Geocoding — Address ↔ Coordinate Converter
Search an address or place name to find coordinates; click the map to reverse-geocode a point and discover its address.
Click a point on the map to perform reverse geocoding.
Data Source
Address and coordinate results come from the OpenStreetMap Nominatim service. Per its usage policy, a one-request-per-second limit applies.
Related Tools
What Is Geocoding — and How Does It Work?
Understanding Geocoding and Reverse Geocoding
Geocoding is the process of converting a written address or place name into geographic coordinates — a latitude and longitude pair that can be plotted on a map. Its counterpart, reverse geocoding, goes the other direction: you start with a coordinate and recover the human-readable address at that location. Together these two operations are the backbone of virtually every location-aware application.
Geocoding sounds simple, but handling addresses accurately at scale is genuinely complex. Street numbering conventions, transliterations of non-Latin scripts, ambiguous city names, and missing postal codes all create challenges. Production geocoding services resolve these issues through large, curated address databases combined with fuzzy-matching algorithms.
- GIS data preparation: Analysts geocode spreadsheets of site addresses before running spatial joins, heatmaps, or catchment-area analysis in GIS software such as ArcGIS.
- Logistics and delivery: Route-planning systems convert customer addresses into coordinates so optimisation engines can calculate the most efficient stop sequence.
- Real estate and site selection: Property records are geocoded to overlay demographic, zoning, and market data on interactive maps for investment decisions.
- Field data collection: Survey teams record GPS points in the field and reverse-geocode them to attach recognisable addresses to observations for reporting.
How to Use This Tool
Type any address, city name, or landmark into the search bar and press Search. The map will zoom to the best matching location, display a pin, and show the exact latitude and longitude coordinates. For reverse geocoding, simply click anywhere on the map — the tool instantly queries the nearest address for that point.
Results include the full formatted address, the individual coordinate values you can copy, and a map preview to verify the correct location was found. Multiple results are listed when a query is ambiguous so you can choose the one you need.
Other Tools
Once you have coordinates, you may need to convert them between formats — use the GPS Coordinate Converter for DD, DMS, DDM, UTM, and MGRS formats. To reproject coordinates into a different coordinate reference system, try the Coordinate Converter. To measure the distance between geocoded locations, see the Distance Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is geocoding?
Geocoding is the process of converting a human-readable address or place name into geographic coordinates — specifically latitude and longitude. For example, entering '1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC' returns coordinates like 38.8977, -77.0366. It is a fundamental operation in any location-based application or GIS workflow.
What is reverse geocoding?
Reverse geocoding is the opposite process: given a latitude/longitude coordinate pair, it returns the nearest human-readable address or place name. This is used, for example, when a GPS device reports a position and an application needs to display a street address to the user.
Which data source does this tool use?
This tool uses the Nominatim geocoding service powered by OpenStreetMap data. Nominatim is a free, open geocoder that covers the entire world. Coverage and accuracy are excellent in densely mapped urban areas and vary in rural or less-documented regions.
How accurate are the geocoding results?
Accuracy depends on the quality of the underlying map data. In major cities and well-mapped regions, results are typically within a few meters of the correct location. In rural areas or regions with sparse data, the tool may return results at street or locality level rather than an exact address point.
Can I geocode coordinates by clicking on the map?
Yes. Click anywhere on the interactive map and the tool will immediately perform reverse geocoding, returning the address or nearest place name for that location along with its exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
Who uses geocoding tools?
Geocoding is used by a wide range of professionals: GIS analysts need it for data enrichment and spatial joins; logistics companies use it to plan delivery routes; real estate professionals geocode property addresses for mapping; field surveyors verify site coordinates; and developers integrate geocoding APIs into web mapping applications.
What is the difference between forward and reverse geocoding?
Forward geocoding converts an address into coordinates (address → lat/lon). Reverse geocoding converts coordinates back into an address (lat/lon → address). Both operations are available in this tool: use the search bar for forward geocoding and click on the map for reverse geocoding.