Tutorial: Reverse geocode

Learn how to find an address near a location with the ArcGIS Geocoding service.

Reverse geocode coordinates to addresses with the Geocoding service using API key authentication

Reverse geocoding is the process of converting a location to an address or place. To reverse geocode, you use the Geocoding service and the reverseGeocode operation. This operation requires an initial location and returns an address with attributes such as place name and location.

Prerequisites

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Steps

Get the starter app

Select a type of authentication and follow the steps to create a new app.

Choose API key authentication if you:

Want the easiest way to get started.
Want to build public applications that access ArcGIS Location Services and secure items.
Have an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Choose user authentication if you:

Want to build private applications.
Require application users to sign in with their own ArcGIS account and access resources their behalf.
Have an ArcGIS Online account.

To learn more about both types of authentication, go to Authentication.

You can choose one of the following to create a new CodePen:

Option 1: Complete the Display a scene tutorial; or,
Option 2: Start from the Display a scene tutorial .

Set up authentication

Create a new API key credential with the correct privileges to get an access token.

Go to the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s):
- Privileges
  - Location services > Basemaps
  - Location services > Geocoding

Set developer credentials

Use the access token created in the previous step in your application.

Add a <script> element in the HTML <body> and create an accessToken variable to store your access token. Set YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the access token you previously copied from your API key credential.

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    <script>

    /* Use for API key authentication */
    const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    </script>
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Set the defaultAccessToken included with Cesium to authenticate requests to the ArcGIS services used in this tutorial.

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    <script>

    /* Use for API key authentication */
    const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    Cesium.ArcGisMapService.defaultAccessToken = accessToken;

    </script>
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Use the OAuth credentials created in the previous step in your application.

In both the index.html and callback.html files, set the properties of clientId and redirectUri with the client ID and redirect URL of your OAuth credentials.

index.html
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    /* Use for user authentication */
    const clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"; // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
    const redirectUri = ""YOUR_REDIRECT_URI""; // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
    const session = await arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.beginOAuth2({
      clientId,
      redirectUri,
      portal: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest" // Your portal URL
    });

    const accessToken = session.token;

callback.html
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    arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.completeOAuth2({
      clientId: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
      redirectUri: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
      portal: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest" // Your portal URL
    });

Run the app and ensure you can sign in successfully.

If you are unable to sign in, make sure you have the correct redirect URL and port. This URL varies based on your application and typically takes the format of https://<server>[:port]/callback.html or http://my-arcgis-app:/auth. For example, if you are running an application on http://127.0.0.1:5500/, set http://127.0.0.1:5500/callback.html as your redirect URL in the index.html and callback.html file and your developer credential. They all have to match!

Set the defaultAccessToken included with Cesium to authenticate requests to the ArcGIS services used in this tutorial.

index.html
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    Cesium.ArcGisMapService.defaultAccessToken = accessToken;

Get a Cesium ion access token

All Cesium applications must use an access token provided through Cesium ion. This token allows you to access assets such as Cesium World Terrain in your application.

Go to your Cesium ion dashboard to generate an access token. Copy the key to your clipboard.

Create a cesiumAccessToken variable and replace YOUR_CESIUM_ACCESS_TOKEN with the access token you copied from the Cesium ion dashboard.

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    <script>

    /* Use for API key authentication */
    const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    // or

    /* Use for user authentication */
    // const session = await arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.beginOAuth2({
    //   clientId: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
    //   redirectUri: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
    //   portal: "YOUR_PORTAL_URL" // Your portal URL
    // })

    // const accessToken = session.token;

    Cesium.ArcGisMapService.defaultAccessToken = accessToken;

    const cesiumAccessToken = "YOUR_CESIUM_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    </script>

Configure Cesium.Ion.defaultAccessToken with the Cesium access token to validate the application.

