The Public Health Disparities
Geocoding Project Monograph

Geocoding and Monitoring US Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health:
An introduction to using area-based socioeconomic measures
WHY?
READ MORE
HOW TO
TRY IT OUT!
TOOLS
Executive Summary
Introduction
Publications
Geocoding
Generating ABSMs
Analytic Methods
Multi-level Modeling
Visual Display
Case Example
U.S. Census Tract Poverty Data
Glossary
Geocoding Programs

(Scroll mouse over graphics for more detail.)
Geocoding Services
May be cheaper in the long run if you have a large dataset and will be continuously adding more addresses.
cost

Cheaper if you have a small dataset and will only have one submission.
Up-to date data.
Continuing cost for data updates.
Fee for each submission.
You control how long the geocoding process will take.
No time lost to trafficking.
time
Some companies will have your geocoded data back to you in 24 hours or less.
Steep learning curve.
Will require many hours of person-time to master.
Some companies will not!
Complete control over geocoding process, i.e. accuracy (eventually).
expertise
Expert(?) experience
Strong possibility of making mistakes -- especially in the beginning -- until you become more experienced.
Not all companies are reliable/accurate.
Some programs will append census data to your addresses for you.
bonus

Some companies will append census data to your addresses for you.
Latitude and longitude are generated automatically.

Obtaining latitude and longitude in some programs can be complicated.
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Acknowledgments
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This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (1RO1HD36865-01) via the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) and the Office of Behavioral & Social Science Research (OBSSR).
Copyright © 2004 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College - The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project.