State | Points or polygons | City within a state | City name and state name or abbreviation | Rice, WA | Finding a specific city in the country |
| World Cities | Points or polygons | City within a country | City name and country name | Lima, Peru | Finding a specific city in the world |
| ZIP 5 Digit | Points or polygons | Zip Code region or centroid | Five-digit ZIP Code | 22066 | Finding a specific ZIP Code location |
| ZIP+4 | Points or polygons | ZIP+4 region or centroid | Five-digit ZIP Codes and four-digit extension in separate field | 96822, 2323 | Finding a specific ZIP+4 location |
| ZIP+4 Range | Points or polygons | Each feature representing a ZIP cCde and a low and high plus 4 range | Five-digit ZIP Codes and four-digit extension in separate field | 63703, 0078 | Finding a specific ZIP+4 location |
US Streets
The US Streets address locator style lets you create address locators for common addresses encountered in the United States. One advantage of this address locator style is that it permits you to provide a range of house number values for both sides of a street segment. With this, the address locator can not only deliver a location along the street segment but also determine the side of the street segment where the address is located.
This address locator style can use feature classes with any type of geometry but typically uses feature classes with line geometry. Each feature in the reference data represents a street segment with two ranges of addresses that fall along that street segment, one for each side of the street.
To use a shapefile or feature class as reference data for a US Streets style of address locator, it must have four fields that contain from address and to address information for each side of the street as well as street name information, an ObjectID field, and SHAPE field. In addition, you can specify fields that contain the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, suffix direction, or zone.
Additional fields, such as ZIPL and ZIPR (ZIP for each side of the street), in the reference feature class can be used for the US Streets with Zone style. If US Streets with City State ZIP style is used, the feature class should contain the left/right ZIP, left/right City, and one State abbreviation fields.
Each of the US address locator styles, while having different requirements for reference data, has the same requirements for input address data. Tables of addresses that can be geocoded using these address locators must have an address field containing the street number and street name in addition to the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, or suffix direction, if any. Intersection descriptions (for example, Eureka Blvd. & Vine St.) can also be included in this field.
US Alphanumeric Ranges
The US Alphanumeric Ranges address locator style lets you create address locators for United States addresses that contain alphanumeric house number ranges. Such alphanumeric house ranges are used in some regions of Wisconsin and Illinois. The alphanumeric portion of the address usually represents a grid zone. For example, the address N84W 16301 W Donald Ave suggests that the address is not only at 16301 W Donald Avenue, but that it is also in grid zone N84W.
This address locator style can use feature classes with any type of geometry but typically uses those with line geometry representing the street network. Each feature in the reference data represents a street segment with two address ranges, one for each side of the street.
To use a feature class as reference data for a US Alphanumeric Ranges address locator, it must have fields that contain the from address and to address (prefixed with grid zones) for each side of the street, street name information, an ObjectID field, and a Shape field. In addition, you can specify fields that contain the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, suffix direction, or zone.
The US Alphanumeric Ranges address locator style has the same address table requirements as the US Streets address locator style.
US Hyphenated Ranges
The US Hyphenated Ranges address locator style lets you create address locators for United States addresses that contain hyphenated house number ranges. The hyphenated ranges depict a number that is usually the number of the cross street, followed by a hyphen, then the actual number of the house along the street (for example, 76-20 34th Ave). One location that uses this type of address style is Queens, New York. The first number indicates either the north or west cross street. The second number indicates where on the block the building is located.
This address locator style can use feature classes in a geodatabase with any type of geometry but typically uses feature classes with line or polyline geometry. Each feature in the reference data represents a street segment with two ranges of addresses that fall along that street segment, one for each side of the street. The US Hyphenated Ranges address locator style only supports feature classes in a geodatabase.
To use a feature class as reference data for a US Hyphenated Ranges style of address locator, the related attribute table must have fields that contain from address and to address information for each side of the street, street name information, an ObjectID field, and a SHAPE field. You can also specify fields that contain the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, suffix direction, or zone.
In the from address and to address fields of the feature class, the house number can be a hyphenated number or a simple house number. For example, as shown in the table below, the address ranges 75-01–75-99, 75-00–75-98 must contain a hyphen that separates the cross street and the actual house number. A simple house number range, such as 101–199, can be used if the range is not a hyphenated range.
When an address locator is built for the feature class using the US Hyphenated Ranges address locator style, the cross street and house number information will be stored in separate fields in the locator. The house number of an input address will be matched against the house number fields in the address locator.
The US Hyphenated Ranges address locator style has the same address table requirements as the US Streets address locator style.
US One Range
The US One Range address locator style lets you create an address locator for street segments with address ranges. This address locator style is similar to the US Addresses address locator; however, this style requires only one range for each road segment. Thus, the reference data is less extensive, and this style can be used when the side of the street in the output data is not essential. This address locator style typically uses feature classes with line or polyline geometry. Each feature in the reference data represents a street segment with a range of addresses that fall along that street segment.
To use a feature class as reference data for a US One Range address locator, it must have fields that contain from address, to address, and street name information and an ObjectID field and a SHAPE field. In addition, you can specify fields that contain the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, suffix direction, or zone.
The US One Range address locator style has the same address table requirements as the US Streets address locator style.
US One Address
The US One Address locator style lets you create address locators for United States addresses. US One Address locators use feature classes with polygon or point geometry as reference data. Each feature in the reference data corresponds to a single address. For example, you could use a feature class containing parcel polygons, building footprints, or parcel centroids (the center points of parcel polygons) as reference data for a US One Address locator. Each address you want to search must be present on the reference data. Exact locations cannot be extrapolated or interpolated from any type of range of addresses on a street. As shown below, the US One Address address locator style requires that each feature in the reference data correspond to a single address value, such as parcels or buildings.
