Geocoding and Routing

General API samples

From:
To:

  Preference/Cost Level
Main roads
Local roads

This sample shows how to programmatically create a web-based geocoding and routing solution. This sample demonstrates in particular:

Cost based routing is of particular interest, because it allows the on-line user to specify a cost (or preference) factor for each road type. (This particular TIGER sample contains only two road types, one representing local streets and one representing main roads.) For instance, if the speed limit is higher on the main roads than on the local streets, the major roads can be assigned a lower cost (higher preference) factor than the local streets. The result is that the "optimal route" is calculated taking this preference into consideration, not simply the shortest route.

To use this sample, first identify the starting position by entering one of the following in the "From:" field: a street name, street name and number, or the names of two streets which intersect at some point. To just query for the map location of this place, click on the "Find Address" button.

Use the same method to specify a second location in the "To:" field and then click on the "Find Route" button to calculate the optimal route between the two map locations which reflects on the preference (cost) settings. The starting location is presented on the map by the green point, the destination location is presented by the red point, and the route between the two locations is presented by the red line.

Just entering the first few letters of a street name generally works fine. When entering only a street name with no address number, the query will return the first segment of the specified street contained in the database. (This is because each street segment in a raw TIGER dataset is a separate record.) When entering the names of two intersecting streets in one field to specify a location, use " & " to separate the names. An example would be "Lafayette & Illinois".