Reverse geocoding

Get suggestions for a string

A point converted to the closest address using the geocoding service.

What is reverse geocoding?

Reverse geocoding is the process of converting a point to an address or place. For example, you can convert -79.3871 longitude and 43.6426 latitude to "CN Tower, 301 Front St W, Toronto, Ontario, M5V, CAN".

You can use reverse geocoding to:

  • Get the nearest address to your current location.
  • Show an address or place name when you tap on a map.
  • Find the address for a geographic location.

How reverse geocoding works

You can find an address for a location by making an HTTPS request to the geocoding service reverseGeocode operation or by using client APIs. Specify the location and optionally, additional parameters to enhance the search.

To refine the search, you can specify a feature type to return a specific type of address such as only POIs or addresses. You can also specify whether to return a street address or rooftop location.

The geocoding service uses the location and all parameters to return a single address that is the closest match. This address contains a number of attributes such as the place name, full address, city, region, and location.

If there are no streets near the input location, then large areal features such as parks, universities, zoos, or airports may be returned.

URL request

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https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer/reverseGeocode?location={point}&f=json&token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>

Required parameters

NameDescriptionExamples
fThe format of the data returned.f=json f=pjson
tokenAn API key or OAuth 2.0 access token. Learn how to get an access token in Security and authentication.token=<YOUR_API_KEY>
token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>

Key parameters

NameDescriptionExample
locationThe location to search.location=-79.3871,43.6426 location={x: 103.876722, y: 1.3330736}

Additional parameters: Refine the search and enhance the return values by using parameters such as featureTypes, locationType, and returnIntersection. Use langCode to return results in a specific language.

Code examples

Find an address near a location

This example finds the closest address to a point location when you click on the map.

  1. Reference the geocoding service.

  2. Set the location to a point.

  3. Set the API key.

The response is a street address or a place with an address nearest to the point location. To get the full address use LongLabel and PlaceName to get the name if a POI is returned. Most APIs provide a LocatorTask to access the service.

Get suggestions for a string

Find the closest address to a point location.

APIs

ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for .NETArcGIS Maps SDK for KotlinArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt (C++)ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt (QML)ArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS Maps SDK for SwiftArcGIS REST JSEsri LeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJS
Expand
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        const geocodingServiceUrl = "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer" ;

        const params = {
          location: pt
        };

        locator.locationToAddress(geocodingServiceUrl, params).then(
          (response) => {
            if (response) {
              showPopup(response);
            }
          },
          (err) => {
            showPopup("No address found.", pt);
          }
        );

REST API

cURLcURLHTTP
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curl https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer/reverseGeocode \
-d 'f=pjson' \
-d 'location=-79.3871,43.6426' \
-d 'token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>'

Tutorials

Services

Geocoding service

Search for an address, reverse geocode, and batch geocode.

API support

GeocodingReverse GeocodingBatch GeocodingPlace/POI SearchAutosuggestUI Component
ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript
ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET1
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Kotlin1
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Swift1
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Java1
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt1
ArcGIS API for Python
ArcGIS REST JS
Esri Leaflet2
MapLibre GL JS22222
OpenLayers22222
Full supportPartial supportNo support
  • 1. No runtime API. Access via HTTP request.
  • 2. Access via ArcGIS REST JS.

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