@mappingtoolsMapPoint’s Find dialog box is usually used to find specific addresses. Do this by displaying the Find dialog box and selecting the Address tab:
The Address tab on MapPoint's Find dialog box
Enter the address information in the fields. As you do this, the Find button will be enabled. Press it when you have completed as much as possible. MapPoint will then fill the list with potential matches. If a definite location has been found, MapPoint will center the map on it and mark it with a dot and a small label:
Finding an address in MapPoint (click for larger image)
If there are multiple possible matches, you can can select a different match by clicking on it. MapPoint will then center the map on the new selection.
You can dismiss the Find dialog box by pressing Cancel. Or you can press OK and MapPoint will mark the selected match with a pushpin. This will also occur if you double click on the required match. The new pushpin will be added to the My pushpins pushpin set, which will be created if it does not already exist.
This process of finding map locations for street addresses is known as geocoding. We have a set of geocoding notes that cover various common issues and potential sources of ambiguity.
I am a police supervisor. I purchased Microsoft 2010 to plot approximately 100 traffic accidents per month. These would hopefully be read from a spreadsheet so that the info could quckly be plotted, possibly reread a new organization of the same spreadsheet, plot those points on a different map, and so on. I found that the points did not plot accurately. The points plotted several blocks off point or missing altogether. I tried various spredsheet configurations and found the same problem. Upon addressing Microsoft they refunded my money. I would very much like to utilize this program. Do you think this problem has been solved in the 2011 version? Thank-you
Plotting so far off is probably due to problems in the addresses. For example, MapPoint might be forced to only map at the zipcode level (which would introduce large errors), or perhaps spelling/abbreviation differences in roads can cause mis-locations. Actual street numbers are approximations, but they’ll only be approximate between blocks – ie. the intersection numbers will be correct, it will be the number spacings between the intersections that might not be accurate.
MapPoint 2011 does have updated roads. So they should be more accurate, however I’m hearing unconfirmed reports that the zipcodes have not changed. Microsoft do have a free trial download on their website: try it!
Thank you very much for your speedy answer. I took your advice and tried the free trial download. I tried using latitude and longitude and the points are plotting perfectly. On to new adventures in evaluating the programs usefulness. I may contact you again Thank-you again-jc
We would like to use Map Point to print map pages for our Fire Department map books. Each map page would show individual addresses and other points like hydrants, hazards etc.
Is Mappoint able to show each home and the correct street address (number only)?
Thanks,
Tim Jones
Dep. Fire Chief
It depends on the required accuracy, but in my experience, MapPoint usually lacks the accuracy required by the emergency services.
These Notes on Geocoding describe many of the issues. MapPoint does not have-side-of-road information, and it uses a method of interpolation for actual street numbers. Most geocoding systems use this interpolation system for various reasons, but the emergency services generally need accurate locations.