Discussion on "Working with Geospatial Data: A Story About Implementing Our Own Reverse Geocoding"

Alexander Kolobov · 2023-10-23T22:00:00.000Z

In software development, one often encounters intriguing challenges, particularly when operating under stringent resource constraints and striving to minimize costs before the MVP proves its value. In such situations, the choice of algorithms and app...

It’s inspiring to see such a data-intensive solution handled so effectively with limited resources—well done!

GeoJSON is both versatile and challenging, especially in high-precision geospatial applications like the one described. While it enables detailed geographic data representation, handling overlapping borders, resolution variations, and data simplification for efficient processing requires significant customization

Running into roadblocks with third-party services is frustrating, but instead of sticking with something that didn’t work, they went all in and built their own solution, which is seriously impressive. Though not every firm can afford that

where would you recommend learning more about working with geospatial data and implementing custom geocoding solutions like the one you built? Any specific resources or tools that helped you along the way?

postgis.net will be a great start for simple out of the box solution.

This post highlights the complexities and challenges of working with geospatial data in software development, particularly when building the AWAY app for tracking visited countries. The author's journey through reverse geocoding emphasizes the importance of selecting the right algorithms and tools, especially under resource constraints.

I appreciate the detailed explanation of the GeoJSON format and the meticulous efforts taken to source accurate country borders. The transition from relying on third-party APIs to developing a custom solution showcases innovative problem-solving. Achieving a processing speed of 10,000 coordinates per second is impressive and demonstrates the effectiveness of the new system.

The challenges faced in expanding the app to include regions and cities reveal the intricacies of geographic data management and the need for robust solutions. Overall, this is a compelling account of overcoming obstacles in app development and the dedication to providing a seamless user experience.

I get the need to build a custom solution, but wouldn’t it have been better to optimize an existing open-source project rather than start from scratch? Maintaining your own geo infrastructure sounds like a nightmare for a small team. Curious if you hit any unexpected challenges long-term.

As I wrote, we had two problems - the quality of the data and the geocoding system for this data. While the second problem could have been solved (and probably should have been, but then I would have missed a lot of new things for myself) with a ready-made approach, the first one would have had to be dealt with independently anyway.

Awesome article, Alexander! Building your own reverse geocoding service must have been an incredible challenge. I loved the detailed breakdown of GeoJSON and how you handled the different resolutions for maritime and coastal boundaries. Really impressed by the performance gains after moving to Go—10x faster is no joke. Keep sharing these deep dives; they’re super educational!

This is brilliant! Loved how you explained reverse geocoding and the DIY approach. Definitely learned a lot about geospatial data processing. Thanks!

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Working with Geospatial Data: A Story About Implementing Our Own Reverse Geocoding

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