Visualization of Community Tapestry data from Community Coder in ArcGIS Business Analyst.

New features have been incorporated in the 9.1 version of Community Coder, Esri's advanced geocoding software, expanding the user's ability to perform enhanced U.S. data geocoding and append data applications. Community Coder helps users in all industries to locate, classify, and summarize their customer lists by geography and demographics. With flexible packaging options, Community Coder can geocode addresses, append Esri demographic and segmentation data from Community Tapestry, and summarize the results in several output formats. An easy-to-use interface for single or batch address geocoding processing, combined with the powerful Centrus geocoder from Group 1 Software, provides an affordable data appending and geocoding tool for large and small companies.

New features in the 9.1 release of Community Coder include integration with the ArcGIS 9.1 framework, allowing users to access Community Coder projects from within the ArcToolbox application in ArcGIS Desktop and create store and customer layers for immediate use with ArcGIS Business Analyst. In addition to new file formats, such as XML, shapefile, and personal geodatabase, Community Coder 9.1 also adds the ability to output standardized addresses for improved database quality.

To customize Community Coder software, several package configurations are available, including

• Geocoding Only (Base Product)—This package includes Match Level Summary, Geographic Summary, Geographic Complete, and Demographic Profile reports. Geocoding Only can append FIP codes and/or latitude and longitude coordinates to customer files using TIGER street data files.
• Tele Atlas/TomTom (GDT) Add-On—This option has the same components as Geocoding Only; however, TIGER street data files have been substituted with Tele Atlas/TomTom geocoding street files.
• Standard Data Appending Add-On—This option provides a selected group of Esri demographic data variables, including population, race, income, and housing. Users can append this data to customer records to learn more about the neighborhoods where their customers reside.
• Tapestry Appending Add-On—This option includes all the features of Geocoding Only, as well as the Tapestry Profile report. To understand more about the lifestyle characteristics of their customers, users can append the dominant Tapestry code to customer records at the block group geography level.
• Tapestry ZIP+4 Add-On—This option includes all the features in Geocoding Only, as well as the Tapestry Profile report. The data in this option can be used to append dominant Tapestry codes to customer records at the ZIP+4 geography level to provide a finer level of detail and accuracy for mailing projects.
• Trade Area Analysis Add-On—This option adds the Trade Area wizard, as well as the Trade Area Analysis report. This option can help users define the radius around a store location that encompasses a specified percentage of their customers and calculate customer penetration in the area.

Examples of a Customer Tapestry Profile produced by Community Coder software.

Databases and mailing lists are only as effective as the quality of information they contain. Applications that agencies, companies, and organizations can perform with Community Coder software to add precision to customer records include

• Assigning geocodes and latitude/longitude coordinates to customer address records to allow for easy display in GIS software
• Summarizing customer records by geography, geocode rate, and/or Esri demographics with Community Coder's standard reports
• Assigning detailed market segmentation information from Tapestry at the block group or ZIP+4 geography levels to gain a more refined understanding of customer lifestyles or classify customer records for mailing projects
• Creating customized groups of Tapestry segments that most closely fit the profile of the user's customers or constituents

Agencies, companies, and organizations using Community Coder for their geocoding and data appending projects will increase their geocoding and data appending capabilities, produce more targeted lists, raise response rates, and improve database management.