Assessing the Certainty of Locations Produced by an Address Geocoding System

Area of Science:

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Spatial Data Analysis
• Urban Informatics

Background:

• Urban GIS applications require efficient geocoding of addresses for spatial location retrieval.
• Traditional geocoding often relies on conventional postal addresses, limiting its scope.
• Diverse global address formats and indirect location references pose challenges for GIS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible addressing database schema accommodating worldwide address variations and indirect locators.
• To define a Geocoding Certainty Indicator (GCI) for quantifying the reliability of geocoded spatial positions.
• To enhance urban geocoding accuracy and support robust spatial analysis.

Main Methods:

• Ontological modeling and implementation of a flexible addressing database schema.
• Development of the Geocoding Certainty Indicator (GCI) based on address data completeness and geocoding method.
• Conceptual schema design to support diverse addressing systems and indirect references (e.g., building names).

Main Results:

• A flexible schema capable of integrating various address formats, place names, and indirect references.
• The proposed Geocoding Certainty Indicator (GCI) quantifies geocoding reliability.
• The GCI can be used as a threshold or weight in spatial analysis to manage location uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• A broader perspective on addresses, including non-conventional elements, improves urban geocoding.
• The flexible schema and GCI offer a more robust approach than commercial GIS geocoding methods.
• This framework enhances the accuracy and reliability of spatial data in urban GIS applications.