What is Geocoding?

Geocoding converts addresses into geographic coordinates, specifically latitude and longitude. Accurate geocoding ensures locations are correctly identified, which is essential for applications like mapping, real estate, logistics, urban planning, and more.

Geocoders in the Market

Placekey's geocoder returns geocodes alongside any other API responses. It offers excellent coverage in the US and Canada, with rooftop-level accuracy. 

Outside of Placekey, there are several geocoding services available, each with its unique features:

• Google Maps Geocoding API: Widely used due to its extensive global coverage and integration with other Google services, but it can become costly at scale.
• Mapbox Geocoding API: Offers flexibility and customization, though it may sometimes struggle with accuracy in less populated areas.
• HERE Geocoding & Search API: Known for strong global coverage, particularly in automotive and transportation use cases, but can be complex to implement.
• SmartyStreets: Focuses on address validation and standardization, which is great for cleaning up addresses before geocoding, though it emphasizes address quality over geocoding precision.
• Geocodio: Provides accurate geocoding with additional data points like census information, though it may be more expensive and its free tier may not meet large-scale needs.

Placekey Geocoder

Placekey’s geocoder excels at handling poorly formatted, incomplete, or non-standard street-level addresses. A Placekey user noted, "I've tested a variety of geocoding APIs, and Placekey's geocoding is by far the best. It consistently geocodes poorly formatted addresses where other APIs fail." This capability helps businesses and developers who need reliable geocoding without extensive data cleaning.

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Ease of Use

To use Placekey’s geocoding feature, you simply add it to the options parameter in your API request (you can get an API Key here). This makes it easy to incorporate into your existing workflows without requiring extensive setup or customization.

To get started geocoding with Placekey as quickly as possible, check out our template notebook. All you have to do is download it, change the fields to match your data, and then you’re good to go!

Cost

All users can access geocoding, with our free tier providing 10K lookups per day and additional options for those needing more capacity. This accessibility makes it an excellent option for startups, small businesses, and individual developers.

Conclusion

Placekey’s geocoder reliably converts addresses into geographic coordinates, excelling at handling difficult or poorly formatted addresses. Its ease of use and affordability make it an excellent choice for anyone needing geocoding services. Whether you're working on a small project or managing large datasets, Placekey delivers the accuracy and simplicity needed to get the job done effectively.

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