Geocoding Using Google Earth Pro

Many geospatial and GIS experts know about geocoding. Geocoding can be defined as a automatic conversion of address to map coordinates and vice versa. From a strategic point of view, geocoding could improve the mapping process, especially if we have data that didnt have map coordinates, but it still at least have textual location information (i.e city name, country name, zip code etc). Using this location information and a geocoding processor, you can swap the address into coordinates, and finally you can get a point distribution map of your data in geographic space. 

I have mentioned geocoding processor above. Now a geocoding processor is a service designed very specific way that its capabilities is only limited to conversion between addresses and coordinates. Geocoding processor could come at least in two way, it is provided by geoocoding service provider or you can make your own geocoding processor. 

Currently there are many mapping companies that have provide geocoding services. Google is one of the best player in this business. With their huge amount of global level geospatial data collection, there is no objection that choosing Google Geocoding Service is a guarantee that you will successfully convert most of your addresses data into coordinates. But like you already or may be guess, their services is not coming for free. 

Although not free, Google is still can be considered as generous because they are still provides free geocoding service limited to 1000 query per geocoding task. In the past you can use their free geocoding service from Google Fusion Tables, but this services now has been closed. There is still a way to use their service for free if you can use Google MyMaps, but there is some drawback about Google MyMaps. The generated coordinates is not stored in the KML files, so in the end you cant get the coordinate to be used in your GIS. Now what if we still want to get google geocoding service for free but the coordinates result is saved into the KML/KMZ data?? is there any way to do it? the answer is YES. You can use Google Earth Pro, and below is a video tutorial about how to do it.