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Welcome to the CDXZipStream January 2012 Newsletter

This month we will be reviewing the upcoming release of a 64-bit version, how to update your data files for the new year, and how to handle the situation where an address is not found in MapPoint.  There are also two new blog articles from the past month: 

  - Area Analysis with CDXZipStream

The 64-Bit Question ....

More and more computer users are taking advantage of the improved number-crunching capability, memory, and security that 64-bit computer architecture provides.  In fact, many PCs nowadays have 64-bit processors by default.  Is CDXZipStream compatible with 64-bit?

The answer right now is yes and no.  CDXZipStream currently must be run with 32-bit versions of Microsoft Office or Excel.  However, if you have a 64-bit Windows operating system you can install 32-bit Office 2010* and CDXZipStream will be fully operational.  Complicating things is that Microsoft MapPoint, which CDXZipStream uses for driving and routing calculations, is only available in 32-bit, and is not backwards compatible with 64-bit Windows XP.

We will be issuing a 64-bit CDXZipStream later this year, and will let you know in this newsletter when it will be available.  If you would like to have us email you directly when the new version is released, please contact us at support@CDXTech.com.  

* Both 32 and 64-bit versions are provided with purchase of Office 2010, but since almost all add-ins, including those from Microsoft, are currently 32-bit, Microsoft has made 32-bit Office the default installation. 

What to Do if MapPoint Can't Find Your Address

Microsoft MapPoint is an excellent bang-for-buck source of mapping and routing data, but there will be instances where a legitimate address may not be included in its database.  Particularly since MapPoint is updated (approximately) annually, it may not include new construction or recent name changes.  What are your options in this case?

When MapPoint returns "Address is ambiguous or invalid" there are a couple of easy fixes you can try.  Assuming that the address is properly formatted and contains no typos, you can enter a nearby known address that will provide a similar result.  Just open your version of MapPoint directly, enter the town or city of interest, and click on the approximate area of the map where the address is located.  MapPoint will provide a pop up on the map with a known address in its database, and you can use this address in your analysis.

Another easy approach you can use is to enter latitude and longitude coordinates in lieu of a text-based address.   MapPoint provides latitude and longitude (shown at the bottom right-hand of the screen) wherever the pointer is located on the map; you can also use websites like ITouchMap.com where it's especially easy to copy and paste latitude and longitude data back to Excel.  Just remember to enter the data in Excel as a single string with a vertical bar, like this "39.952335|-75.163789".  Both CDXZipStream functions CDXRouteMP and CDXLocateMP will acccept this data automatically in lieu of a conventional text address.

If you have a lot of addresses and want to quickly check their validity in MapPoint, consider using our free, downloadable geocoder template.  Not only does it provide latitude and longitude for each address, but it will indicate the quality of the match in MapPoint, as shown below:

1.  Exact - A unique matching address was found in MapPoint       

2.  Allow Ambiguous - At least two matching addresses were found and the first one was selected

3.  Best Match - A good match was not found and the selected address is the best of possible alternatives

4.  No Match - No matching address was found       

Any address with a "Best Match" or "No Match" may need to have an alternative address or latitude/longitude data provided.   

January Data Updates

Canadian and U.S. data feeds were updated as of February 1 and 3, respectively.  There were 466 changes to the U.S. zip code database.  If you would like to update your database to reflect these changes, click on the "License Information and Software Updates" icon on the CDXZipStream toolbar, and select "Data Updates" to login to your account.  If you've forgotten your user name or password, please contact us at support@cdxtech.com.

We Hope you find the information here helpful for you and your organization.  Please contact us with your feedback and suggestions by replying to this email.

The Team at CDX Technologies