OCTO Releases New MAR Web Geocoder
Use the new MAR Web Geocoder to enrich your data by pinpointing locations in DC!
Hello DC Map Makers,
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is excited to release the new MAR Web Geocoder – a web browser-based tool used for geocoding locations, such as addresses, in Washington, DC. It operates by uploading Excel or CSV files to enrich your data with DC geographic characteristics such as Wards, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, ownership lots, zip codes, longitude and latitude and more. The geocoder will append the information and deliver it as a downloadable Excel file – all adhering to the District’s addressing standards. For a full list of available geographic characteristics, read the MAR Web Geocoder user guide.
The MAR Web Geocoder geographically enables, or maps, your spreadsheet data using the District of Columbia’s Master Address Repository (MAR) 2 API. It has built-in quality control checks that review your data for completeness and utilizes look-up tables for alternative names, abbreviations, and misspellings. It is designed to handle imperfections, but there are a few data cleansing steps you can take to efficiently geocode your data:
- The geocoding process requires location data to be stored in an Excel Spreadsheet (XLS/XLSX) or a CSV file
- The locations for geocoding will also need to be listed in a single field – the name of the field must be ADDRESS
- The information in the ADDRESS field should meet the District’s addressing standards
- A correct and fully qualified address looks like: 625 Indiana Avenue NW or 200 I ST SE
- Note, the city and state information should respectively be in CITY and STATE fields
Start geocoding your data by visiting mar2.data.dc.gov/batch-geocode. Should you want to learn more about the geocoder, please access the MAR Web Geocoder user guide.
What will happen to the MAR Desktop Geocoder?
As of October 2021, the desktop geocoder will no longer supported by OCTO. This means that although the geocoder is still available and generally continues to work for some users, OCTO is no longer devoting resources to support bug fixes or enhancements. OCTO recommends users begin using the web geocoder for a better user experience.
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