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MapInfo Monday: Adding Geocoding Server for Geocode Using Server

  • 1.  MapInfo Monday: Adding Geocoding Server for Geocode Using Server

    Employee
    Posted 05-10-2021 05:46
    Edited by Peter Møller 05-03-2023 03:07

    Happy #MapInfoMonday to you all.

    Today, we'll look at how you can add another geocoding server to be used when geocoding using a server in MapInfo Pro.

    MapInfo Pro allows you to geocode your addresses using a number of geocoding servers. Out-of-the-box​, MapInfo comes with servers that point to our Precisely Geocoding API. But sometimes, you may want to use a different server for geocoding your addresses from within MapInfo Pro, say a locally deployed Spectrum Geocoding server.

    Adding a new Geocoding Server

    From the backstage that you access via the Pro tab in MapInfo Pro, click on Web Services.


    In the Web Service Preferences dialog, select the Geocode tab and click on Servers... in the lower right corner.


    This brings up the Geocoding Servers List dialog where you can see the currently available servers. You can also use the Set Default button to specify which server MapInfo Pro should use by default.

    You geocode worldwide using these two services:
    1. Precisely Global Geocoder City/Postal Level: https://api.precisely.com/geocode/v1/basic
    2. Precisely Global Geocoder Street/Rooftop Level: https://api.precisely.com/geocode/v1/premium

    The second one is the most precise of the two. Both require that you have created an account and have signed into it from the Services tab on the Backstage.

    Use the Add... button to add a new server to the list.


    In the Geocoding Server Information dialog, you can now specify the new server you want to add.

    Enter the URL for the service, a description or name of the service, and login information for the server using the fields.

    If you don't check Remember Password, MapInfo Pro will prompt you to enter the password when you use the service.

    Once entered you can use the Test URL... button to test the service.


    Above you can see one example of how to specify an URL to a Spectrum Global Geocoder. You will have to specify the URL using either HTTP or HTTPS depending on the settings on the specific server. Then add the server name and port number and "/rest/GlobalGeocode" to point to the endpoint of the rest service.

    Below you can see a different example of an URL to a Global Geocoding service. It's similar to the one above but without the port number.


    Here are some examples of URLs. They are using made-up server names:

    • https://spectrum.acme.com/rest/GlobalGeocode

    • http://spectrum01:8080/rest/GlobalGeocode

    • http://localhost:8080/rest/GlobalGeocode

    If you don't specify a port number, the Spectrum server will need to have a web server listening to the default HTTPS port, 443, and redirect any Spectrum traffic internally to the Spectrum port, for example, 8080. Or you should have configured Spectrum itself to use port 443.

    Hit OK to save your new service once you have verified that it works.

    Type of Service

    In the Type of Service dropdown, you can see the four different service types MapInfo Pro currently supports.


    Envinsa was our JAVA-based server used by a wide range of organizations. Build on a service-oriented architecture, Envinsa published web services for Routing, Geocoding, and Location Intelligence. The features of Envinsa has been brought into the Spectrum platform and so most organization have also moved to this new solution.

    Global Geocoder is the geocoding engine that you get access to via Spectrum. This is also the service type used by Spectrum on Demand, our SaaS offering for a wide range of standard and custom workflows such as geocoding, address verification, and routing.

    MapMarker Server is a Precisely geocoding server that allows you to convert addresses to coordinates. MapMarker Server has been replaced by Spectrum.

    Precisely Global Geocoder is the API-based geocoding service that is pre-configured in MapInfo Pro. Each MapInfo Pro user gets 2,000 credits a month while on maintenance. These credits can be used for geocoding or creating drivetime zones using the Precisely API.

    Accessing Geocode using Server

    You can access Geocode using Server from the Spatial tab. You find it in the Geocode dropdown in the Create group. More details to come in a coming post.

    A final note: You can also access the Geocoding Servers List directly from the Geocode panel. Click on the Server button at the bottom of the panel.


    Are you currently using geocoding in your day-to-day work? If so, how do you get your addresses converted to coordinates?



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    Peter Horsbøll Møller
    Principal Presales Consultant | Distinguished Engineer
    Precisely | Trust in Data
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