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I've come around to this view, too. Also like names, the best solution is to avoid using them for analysis. Run them through an address geocoding service and s

I've come around to this view, too. Also like names, the best solution is to avoid using them for analysis. Run them through an address geocoding service and store the coordinates next to the address. Use the original address for sending mail or filling out forms, and coordinates for analysis. Unless cleaning, parsing, and geocoding addresses is one of your core business values, let somebody else do it. It's a lot of work that's never really finished. Find a good service, hand them your garbage addresses, and feel confident they'll do better than you could.

jhgb 5y ago
My idea is not in contradiction with your idea. In fact your idea is a part of my idea.
- ByteJockey 5y ago
  Given that the person started their comment with: > I've come around to this view, too. I don't think they were disagreeing with you.
  - jhgb 5y ago
    Concurring with a disagreeing view is disagreeing, isn't it?
    - dlainhart 5y ago
      No.
      - jhgb 5y ago
        That was a rhetorical question. Of course it is.
afandian 5y ago
This is why two successive Deliveroo drivers went to the wrong street this week. The first 'tried to deliver' and gave up, and I had to run after the replacement one. Despite the address and postcode being both correct and unambiguous the driver followed a pin to a badly geocoded coordinate, and didn't even look at the street name. I'd encourage anyone (especially Deliveroo) to make more effort to model addresses in the correct locale (UK in my case) rather than taking these shortcuts.
jcpst 5y ago
I agree. We’ve built automation that ingests geocoding data from multiple services, and keeps the system up to date. The models for an “Address“ get complex, a single entity can have many different types of addresses.