ONLINE GEOLOCATION TOOLS (APIs) FOR EXTRACTING LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE FROM ADDRESSES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n8-266Keywords:
Geolocation, Geocoding, Comparative Study of APIsAbstract
This study presents a comparative analysis of three geocoding APIs: Google Maps, OpenStreetMap (Nominatim), and ArcGIS with the goal of evaluating their accuracy and feasibility in the automated extraction of latitude and longitude from textual addresses. The research highlights the importance of geocoding in spatial analysis applications and discusses key technical concepts, such as coordinate systems, REST architecture, and data formats. The methodology involved an experiment using Brazilian addresses with known coordinates, processed via Python and the GeoPandas library to integrate the APIs and calculate accuracy based on the distance between actual and returned points. The results reveal significant variations among the tools, with Google Maps standing out for its higher accuracy and lower number of failures. Nominatim, although free, showed limitations in both accuracy and availability. The analysis reinforces that the choice of the ideal API depends on the usage context, budget, and technical requirements of each project.
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