Enable selecting levels to use in Composite Address Locator

[JohnNergeBrooklynPark]

Idea
Make it possible when using Geocoding tools in ArcGIS Pro to choose which level(s) of a composite address locator you want to run for your batch geocode. I envision this being something like a listbox that shows the participating address locators where they're all checked/selected by default, but it gives the user the option to uncheck any they don't want to use. Ultimately, the idea would be to customize how a composite locator that contains multiple levels (address, street, ZIP centroid, etc.) performs on an on-demand basis.

Alternative idea
I'm not super familiar with new enhancements in geocoding in ArcGIS Pro, so if there's a replacement for the composite address locator that can do the same thing (i.e. include multiple levels of geocoding in a single locator) then the functionality could be added there.

Use case
My local county publishes a great composite address locator for public use. It includes multiple levels and sources of both address-level and street-level geocoders. However, there are times when we're geocoding at the local level that we need to require address-level matches only. Mainly this is to ensure the geocoded point ends up inside of a parcel boundary.

To make this happen, we have to create and publish our own copy of the county's address points for that specific use. Then we have to educate our users on which geocoding service to use. This idea would eliminate the need for a locally hosted version and would make the composite version way more powerful.

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark ,

Do you know which locator building tool was used to build the participating locators in the composite?

If you wanted to limit which match level the addresses are geocoded to you can limit the search to a specific category like Point Address, then no matches are returned at the street level (Street Address, Street Name, Street Intersection). You can specify this in the Category parameter of the Geocode Addresses tool or Geocode Table pane. This is described at step 8 of the following workflow topic https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geocoding/convert-a-table-to-locations-on-the-map....

Does this work for your workflow? Can you provide the composite service your county published?

-Shana

[JohnNergeBrooklynPark]

Thanks Shana, I thought maybe there was a way to do it in Pro! It does not look like that's an option in my county's locator, but this gives me something I can send them as ask if it'd be possible for them to add.

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark The setting I mentioned above is something that you can do in Pro at the time of batch geocoding the table. Were you looking for something else? You cannot adjust the properties of the locator once it is published as a geocode service in Pro. If the composite locator was local you would have to remove the participating locator you don't want from the composite. If you are able to provide me with the URL to the service you are using I can illustrate for you or determine if their service is a composite of classic locators or the new locators.

-Shana

[JohnNergeBrooklynPark]

No I think you've got it, looking to choose the geocoding level at the time of batch geocoding.

Here's the URL of the geocoding service: https://gis.hennepin.us/arcgis/rest/services/Locators/HC_COMPOSITE_NEW/GeocodeServer

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark Thanks for the service, it looks like the participating locators were created with the Create Locator tool in ArcGIS Pro. Which version of ArcGIS Pro are you using?

Below is from ArcGIS Pro 3.1, which shows the Category parameter I was speaking of earlier when using a non-composite locator. This is what you should see in the tool when using a composite locator; however in some versions of ArcGIS Pro the parameter is not showing up or is just a blank box. This is something we are aware of and looking to resolve in a future release of the software. The category parameter will give you what you are looking for, you check the boxes for the categories you want returned ( the match level the search is limited to). You will get candidates that are only Point Address matches for example.

[JohnNergeBrooklynPark]

We're currently using Pro 3.0.3, and this is what we see. The only optional parameters have to do with the output fields. Was this a 3.1 add? If so then it'll def be a reason for us to look at upgrading, this will be an excellent new feature!

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark My screenshot shows the Category parameter, but my locator is not a composite. The parameter does not show for you in 3.0.3 because it is a composite; however, it does show in 3.1, but is not working as expected. This is the issue that we are aware of and looking to fix in an upcoming release. Once the Category parameter is available for composite locators, you will be able to specify that you only want PointAddress matches returned.

[JohnNergeBrooklynPark]

Thank you so much @ShanaBritt for the detailed notes on this. I will eagerly await a future release where this will be possible, it's going to make our locator management so much more efficient!

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark The only other option would be to create a multirole locator instead of a composite locator. After looking at the contents of the composite, the creator may need to combine the two datasets that would use the PointAddress role and the two datasets that would use the Parcel role, then the Category parameter would be available to you.  Below are the participating locators of the composite service that is available from your source. If they are unable to merge the data together, then they will continue to create composite locators.

"locators": [
{"name": "HC_POINTS_ADD"},
{"name": "METRO_POINTS"},
{"name": "HC_CENT_THEOR"},
{"name": "METRO_CENT_CTU"},
{"name": "METRO_CENT_POS"},
{"name": "ECNdata"},
{"name": "HC_PARCEL_PID"},
{"name": "HC_POINTS_PID"}
],

related resources:

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geocoding/tutorial-create-a-locator-with-more-tha...

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geocoding/combine-multiple-layers-into-a-single-l...

-Shana

[ShanaBritt]

@JohnNergeBrooklynPark The fix for the Category parameter to work with composite locator service was addressed in ArcGIS Pro 3.2.