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Directional Prefixes and Suffixes

Objectives

• In this section you will learn how you can add to or modify the way the Atlas Geocoder interprets street directions.

What the file does

The street directional translation file is used to standardize the many different spellings and abbreviations that are possible when referring to the directions of streets. The structure of the file is such that you can easily customize it to suit your own particular needs. This can be useful in situations where the addresses that you are geocoding a non-standard abbreviation.

If, for example, you find that North tends to be written in Spanish as Norte, you can add Norte as a custom abbreviation to the street type translation file and instruct Atlas to assume that it refers to North. This will help Atlas more accurately match an address containing Norte without the need to relax the street type.

Where it is located

The street type translation file is named STRDIR.TRN and is located in the \AtlasGIS\Geocode folder on your hard drive.

How to edit the translation file

The STRDIR.TRN file can be edited using any text editor or word process. To avoid inadvertantly inserting any formatting characters into the file, a text editor such as Windows Notepad is generally preferred. The abbreviations and spellings listed in the standard file appear in alphabetical order. After opening the file, simply find the section containing the direction you would like to add to. For example, in the section of the file appearing below, all of the abbreviatiions that correspond to HWY appear grouped together.

Once you find the approprate section, insert a blank line. In the left column, enter the non-standard abbreviation that appears in your address database. Next, enter a number of spaces or tabs and in the right column, enter the standard abbreviation that you would like Atlas to refer to, instead.