GLOSSARYReverse Geocoding
What is it and why it is important?
What is reverse geocoding?
Reverse geocoding is the process of converting a GPS coordinate into a verified street address — enabling applications, devices, and business systems to express a physical location as a human-readable address.
How does reverse geocoding work?
Reverse geocoding works in two steps:
- When a coordinate is submitted, it queries a street network dataset to find the nearest street segment and returns a verified address from that segment’s address range.
- Accuracy depends on the quality of the underlying street data. Better data means more precise results.
What is reverse geocoding used for?
- Fleet and logistics tracking
- Fraud detection
- Emergency dispatch
- Insurance risk assessment
- Mobile apps