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    <script>

    /* Use for API key authentication */
    const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    // or

    /* Use for user authentication */
    // const session = await arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.beginOAuth2({
    //   clientId: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
    //   redirectUri: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
    //   portal: "YOUR_PORTAL_URL" // Your portal URL
    // })

    // const accessToken = session.token;

    Cesium.ArcGisMapService.defaultAccessToken = accessToken;

    const cesiumAccessToken = "YOUR_CESIUM_ACCESS_TOKEN";

    Cesium.Ion.defaultAccessToken = cesiumAccessToken;

    </script>

Add references to ArcGIS REST JS

In the <head> element, reference the geocoding and request packages from ArcGIS REST JS.

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    <script src="https://cesium.com/downloads/cesiumjs/releases/1.134/Build/Cesium/Cesium.js"></script>
    <link href="https://cesium.com/downloads/cesiumjs/releases/1.134/Build/Cesium/Widgets/widgets.css" rel="stylesheet">

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-request@4/dist/bundled/request.umd.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding@4/dist/bundled/geocoding.umd.js"></script>

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Update the scene

CesiumJS supports both 3D models and geocoding. Update the scene to display 3D buildings so you can visualize results from the Geocoding service.

Update the scene view to center on location [-122.4117, 37.769, 2000] in San Francisco, CA and change the orientation heading to -130.

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    viewer.camera.setView({

      destination: Cesium.Cartesian3.fromDegrees(-122.388805, 37.797517, 2000),

      orientation: {

        heading: Cesium.Math.toRadians(-130),

        pitch: Cesium.Math.toRadians(-70.0)
      }
    });

Initialize a terrain provider called geoidService that references the Earth Gravitational Model EGM2008. This provider will allow for geoid conversion between the gravity-based 3D object layer and the ellipsoidal-based Cesium World Terrain.

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    const geoidService = await Cesium.ArcGISTiledElevationTerrainProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/EGM2008/ImageServer");

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Add the data attribution for the elevation layer source.

Go to the EGM2008 item.
Scroll down to the Acknowledgments section and copy its value.

Paste the copied value to the credit property.

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    const geoidService = await Cesium.ArcGISTiledElevationTerrainProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/EGM2008/ImageServer");

    // Attribution text retrieved from https://arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d798c71512404bbb9c1551b827bf5467
    viewer.creditDisplay.addStaticCredit(new Cesium.Credit("National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)", false));

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Add the San Francisco 3D Buildings scene layer to visualize the city of San Francisco.

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    const geoidService = await Cesium.ArcGISTiledElevationTerrainProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/EGM2008/ImageServer");

    // Attribution text retrieved from https://arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d798c71512404bbb9c1551b827bf5467
    viewer.creditDisplay.addStaticCredit(new Cesium.Credit("National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)", false));

    const i3sProvider = await Cesium.I3SDataProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/z2tnIkrLQ2BRzr6P/arcgis/rest/services/SanFrancisco_Bldgs/SceneServer", {
      geoidTiledTerrainProvider: geoidService
    });
    viewer.scene.primitives.add(i3sProvider);

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Add the data attribution for the scene layer source.

Go to the San Francisco 3D Objects item.
Scroll down to the Acknowledgments section and copy its value.

Paste the copied value to the credit property.

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    const geoidService = await Cesium.ArcGISTiledElevationTerrainProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/EGM2008/ImageServer");

    // Attribution text retrieved from https://arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d798c71512404bbb9c1551b827bf5467
    viewer.creditDisplay.addStaticCredit(new Cesium.Credit("National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)", false));

    const i3sProvider = await Cesium.I3SDataProvider.fromUrl("https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/z2tnIkrLQ2BRzr6P/arcgis/rest/services/SanFrancisco_Bldgs/SceneServer", {
      geoidTiledTerrainProvider: geoidService
    });
    viewer.scene.primitives.add(i3sProvider);

    // Attribution text retrieved from https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d3344ba99c3f4efaa909ccfbcc052ed5
    viewer.creditDisplay.addStaticCredit(new Cesium.Credit("Precision Light Works (PLW)", false));
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Call the Geocoding service

Create a new arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager using your access token to authenticate requests to the Geocoding service.

