I just went through the process of getting the new world geocoding service but when I tried using it to batch geocode an excel file I got an error message. I did a little more research and it seems that now if you want to batch geocode in Arc Desktop you have to have to pay for a subscription to Arc Online. Can someone verify this for me?
This is correct.
I spoke with Esri support today and learned that batch geocoding using ArcGIS Online geocoding services will now require the purchase of credits. I also learned that the thousand or so credits that my account started with are enough to geocode around 40 records. Eminently useful.
On that note, I'm searching for alternatives, so if anyone knows of good geocoding services available from other sources for free, I'd love to know.
This helps explain the credits:
http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/credits
You don't need the XML file. the Geocoding and Geosearching in ArcGIS that have been in use for a long time are no longer available. These have been replaced with the Single World Geocoding service.
Information on the retirement is here:
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2013/04/08/legacy-geocoding-and-routing-services-at-httptasks-arcg...
What you have to do to add Geosearch and Geocoding to ArcMap is here:
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/arcgisonline-content/index.html#//011q0000000t000000
and here:
http://support.esri.com/fr/knowledgebase/techarticles/detail/40802
I don't know if anyone in this thread is still having issues but this is what I did and it worked just fine for me.
I followed the below workflow for a client using a Windows 7 PC with ArcGIS 10 SP 5:
1. Go to http://support.esri.com/cn/knowledgebase/techarticles/detail/40542 and follow the workflow to Disable Default Locators that connect to ArcGIS.com
2. Go to http://support.esri.com/fr/knowledgebase/techarticles/detail/40802 and follow the workflow to Add the World Geocoding Service to ArcMap
This worked just fine for me, but you should probably note that using this service for batch geocoding will require ArcGIS online credits in the near future if not already. But if you are just using it for locational purposes inside ArcMap, I think it would probably work just fine. Also, I would recommend, if you have good local data, to build your own locator.
Good Luck,