Rematch a geocoded feature class using a different geocoding service

Summary

When a shapefile or feature class is created by geocoding a table of addresses, a copy of the geocoding service that was used is attached to the shapefile or feature class. When rematching the addresses in the geocoded feature class, ArcGIS uses this copy of the geocoding service.

Geocoded shapefiles and feature classes may contain addresses that could not be matched using the original geocoding service. In these cases, it may be desirable to rematch the unmatched addresses using a different geocoding service. For example, if a table of addresses is geocoded with a geocoding service based on the US Streets with Zone style, the remaining unmatched addresses can be matched to ZIP centroids using a geocoding service based on the ZIP (5-Digit) style. In order to accomplish this, a different geocoding service must first be attached to the geocoded shapefile or feature class.

Procedure

1. In ArcCatalog, create the geocoding service you want to use to rematch the unmatched addresses in the geocoded shapefile or feature class.
2. Paste the following VBA code into the VBA editor in ArcCatalog. This code assumes you already have a reference to the geocoded shapefile or feature class and to the geocoding service (in this case, a ZIP (5-Digit) geocoding service) you want to use to rematch the unmatched addresses. This code also assumes the geocoded shapefile or feature class has a field that contains the 5-digit ZIP code of the addresses (in this case, a field named "ARC_Zone").
   
   

   Code:
   Sub AttachNewLocator(pFeatureClass As IFeatureClass, _
       pLocator As ILocator)
     Const FIELD_ZIP_NAME = "ARC_Zone"
     Dim pLocatorAttach As ILocatorAttach
     Dim pLocatorDataset As ILocatorDataset
     Dim strMatchFields As String
   
     Set pLocatorDataset = pLocator
     Set pLocatorAttach = pLocatorDataset.LocatorWorkspace
     strMatchFields = MatchFields(pLocator)
     pLocatorAttach.AttachLocator pLocator, pFeatureClass, _
       pFeatureClass, FIELD_ZIP_NAME, pFeatureClass.OIDFieldName, _
       pFeatureClass, strMatchFields, pFeatureClass.OIDFieldName
   End Sub
   
   Function MatchFields(pAddressGeocoding As IAddressGeocoding) As String
     Dim i As Long
     Dim pMatchFields As IFields
     Dim strMatchFields() As String
     
     Set pMatchFields = pAddressGeocoding.MatchFields
     ReDim strMatchFields(pMatchFields.FieldCount - 1)
     For i = 0 To pMatchFields.FieldCount - 1
       strMatchFields(i) = pMatchFields.Field(i).Name
     Next i
     MatchFields = Join(strMatchFields, ",")
   End Function
   

   
   
3. Write a procedure in VBA to obtain a reference to the geocoded shapefile or feature class and the geocoding service, and to call the AttachNewLocator procedure. There are numerous examples of how to obtain a reference to a shapefile or feature class in the ArcObjects Developer Help.
4. Run your procedure to attach the new geocoding service to the geocoded shapefile or feature class.
5. In ArcCatalog, rematch the unmatched addresses in the geocoded shapefile or feature class.