To use a feature class as reference data for a US One Address locator, it must have individual fields that contain a street number and street name information and an ObjectID field and a SHAPE field. In addition, you can specify fields that contain the street's prefix direction, prefix type, street type, suffix direction, or zone.
The US One Address locator style has the same address table requirements as the US Streets locator style.
Single Field
The Single Field address locator style lets you create address locators for address data that contain the location information in a single field. This address locator style has a broad range of applications. You can use a Single Field address locator style to geocode location descriptions such as place-names, city names, or state names. In addition, you can use the Single Field address locator style to create address locators to find hydrologic units, census tracks, and virtually any unique feature represented in a feature class.
Although Single Field address locators can use feature classes with any type of geometry, they typically use feature classes with point or polygon geometry as reference data. In addition to an ObjectID field and SHAPE field, feature classes that you can use as reference data for a Single Field address locator must have a specific field that contains the unique address for that feature. It is this field in the attribute table that is referenced when geocoding against the reference data.
Tables of addresses that can be geocoded using a Single Field address locator style must also contain a single field with the same unique address information that can be used to identify the locations.
Learn more about Single Field address locators.
US Cities with State
The US Cities with State address locator style lets you create address locators for city names that contain fields that have city and state name information. This address locator style can use feature classes with point or polygon geometry. Each feature in the reference data represents a city polygon or its centroid.
Reference data for a US Cities with State address locator style must have fields that specify the city name and state name or abbreviation for the feature in addition to ObjectID and SHAPE fields.
Tables of addresses that can be geocoded using this address locator style must also contain fields that have city name and state-specific information.
World Cities with Country
The World Cities with Country address locator style lets you create address locators for city names that contain the location name information in two fields, such as city and country. This address locator style can use feature classes with point or polygon geometry, and each feature in the reference data represents a city polygon or its centroid.
Reference data for a World Cities with Country address locator style must have fields that specify the city name and the country name for the feature in addition to ObjectID and SHAPE fields.
Tables of addresses that can be geocoded using this address locator style must also contain a city name field and a country name field.
ZIP 5 Digit
The ZIP 5 Digit address locator style lets you create address locators for postal codes. While specifically designed for United States five-digit ZIP Code values, any short integer postal code can be used. This address locator style uses feature classes with point or polygon geometry, and each feature in the reference data represents a ZIP polygon or its centroid.
Reference data for a ZIP 5 Digit style address locator must have a field that specifies the 5-digit postal code for the feature in addition to ObjectID and SHAPE fields.
Tables of addresses that can be geocoded using this address locator style must contain a field that has the postal code information.
ZIP + 4
The ZIP+4 address locator style is for geocoding United States ZIP+4 Codes. This locator style can be used to create address locators that use point or polygon feature classes as reference data.
Each feature in the reference data source represents a ZIP+4 Code boundary polygon or its centroid. In addition to ObjectID and Shape fields, the reference data feature class or shapefile must have a text field that represents the five-digit ZIP Code of the feature, and another text field that contains the 4-digit +4 Code.
In order to geocode a table of addresses using a ZIP+4 address locator, the table must have a text field that contains the entire ZIP+4 Code (the 5-digit ZIP Code as well as the +4 Code), as in "12345-6789", "12345 6789", or "123456789".
ZIP + 4 Range
The ZIP+4 Range address locator style lets you create address locators for a range of United States ZIP+4 Codes. This address locator style can use feature classes with point or polygon geometry, and each feature in the reference data represents a contiguous block with a specific range of ZIP+4 Codes.
To use a feature class or shapefile as reference data for a ZIP+4 Range address locator style, it must have fields that specify the five-digit ZIP for the feature and the lower and upper bounds for the four-digit add-on code in addition to ObjectID and SHAPE fields.
The ZIP+4 Range address locator style has the same address table requirements as the ZIP+4 address locator style. A match is assigned to a feature that covers the range of ZIP+4 values.
Additional style properties
As you look over the list of address locator styles on the Create New Address Locator dialog box, you'll notice that there are other attributes to distinguish the various address locator styles. These include the presence of an alternative name table AltName in the address locator style, such as US Streets with AltName, and the presence of a Zone, or City, State, and ZIP fields in the reference data for the address locator style, such as US Streets with City State ZIP and Altname.
Alternate street names
For the US One Address, US One Range, and US Streets address locator styles, you can use a table to define alternate street names for the features in your reference data feature class. Using alternate street names allows you to match an address to a feature using one of many names for the feature. For example, if Bridge Street is also known as Slash Road, you can find the same address using 266 Bridge Street as you can using 266 Slash Road.
While the reference feature data must contain a user-defined and unique JOINID field for each feature, tables that are used to specify alternate street names must also have an ID field, a JOIN_ID that specifies the feature in the reference data to which the alternate name applies, and alternate street name fields. The table can have fields that contain prefix direction, prefix type, street type, or suffix direction information. You can specify multiple alternate names for the same feature in your reference data by creating records in the alternate street name table with the same JOIN_ID, referencing the same feature in the reference data feature class.
Each record in an alternate street name table applies to only one feature in your reference data feature class. To specify an alternate street name for all features that make up a particular street in your reference data feature class, you must create a record in the alternate street name table for each feature in your reference data feature class.
Using the zone or City, State and ZIP fields
Many times, additional fields are found on the reference data that further clarify the location of the attribute including postal codes, states, or countries. This type of information is referred to as a zone and can be used to increase the likelihood of a correct match. Some address locator styles require one Zone field while some other address locator styles require all three City, State, and ZIP fields to facilitate nationwide geocoding.
The zone attributes for the reference data are set on the Primary Table tab on the Address Locator Properties dialog box and are defined for the address data on the Find dialog box used when performing a geocoding search.