Batch Geocoding Utility

This topic only includes menu and toolbar options and functionality specific to the Batch Geocoding Utility window.

For information about common menu and toolbar options (i.e. File menu, Refresh, Multi-Company, etc.), see General menu and toolbar options.

The Scope settings are used to determine which zone codes/clients to include. Some of the settings are common to all the batch geocoding validation functions. Others will appear depending on the validation function.

TruckMate Zone Codes are defined using the Profiles > Codes Maintenance > Zones tab. When you are using a third party mileage engine, the zones defined in these systems must be validated to ensure they are correctly mapped to the same zones as defined in TruckMate. This can be done on a one-by-one basis using the Validate button on the Codes Maintenance > Zones tab to validate the code and update the 'Lookup Code' value but the Batch Geocoding Utility lets you verify the entire set or a range of values.

To validate a specific zone, range of zones or all of the zone codes:

When more than one result is found for the first lookup the engine will attempt to combine the short description with the zone code to narrow the result set. The zone code will be placed at the appropriate location depending on the mapping software being used. When no results are found, the validation engine will attempt to locate a zip code in the short description and move it if it is in the wrong location for the mapping software.

Full support is provided for Canadian postal codes. For example, if you create a zone like V3A1S9 with a description of LANGLEY BC, it will be validated based on the Canadian postal code.

The Copy Validations Tab allows you to copy existing zone validations from one Mileage Engine to another. This functionality makes it easier to upgrade when using a new Mileage Engine. If the customer goes from PC*Miler 31 to PC*Miler 33 for example, they can use this tab to copy their old PC*Miler 31 zone validations to PC*Miler 33. This means that the User doesn’t have to re-validate their entire Zone tree. This functionality only works between different versions of the same Mileage Engine. For example, from PC*Miler 28 to PC*Miler 33.

To copy a specific zone, range of zones or all of the zone codes from one mileage engine to another from the same provider:

This TruckMate feature will validate client and vendor addresses against the supported mapping engine systems such as PC*Miler.

To validate the client and vendor addresses for a specific zone, range of zones or all of the zone codes:

This TruckMate feature will update the latitude and longitude values for zone codes in the Codes Maintenance program > Zone Codes tab using values from the supported mapping engine systems such as PC*Miler.

Latitude and Longitude values are especially important to the Mobile Dispatch module, as the position updates sent from remote units are in the format of latitude and longitude. TruckMate uses the latitude and longitude values stored within the zone code configuration to create position reports. To use the Latitude and Longitude Update utility, the Mileage Server utility must be running.

Zones are updated using PC*Miler as the source whereas Clients are updated using any available MileServer Geocoding service. To successfully Geocode Zones and Clients, it is essential that accurate information is entered in the Zone fields and the address information on the Customer and Vendor Profiles > Address tab (for both Clients and Vendors).

When validating Zones, the system uses the Lookup Code that has been validated by the Mileage Server (using the Validate button on the Codes Maintenance program > Zone Codes tab) and returns a position based on this information. If you have city names combined with Postal Codes or Zip Codes, it will fail. The Batch Geocoding Utility processes the zone code’s 'Short Description' through PC*Miler’s mileage software to determine the latitude and longitude.

To update zone codes with latitudinal and longitudinal values for a specific zone, range of zones or all of the zone codes:

This TruckMate feature will update the Global Position > latitude and longitude values displayed on the customer profiles for clients based on their zone codes using a MileServer Geocoding service such as PC*Miler.

Latitude and Longitude values are especially important to the Mobile Dispatch module, as the position updates sent from remote units are in the format of latitude and longitude. TruckMate uses the latitude and longitude values stored within the zone code configuration to create position reports. To use the Latitude and Longitude Update utility, the Mileage Server utility must be running.

Zones are updated using PC*Miler as the source whereas Clients are updated using any available MileServer Geocoding service. To successfully Geocode Zones and Clients, it is essential that accurate information is entered in the Zone fields and the address information on the Customer and Vendor Profiles > Address tab (for both Clients and Vendors).

When validating Clients, the 'Address 1' field must contain the street address only. If there are 'Unit' numbers (shown by the Application Configurator program > PROFILES.EXE > 'Show Unit' option) and/or 'PO Box' numbers on these lines, the validation process will produce in inaccurate latitudes and longitudes.

To update client profiles with latitudinal and longitudinal values for all clients, a range of clients or only clients where there the Lat / Long values are empty:

To view the log file:

The log file entries concerning warning or error messages will differ depending on the checkbox settings for the Validate using only zone codes or Validate using first match options.

For example, if Validate using only zone codes is selected and a zone code does not have a corresponding entry in the third party mileage engine, the message will say "Unable to validate zone <___>, otherwise the search will use the short description text and is likely to find several matches and the message will be "More than one match".

During the Geocoding process, you may experience errors if the Geocoding system cannot validate an address.

After the Geocoding process is complete, a log file is generated in the TruckMate directory, with the filename 'Latlong.log'. Within this file are all errors that are logged. This file can be used as a reference of which zones failed and need to be updated in order to correctly Geocode.

To remedy these errors, use the Batch Geocoding Utility > Validate Zones tab to correctly populate the 'Lookup Code' on all of your Zone Codes, and then run the Latitude and Longitude update programs on the Batch Geocoding Utility > Validate Zone Coordinates / Validating Client Coordinates tabs again.