Google Address Validation API Can Be Used Publicly to Improve Address Accuracy

Google lately introduced General availability of the Address Validation API. The brand new function of Google Maps Platform verifies an handle, standardizes it for mailing and determines the perfect identified geocode location for it.

Address Verification It helps builders detect incorrect addresses by figuring out lacking or unverified handle parts. It performs handle parsing, standardization and validation, verifies the existence of the handle, and makes addresses extra correct.

The brand new API marks incomplete entries and codecs them for supply, serving to, for instance, mail and merchandise attain their supply vacation spot.

Supply: https://cloud.google.com/weblog/merchandise/maps-platform/address-validation-api-now-generally-available

Nicholas DeMeuseThe product technique chief at Google Cloud writes:

Deal with Validation additionally returns particular person handle parts with accuracy validation stage relating to the processed handle, in addition to priceless metadata for the handle resembling Plus Code, geocode and Place ID. In sure geographies, Deal with Verification can even distinguish a residential handle from a business handle, which is vital on the subject of bundle supply throughout enterprise hours.

In keeping with Google, the brand new service improves consumer experiences throughout account registration or cost and reduces the affect of invalid addresses on transactions. Steered use instances embrace cloud supplier monetary providers firms verifying the id of latest account holders and transportation firms evaluating handle deliverability.

Google has printed a High-Volume Address Validation Python library and paperwork best practices For the Deal with Validation API and the Locations API. whereas accessible Geocoding API identifies a real-world location primarily based on a given enter and converts addresses to geographic coordinates; Deal with Validation permits builders to offer suggestions to finish customers by validating handle parts.

A show It may be used to check capabilities and shows the response from the server. Confirm Deal with visualized content material and technique as a JSON object. For instance, testing the unformatted handle of the longer term QCon London convention:

The Queen Elizabeth II Convention Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London SW1P 3EE, UK

The API returns an unverified however affordable outcome. Premise For the occasion:

"handle Elements": [
  {
	"componentName": {
   	"text": "The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre",
   	"languageCode": "en"
 	},
	"componentType": "premise",
	"confirmationLevel": "UNCONFIRMED_BUT_PLAUSIBLE"
   }
   (...)

Google Maps is not the only platform offering an address validation API: for locations in the United States, the USPS APIs and the UPS Address Validation are options provided by the United States Postal Service and the United Parcel Service. Smarty, a company offering address validation tools, published an article claiming that Google provides inconsistent parsing and limited country coverage.

Currently, the Address Validation API supports 27 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. The ability to discriminate between residential and commercial addresses is available in six countries: Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States.

Google charges 17 USD for thousand monthly address validation requests, a price significantly higher than the existing Geocoding API. The Google Maps Platform offers a monthly free tier of 200 USD.