Reverse GeoCoder:Introduction

← Reverse GeoCoder

Welcome to the Reverse GeoCoder Service by Melissa. This service provides the closest valid address(s), based on an input latitude and longitude. You can set the distance from the input coordinates (to reduce the number of returned output addresses) and a maximum number of records to be returned by the service.

In addition to valid addresses, the service will also return location information and an AddressKey. The AddressKey can be used by other Melissa services to obtain additional information, such as RBDI (Residential/Business Delivery Indicator) or Property information.

You can use Reverse GeoCoder to

• Identify the closest valid address(es) based on an input latitude and longitude
• Provide the closest Postal Code(s), Carrier Route(s) or Plus4(s) based on an input latitude and longitude.
• Create a dealer locator: Provide the closest valid address, Melissa Address Key (MAK) and distance from a provided list of MAKs based on an input latitude and longitude or MAK.

Basic Procedures

Using ReverseGeo starts with creating a request. It must include your License Key which serves as a key for accessing the service. You also need to select any options you want it to use and how many records you want returned.

The main points in preparing a request for ReverseGeo are:

• License Key
• Input (Latitude, Longitude)
• Options (MaxDistance, MaxRecords)

Once the request is finished, you send it to the service and get back the response. The response contains a list of records that are the closest to the coordinates specified in the request. Each record in the response contains a deliverable address.

Options

There are two optional properties that the user can specify in the request: MaxDistance, and MaxRecords. These optional fields let you configure the service behavior.

Results

Every response has an output property called Results, which has codes that describe the response we send back. Generally, these codes can tell you whether we were able to find a deliverable address(s) at the specified location, if the coordinates are out of region (no addresses to return) or a status of any issues with the coordinates/request.

Single Record vs Batch

Reverse GeoCoder takes only one record at a time. This means each request has only one set of geo coordinates (latitude and longitude), but it does return an array of responses if multiple valid addresses are at that particular location.