Find Address Candidates - Doesn't Return Candidates

Question

I am trying to migrate from our 10.3 style address locators to the new Pro 3 locators. In the 10.3 locators I could key in an address that doesn't exist (e.g. 4231 FOLEY DR) and get a list of potential address candidates. In the Pro style locators I get nothing unless I have the correct house number (e.g. 4232). I have tried to toggle several of the geocoding options but I never get a list of candidates. We have some applications that rely on the 10.3 style of candidates to present the user a list of potential matches. Am I missing a setting somewhere? Below are some screenshots showing the problem. Top example is from the 10.3 Address Locator. Bottom example if from the ArcGIS Pro Locator.

10.3 Address Locator Results
ArcGIS Pro Locator Results

FlorenceFang · Answer

We are getting the same problem!  😭  I'll stop troubleshooting now since it sounds like a done deal...  Thanks for bringing it up.

BryanLynn1 · Answer

Yeah, I have had a long discussion with support about this issue. True, a StreetAddress role will return a location but it's really not useful when it is a 1000 feet from the actual address location. Our street segments have theoretical address ranges not actual ranges. So, the range may be 4000-4099 but the real range only goes to 4024. This causes the StreetAddress point to be misplaced along the street segment.

We have been using the FindAddressCandidates method (from 10.3 locators) to help users find ACTUAL address point - for years. We would take the returned address candidates and sort the results based on score and proximity to the entered house number (i.e. user enters 4231 [which doesn't exist] we would sort the results of actual address points as follows 4232,4229, 4231, 4228.....) This also allowed us to provide the user with additional info from the actual address points (parcel id, owner name, etc.) so they could select the correct address. We could also search/sort the results for other street names (user enters Broadway - we would show them the actual street names Old Broadway, N Broadway, & S Broadway).

The new methodology breaks our existing apps, but we will adjust. Suggestions, which we have never used because they were kind of squirrely - ghost addresses and such, will help, but that too requires changes to the applications. We have discussed the new locators at length in the office and really find the changes....just strange. We were simply updating some processes that rebuild the locators every night and thought we would go ahead and move to the new Pro locators when we discovered the issue. Support has made it clear that it works as designed and that we should move to the new model. And we will, just not very quickly.

Thanks for replying.

ShanaBritt · Answer

If you create a multirole locator with the Create Locator tool using the PointAddress and StreetAddress role any address that does not have an exact match to the point data will get matched to the street based on the house number range of the street. The address is interpolated along the line based on the house number range for the street segment. The PointAddress role requires that a feature exist for the house number you  are looking for to return candidates.