Geocoding is the process
of adding location information to an existing data set that contains
address data. Location information is the X and Y coordinate data
for the street addresses on a map. The geocoding facility in
SAS/GIS
software attempts to match each address in a SAS address data set
to a location on a map. If a match is found, the X and Y coordinates
of the address are added to the address data set. Other attribute
information about the matched location can also be added to the address
data set.
SAS/GIS software provides
an interactive interface for geocoding through the
GIS
Geocoding window. The window is convenient for geocoding
individual address data sets. However, if you have a large number
of data sets or a data set with a large number of observations that
you want to geocode, you might find the batch geocoding facility to
be more convenient. The batch geocoding facility in
SAS/GIS allows
data to be geocoded without invoking
SAS/GIS, without user intervention,
and with improved performance. For example, you can set up a program
to run overnight to geocode address data sets without user interaction.