Definition: GeoCoding and Reverse GeoCoding

GPS Terminology abounds these days.  Thought we’d take a moment to cover two ‘new’ words that appear in the technical vernacular: GeoCoding and Reverse GeoCoding.  Both GeoCoding and Reverse GeoCoding are critical for GPS Tracking systems and allow for converting the data received from the tracking device into useful information.

GeoCoding is the process of taking an address, say: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and turning it into the latitude and longitude, its geographic coordinates.  These can then easily be mapped with mapping software.  While we all recognize 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the Whitehouse in Washington D.C.  Computers are more particular and require more detail, often a state or zipcode.  At google, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave returns 10 choices – none are the Whitehouse!

Reverse Geo Coding is the opposite.  Its the process of taking geographic coordinates, latitude & longitude and converting them back into an address.   The math behind this is much more complicated and the data used is often based on government census information.