Google’s Geocoding API allows you to easily convert postal addresses into geographical coordinates – latitudes and longitudes – and vice-versa. This allows you to:

• Use postal addresses to place markers on Google Maps
• Extract a postal address from a placed marker on Google Maps

While Google’s Geocoding API feature is useful, it can be challenging to locate specific addresses and locations. For example, an incomplete address such as “101, Main Street.” The new Address Descriptor feature – with the Reverse Geocoding API – overcomes this limitation. 

Using address descriptors, you can provide a more precise and detailed address, thus enabling a host of location-based services. Here’s a look at how the Address Descriptor feature works, along with its benefits and applications.

What is Google Maps’ Address Descriptor?

Google Maps users can currently obtain standard address components such as:

• Building name
• Street address
• City and postal code

Google’s new Address Descriptor feature provides a richer context to postal addresses by including the nearest landmarks, points of interest, and neighborhood areas. Using the Reverse Geocoding API, address descriptors leverage real-time machine-learning signals to identify prominent landmarks near the target address. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of the location to Google Maps users – particularly when the given address is incomplete or ambiguous.

Here’s a real-life example of an address descriptor:

Benefits of Google Maps’ Address Descriptors

Here are some of the benefits of the Address Descriptors feature of Google Maps:

1. Enhanced location accuracy

   Within the Address Descriptors feature in Google’s Geocoding API, companies can provide more detailed and precise location information to their users.

   This feature is beneficial in densely populated urban areas without standard address data. Further, it can identify and mark the nearest landmarks and areas to the location.

2. Improved customer experience

   Address descriptors are a valuable tool for companies that depend on location-based services to run their businesses such as food or e-commerce delivery services. 

   As an example, delivery service companies can leverage address descriptors to pinpoint the exact delivery drop-off point. Similarly, ride-sharing companies can easily navigate to pick-up points using the nearest landmarks and neighboring locations.

   This feature effectively enables companies to improve customer experience by saving valuable time and reducing human errors. For instance, food delivery personnel no longer have to call customers for the nearest landmark – but instead access it from their mobile app.

3. Finding complex addresses

   Postal addresses across the globe do not always follow the standard form – but have a unique format of their own. For instance, it’s not always possible to fill in standard fields like the name of the house, area, or locality.

   For such complex addresses, address descriptors can capture the specific traits in the map address, thus making it easier to find such locations.

4. Contextual information

   Previously, Google’s Geocoding API did not provide users with contextual locations  – like if a corporate office or business was located in a popular city neighborhood or near a tourist attraction.

   By adopting the address descriptors, application developers can now embed contextual information into a simple address.

Real-life applications of Google Maps’ Address Descriptors

Address descriptors can enhance location-based services with their preciseness and accuracy. Here are some of the real-life applications of the Address Descriptors feature of Google Maps:

1. Delivery services
   Be it for food delivery or e-commerce, delivery agents can improve the time and accuracy of their daily deliveries using address descriptors. They do not need to call customers to ask for nearby landmarks – thus improving customer trust.
2.  Real estate services
   For prospective home buyers or renters, they must know more about the property’s neighborhood and areas of interest. Real estate agents can boost their property’s appeal by including the closest landmarks, and places of interest when sharing the location. 
3. Tourism
   Address descriptors are also a boon for the tourism and hospitality industries. For instance, hotels can improve their brand appeal by adding nearby tourist attractions and places of interest to their customers. Similarly, tourism companies can enrich the travel experience for foreign tourists visiting the place for the first time.

Getting Started

With the new Address Descriptor feature, Google has enriched its Geocoding API with detailed and contextual information about map locations. This feature can potentially transform location-based services for a host of customer-facing industries like delivery services, hospitality, and real estate companies.

With our technical and industry experience as a Google Maps Premier Partner, Onix can help you integrate the Address Descriptor for your next Google Maps project. Do you need more information about our geospatial solutions? Contact our team today.

Reference links:

https://mapsplatform.google.com/resources/blog/address-geocoding-in-google-maps-apis

https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/geocoding/overview

https://mapsplatform.google.com/resources/blog/launching-address-descriptors-make-it-easier-find-addresses-using-landmarks-indian-cities