FindLocation

Returns the physical coordinates for a postcode.

To connect to this service you'll need to use one of these endpoints:

JSON

Open API

SOAP

Description

Finds the location of a postcode. A full postcode must be supplied. If only a partial postcode or other parts of the address are available, please use the Geocode method instead.

Information on administrative areas can also be retrieved in addition to the physical coordinates.

Credit Usage

Each request to this method consumes 1 Location credit.

Parameters

The following parameters can be supplied to this method

username	username See the available authentication methods. If you are using username & password authentication, specify the username to authenticate as. If you are using API Key authentication and you are not using the JSON, Javascript or ADO APIs, use your API Key here with the prefix `apikey-`, e.g. `apikey-ABCD-1234-EFGH-5678`
password	password If you are using username & password authentication, specify the password to use for authentication. Otherwise leave this blank.
licence	licence The licence type under which you are accessing the service. If you are not sure which value to pick, please contact your account manager
postcode	postcode The postcode to get the location of
options	options An array of options that control further details of how this method operates. See the Advanced Options section below for more information.

Advanced Options

The following options can be specified as part of the option parameter. Each option is specified as a key/value pair. The list of available names is shown below, along with a description of the allowable values for that name.

Common Options
Name	Description
ApplicationName	ApplicationName Gives the name of the calling application - used to break down usage by application in the usage reports on the dashboard
Service-Specific Options
Name	Description
GetAdminArea	GetAdminArea Indicates that the results should include the `CountyCode`, `County`, `DistrictCode`, `District`, `WardCode` and `Ward` properties
GetConstituency	GetConstituency Indicates that the output should include the `Constituency` property
GetCountry	GetCountry Indicates that the results should contain the `Country` property
DatumEPSG	DatumEPSG The EPSG code of the datum to use when converting the original OS grid coordinates to latitude and longitude

Results

This method returns an object containing the following fields:

Status

Status

Indicates whether the method call was successful, or if some error occurred. If the Success field is true, the other results described below can be used to get the results of the method. If Success is false, some error occurred in calling the method, such as the authentication failed or the account is out of credits. The details of the error can be obtained from the ErrorMessage field, and any other results should be ignored

Result

Result

The location of the postcode in the following fields:

Name	Description
`Easting`	The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly
`Northing`	The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin
`GridReference`	The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference
`Longitude`	The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum
`Latitude`	The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum
`CountyCode`	The reference code for the county the postcode is in
`County`	The name of the administrative county the postcode is in
`DistrictCode`	The reference code for the district the postcode is in
`District`	The name of the administrative district the postcode is in
`WardCode`	The reference code for the ward the postcode is in
`Ward`	The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in
`Country`	The name of the country the postcode is in
`Constituency`	The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in

Live Demo

licence

postcode

options

Name	Value
Common Options
ApplicationName
Service-Specific Options
GetAdminArea
GetConstituency
GetCountry
DatumEPSG

Sample Code

<!-- Import the Integr8 Ajax API -->
<!-- NOTE: Get your own API key to use in the following script tag from: -->
<!-- https://www.data-8.co.uk/ValidationAdmin/AjaxAPIKey -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://webservices.data-8.co.uk/Javascript/Loader.ashx?key=your-api-key&load=Location">
</script>

<script type="text/javascript">

function FindLocation(licence, postcode) {
  /// <param name="licence">string. One of the following values: WebServer, WebClick, InternalUser, SmallUser, Lookup, InternalServer</param>
  /// <param name="postcode">string</param>
  var location = new data8.location();
  
  location.findlocation(
    licence,
    postcode,
    [
      new data8.option('GetAdminArea', 'True'),
      new data8.option('GetConstituency', 'True'),
      new data8.option('GetCountry', 'True'),
      new data8.option('DatumEPSG', '4326')
    ],
    showFindLocationResult
  );
}

function showFindLocationResult(result) {
  // Check that the call succeeded, and show the error message if there was a problem.
  if (!result.Status.Success) {
    alert('Error: ' + result.Status.ErrorMessage);
  }
  else {
    // TODO: Process method results here.
    // Results can be extracted from the following fields:
    // result.Result
    //   The location of the postcode in the following fields:
    //   
    //   {.table .table-striped}
    //   | Name | Description |
    //   |---------|--------------|
    //   | `Easting` | The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly |
    //   | `Northing` | The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin |
    //   | `GridReference` | The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference |
    //   | `Longitude` | The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
    //   | `Latitude` | The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
    //   | `CountyCode` | The reference code for the county the postcode is in |
    //   | `County` | The name of the administrative county the postcode is in |
    //   | `DistrictCode` | The reference code for the district the postcode is in |
    //   | `District` | The name of the administrative district the postcode is in |
    //   | `WardCode` | The reference code for the ward the postcode is in |
    //   | `Ward` | The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in |
    //   | `Country` | The name of the country the postcode is in |
    //   | `Constituency` | The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in |
  }
}

</script>

// NOTE: A Service Reference to the web service must be added to use this sample code.
private void FindLocation(LocationLicence licence, string postcode)
{
    // Declare the required options.
    Option GetAdminArea = new Option();
    GetAdminArea.Name = "GetAdminArea";
    GetAdminArea.Value = "True";
    Option GetConstituency = new Option();
    GetConstituency.Name = "GetConstituency";
    GetConstituency.Value = "True";
    Option GetCountry = new Option();
    GetCountry.Name = "GetCountry";
    GetCountry.Value = "True";
    Option DatumEPSG = new Option();
    DatumEPSG.Name = "DatumEPSG";
    DatumEPSG.Value = "4326";
    // Invoke the web service method.
    LocationSoapClient proxy = new LocationSoapClient();
    LocationOutput results = proxy.FindLocation("your-username", "your-password", licence, postcode, new Option[] {
                GetAdminArea,
                GetConstituency,
                GetCountry,
                DatumEPSG});
    // Check that the call succeeded, and show the error message if there was a problem.
    if ((results.Status.Success == false))
    {
        MessageBox.Show(("Error: " + results.Status.ErrorMessage));
    }
    else
    {
        // TODO: Process method results here.
        // Results can be extracted from the following fields:
        // result.Result
        //   The location of the postcode in the following fields:
        //   
        //   {.table .table-striped}
        //   | