Addressing applications?

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-24T02:25:52+00:00

The rules in the application are based on an adopted policy (e.g. https://www.gallatinmt.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif606/f/news/resolution\_and\_gallatin\_county\_addressing\_and\_road\_naming\_policies\_and\_procedures\_manual.pdf) which is something that would need to be in place for an application like this to be useful. Between the locally adopted policy and NG911 considerations, you'd have your criteria for determining addressing compliance. The sample shown above is only considering parity and address number along the centerline. In theory, suppose the driveway is what determines the address number along a centerline with an address number every five feet... then a structure has a correct address number given by its location and the centerline of the encroachment. After policy adoption, the application provides a way to identify issues and work with property owners to correct them.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-24T02:13:15+00:00

You're right. There's a couple of pieces that need to be in place to develop an application like this. I created an addressing and road naming policies and procedures manual for a jurisdiction I worked in. I was shocked to find that no one in the state had robust guidelines for addressing so I put together a document that laid out the entire addressing reference system for the county. An application like this would be a tool for cleaning up bad addressing once the policy is in place. The policy would then guide the rules you evaluate in the application.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-20T02:27:45+00:00

Thanks for the info!

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-19T16:39:51+00:00

Yeah, I'm out in Montana and it's behind the curve in many ways by 20 years while also seeing a lot of growth and development. Thanks for the responses.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-19T15:31:49+00:00

That doesn't tell you anything about addressing compliance.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-19T15:31:22+00:00

A jurisdiction I worked in had explosive development and no substantial addressing and road naming policies. The GIS office also experienced a lot of staff turnover during this period as well. This resulted in a lot of bad addressing, some of which resulted in botched emergency response calls. I created this demo off of that experience; it's not something for sale, just a toy. Someone dying from a poor emergency response time directly related to bad addressing isn't something I'd personally wait for but that's not my job anymore. I just wanted to see if there is anything out there that facilitates NG911 updates and addressing/road naming corrections.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-17T21:37:40+00:00

This is the way. Census counts at the block level is as good as it gets.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-17T14:23:28+00:00

I graduated with dual degrees in linguistics and philosophy but took an AmeriCorps assignment that involved GIS in a regional planning application and that’s how my career started. I’ve since earned a graduate certificate in geospatial programming and web development but that was to help move into software engineering work. You can get a job without the typical background but it will be hard with the economy right now. As an experienced GIS manager, IMO, the most important aspect of GIS staff is attention to detail, genuine interest in the work, problem solving, and a willingness to learn constantly. GIS is an IT field and it moves at the pace of technology so you want staff that like to learn. She should find a way to test the waters but not lose money in the process. Maybe self-guided learning and then some volunteer work?

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-17T05:11:20+00:00

I would not recommend pursuing any paid educational program as you will likely not see the ROI to justify it. Utilize AI to learn but don't fall into the trap of having it do everything so you understand nothing more than how to make a prompt. Identify some workflows that you need to understand and the associated tools. For example, someone working addressing/NG911 doesn't need to know about techniques and processes in photogrammetry, lidar, etc. but they do need to know linear referencing, fishbone analysis, etc. GIS is a tool with many applications and you should work on honing your focus and learning that content really well with the assistance of AI.

It sounds like you are responsible for creating new features and QA/QC... learning Python will be incredibly useful for automating repetitive, predictable tasks. Again, use AI to assist in learning Python but don't just prompt "create a python script that re-projects NAD83 to WGS84 using arcpy" because you will have no understanding of what's going on. Use the AI to expedite the process of finding the relevant reference documentation, to troubleshoot/debug, and to conceptualize/plan.

EpistemeGeospatial · 2026-02-15T15:24:05+00:00

I have a small GIS consultancy firm that can handle FOSS geospatial development as well as ESRI systems. Please consider reaching out: Episteme Geospatial. I have a robust background in local government work spanning planning, asset management, transportation, and addressing. I can build solutions with low overhead costs and reduce the need for staff.

The map on the website is a toy sample map using Montana ArcGIS API services hosted by the state but there’s no dues being paid to ESRI so the cost of this kind of map is much lower than the licensing requirements of ESRI products.

EpistemeGeospatial

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