Tutorial: Reverse geocode

Learn how to find an address near a location with the 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

An ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Get the starter app

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

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 developer credentials in your portal for the type of authentication you selected.

Create a new API key credential with the correct privileges to access the resources used in this tutorial.

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
Copy the API key access token to your clipboard when prompted.

Set developer credentials

Use the API key or OAuth developer credentials created in the previous step in your application.

Add <script> elements 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 credentials.

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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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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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    const session = await arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.beginOAuth2({
      clientId: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
      redirectUri: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URL", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
      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_URL", // 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_URL", // 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_URL", // 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>

Code

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>CesiumJS: Reverse Geocode</title>
    <script src="https://cesium.com/downloads/cesiumjs/releases/1.121/Build/Cesium/Cesium.js"></script>
    <link href="https://cesium.com/downloads/cesiumjs/releases/1.121/Build/Cesium/Widgets/widgets.css" rel="stylesheet">
    <!-- Load ArcGIS REST JS from CDN -->
    <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>
    <style>
        html,
        body {
            margin: 0px;
            padding: 0px;
            height: 100%;
        }

        #cesiumContainer {
            height: 100%;
        }
    </style>
</head>

<body>
    <div id="cesiumContainer"></div>
    <script type="module">

        /* 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_URL", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
        //   portal: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest" // Your portal URL
        // })

        // const accessToken = session.token;

        Cesium.ArcGisMapService.defaultAccessToken = accessToken;

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

        const cesiumAccessToken = "YOUR_CESIUM_ACCESS_TOKEN";
        Cesium.Ion.defaultAccessToken = cesiumAccessToken;

        const arcGisImagery = Cesium.ArcGisMapServerImageryProvider.fromBasemapType(Cesium.ArcGisBaseMapType.SATELLITE, {
            enablePickFeatures: false
        });

        const viewer = new Cesium.Viewer("cesiumContainer", {

            baseLayer: Cesium.ImageryLayer.fromProviderAsync(arcGisImagery),

            terrain: Cesium.Terrain.fromWorldTerrain(),
            timeline: false,
            animation: false,
            geocoder: false

        });

        viewer.camera.setView({
            destination: Cesium.Cartesian3.fromDegrees(-122.388805, 37.797517, 2000),
            orientation: {
                heading: Cesium.Math.toRadians(-130),
                pitch: Cesium.Math.toRadians(-70.0),
            }
        });

        // Add Esri attribution
        // Learn more in https://esriurl.com/attribution
        const poweredByEsri = new Cesium.Credit("Powered by <a href='https://www.esri.com/en-us/home' target='_blank'>Esri</a>", true)
        viewer.creditDisplay.addStaticCredit(poweredByEsri);

        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
        });

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

        viewer.scene.primitives.add(i3sProvider);

        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);

        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;

                })

        }
        findAddress([-122.392, 37.796])

    </script>
</body>

</html>

What's next?

Learn how to use additional ArcGIS location services in these tutorials:

Search for an address

Find an address or place using a search box and the geocoding service.

Find place addresses

Search for coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants and other nearby places with the Geocoding service.

Find a route and directions

Find a route and directions with the route service.