[geocoding]
In ArcGIS software, a persistent software process that translates the nonspatial description of a place, such as a street address, into spatial data that can be displayed as a feature on a map. A geocoding service defines the path to the reference data source and the file of nonspatial data, provides the algorithms and parameters for standardizing, reading, and matching addresses to reference data, and generates output spatial data to client applications.
[GIScience]
An ArcGIS service that translates a nonspatial description of a place, such as a street address, into a spatial description of that place by defining x,y coordinates. The x,y coordinates of the location are cross-referenced between a standard reference grid and nongeographic data, such as an address or ZIP Code, to accurately map the location.