Geocoding

I've done work before on geocoding and geocoders but somehow never wrote a separate page for it. Recapturing what I've done now...

Geocoding Services

Esri

Two options:

1. Build your own and host it in ArcGIS Enterprise.
2. Use their service

Nominatim

Nominatim is the OpenStreetMap geocoder. If I put the right data into OSM, it works great for me. For example, I currently live in the Anderson Ungerman duplex. I added it to OSM so now I can find my way home! Updates are near instantaneous, if you add an address you can immediately start searching for it in Nominatim. I have been adding historic houses around Astoria, as a hobby.

Usage: https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/ No fees but limit your requests to one per second. Most likely not a problem.

API: https://nominatim.org/release-docs/develop/api/Overview/

See also https://locationiq.com/ (10,000 requests/day, 2 per second) and OpenCage (2500 requests/day, 1 per second).

Google

I am just not a Google fan. I cannot update their database, so if anything fails, I cannot fix it in a timely or controllable fashion. It's hard to see what limits are and what rates are. I know I could find it but I don't care right now. I've tried it out in the past, in fact I have a page with a demo in Wiki Maps. Go forth and research it yourself: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/geocoding/intro

OpenCage

I set up an account using Github 6a9af53028354dbfbf92b0dde5dc2c4a

OpenCage is a fusion of many services. You can use up to 2500 geocodes per day for free, not a problem AT ALL for my use cases!

Because it's a fusion, you can search for many things, not just OpenStreetMap addresses.

My extensive test data

A mix of addresses and descriptions

data	OpenCage	Esri	Google	Nominatim	LocationIQ
32534 Riverpoint Dr, OR	yes			yes
Anderson Ungerman	yes			yes
97103	yes			yes
Sutton Mountain	yes			yes
Soapstone Lake	yes			yes
Knappa	yes			yes
Hammond, OR	yes			yes
Battery Russell	yes			yes