

Ask HN: maps and geocoding solution? - dexen

Whati s a decent maps and geocoding solution to include in our (paywalled) webservices?<p>Important features are: JS or HTTP&#x2F;REST API, geocoder, low-cost or free, licence allowing use behind a paywall (rules the free version of Google Maps). 
Nokia&#x27;s Here Maps look fine, but the price for geocoding ($1500&#x2F;mo) is out of our range.<p>My company is a startup developing intranet services with MES&#x2F;ERP&#x2F;CMS functionality, for european and russian market.
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mjmcb3
I guess you meant to say 'rules out the free version of Google Maps', which is
a pity because I think it is th obvious choice. Not unreasonably, though,
Google expect to recoup the cost of putting it together. Geocoding is one of
those frontiers yet to be cracked by the OpenSource community, but if such a
thing existed I doubt they would be happy with its inclusion in a commercial
product. Are you happy with specific countries, or are you hoping for a global
solution? It's a tough nut to crack, because individual countries often use
local datums or grid reference systems, and _users_ in those countries expect
to be able to use them, too. In addition, how accurate do you need them to be?
Are we talking street addresses [lookup and reverse lookup], parcel location,
grid references or what? The precision you need will determine what is an
acceptable solution, or at least one 'fit for purpose'. For Europe, at least
have a look at what the INSPIRE data portal offers. I have no knowledge of any
available Russian data, although past history would tell me that it is
probably held in a locked vault. Matt Hutchinson's IntelliGeoLocator
project[written up here--[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-
it/difficult-addr...](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/difficult-
addresses-no-problem-for-intelligeolocator/story-e6frgakx-1225802701517)]
might also be a starting point for you, and the IP is apparently held by the
Australian Co-operative Research Centre for Spatial Information [CRCSI], who
can be contacted through www.crcsi.com.au. Ultimately, though, you will
probably have to source the raw data you need and improve the accuracy as you
go.