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    const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(accessToken);

Define a function called findAddress that takes coordinates (longitude and latitude) as a parameter. Use arcgisRest.reverseGeocode to retrieve address information for the given coordinates.

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    function findAddress(coordinates) {
      arcgisRest
        .reverseGeocode(coordinates, {
          authentication
        })

        .then((response) => {

        });

    }
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Inside the then block of the reverseGeocode call, create a pin builder using Cesium.PinBuilder. This will allow you to create map markers for the coordinates.

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    function findAddress(coordinates) {
      arcgisRest
        .reverseGeocode(coordinates, {
          authentication
        })

        .then((response) => {

          const pinBuilder = new Cesium.PinBuilder();

        });

    }
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Add a billboard at the clicked coordinates on the map. Extract the location from the response and add it to the Cesium viewer as an entity.

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    function findAddress(coordinates) {
      arcgisRest
        .reverseGeocode(coordinates, {
          authentication
        })

        .then((response) => {

          const pinBuilder = new Cesium.PinBuilder();

          const location = Cesium.Cartesian3.fromDegrees(response.location.x, response.location.y);
          const result = viewer.entities.add({
            name: `${response.location.x.toLocaleString()}, ${response.location.y.toLocaleString()}`,
            description: `${response.address.LongLabel}`,
            position: location,

            billboard: {
              verticalOrigin: Cesium.VerticalOrigin.BOTTOM,
              heightReference: Cesium.HeightReference.CLAMP_TO_GROUND,
              scale: 0.6,
              image: pinBuilder.fromColor(Cesium.Color.fromCssColorString("#5491f5"), 48).toDataURL()
            }

          });
          viewer.selectedEntity = result;

        });

    }
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Add a click handler

Define a function called onLeftClick that handles user clicks on the map. This function will be triggered whenever a LEFT_CLICK event occurs. Use Cesium.ScreenSpaceEventType.LEFT_CLICK to register the event type.

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    function onLeftClick(movement) {

    }

    viewer.screenSpaceEventHandler.setInputAction(onLeftClick, Cesium.ScreenSpaceEventType.LEFT_CLICK);
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Inside onLeftClick, update the coordinates of the clicked point. Remove any previously selected points (if any). Convert the clicked screen position into geographic coordinates.

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    function onLeftClick(movement) {

      viewer.entities.removeAll();
      const pickedPosition = viewer.scene.pickPosition(movement.position);

      const cartographic = Cesium.Cartographic.fromCartesian(pickedPosition);
      const originLatLng = [Cesium.Math.toDegrees(cartographic.longitude), Cesium.Math.toDegrees(cartographic.latitude)];

    }

    viewer.screenSpaceEventHandler.setInputAction(onLeftClick, Cesium.ScreenSpaceEventType.LEFT_CLICK);
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Pass the latitude and longitude values obtained from the click event to the findAddress function. This will send a request to the to retrieve the address for the clicked location.

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    function onLeftClick(movement) {

      viewer.entities.removeAll();
      const pickedPosition = viewer.scene.pickPosition(movement.position);

      const cartographic = Cesium.Cartographic.fromCartesian(pickedPosition);
      const originLatLng = [Cesium.Math.toDegrees(cartographic.longitude), Cesium.Math.toDegrees(cartographic.latitude)];

      findAddress(originLatLng);

    }

    viewer.screenSpaceEventHandler.setInputAction(onLeftClick, Cesium.ScreenSpaceEventType.LEFT_CLICK);
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Run the app

Run the app.

Click on the scene to get the address of the clicked point.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional location services in these tutorials:

Search for an address

Find an address or place using a search box.

Search with autosuggest

Search for addresses with autosuggest.

Find place addresses

Search for coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants and other nearby places.