Modes of Geocoding - MapInfo_Pro - 2023

MapInfo Pro has two geocoding modes: automatic and interactive. The process of matching target addresses with source addresses is the same in both modes.

Automatic mode matches addresses based on the choices in the Geocode dialog box.

When Geocoding is in automatic mode, only exact matches are geocoded. When some of your data fails to match exactly (due, perhaps, to typographical errors), you need to geocode in Interactive mode to match the near misses by hand. It is generally best to do two passes through your table, with the first pass set on Automatic and the second pass set on Interactive. This approach takes less processing time.

Interactive mode stops at each address that does not meet the geocode parameters and permits you to assist in the matching process. When you geocode interactively, you are not changing the data. You are merely redirecting MapInfo Pro to look for different information.

In most cases, the best geocoding strategy is to geocode in automatic mode and then geocode in interactive mode to deal with the records MapInfo Pro was unable to handle automatically.

Manual mode. Automatic and interactive geocoding work well for databases with "clean" data. Sometimes, however, you know where a point should be on the map, but the location data does not allow for a match. Manual geocoding is the process of placing your data records on the map by clicking its location on the map. This method works best when you have a small table which contains data that you are very familiar with.

Geocoding Automatically

For this example, we use the US_ZIPS.TAB as a search file. This is a file that is included with MapInfo Pro which contains the ZIP Code points for every postal code in the U.S. If your data includes zip codes, this might be an effective way for you to geocode your data. Automatic geocoding is the default mode.

To geocode using the US_ZIPS.TAB file:

1. On the HOME tab, in the File group, on the Open list, click Table, and navigate to the US_ZIPS.TAB file. This data is can be installed from the MapInfo Pro DVD.

   You can use a wide variety of tables to geocode against. Use a street map when you are geocoding to addresses.

2. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, click Geocode, and complete the dialog box.
   
   

   

   
   
   • Geocode Table: Select your target table from this list.
   • using Column: Identify the column your data is in. (In this example, postal codes are in column C of the Customers table.)
   • Search Tables: Select the source table name in this list. (In this case US_ZIPS.TAB.)
   • For Objects in Column: Select the column name in the search table which is to be searched for a match. (In this case postal codes are in the column ZIP of the search table.)
3. Set every other entry to None and click OK to geocode the data.

See the following additional geocoding options as well:

• Geocoding Manually
• Geocoding by Address
• Geocoding by Boundary
• Geocoding by US_ZIPS.TAB (Postal Code Centroid File)
• Geocoding by Server

Geocoding Interactively

For example, your data record reads Cherryville St. When you geocode interactively, you find that the data record should read Cherry Vale St. You select Cherry Vale St from the list of alternatives. Although MapInfo Pro assigns X and Y coordinates from Cherry Vale St to that record, you have not altered the record in any way. To change the spelling in your database, you must edit the record in a Browser window.

When you choose Interactive Geocoding, MapInfo Pro displays a dialog box that allows you to manually match each address it is unable to match.

To manually pick the match:

1. Click a value in the drop-down list (for example, "ADELE CT"), and click OK to match the target table's field value ("ADELE CT." - note the period).
2. Retype the target table's field value in the column name box at the top of the dialog box (type "CT" over "CT.") and click OK to retry the match.

To skip geocoding a record, click Ignore to skip this record.

To cancel geocoding altogether, click Cancel to stop geocoding at this point.

Use the Up and Down buttons to move around in the list of source addresses.

Geocoding Manually

To geocode a table manually:

1. Open the table with the reference map in it.
2. Open your table and add it to the current Map window.
3. Make the layer in your table that you want to geocode from editable. On the HOME tab, in the Windows group, click Tool Windows, and click Layers from the list, to open the Layers window. Click the Editable icon beside the layer name to turn On editing.
4. On the HOME tab, in the Windows group, click New Document, and click Browser from the list, to open a Browser window. In the Browser Table dialog, select your table to geocode it.
5. Right click on the Browser window tab (which is referred to as the document tab) and select New Vertical Tab Group to display your Map and Browser windows side-by-side.
6. Scroll through the Browser window to find the record that you would like to geocode. Click in the box to the left of the row to select the record.
7. Click on the Map window to make it active.
8. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, on the Insert list, click Symbol from the list.
9. Click the map where you want the point placed for the selected record.
10. On the HOME tab, click Save. The selected record is geocoded. Repeat steps 7-10 for each record you would like to manually geocode.

See Also:

Geocoding Interactively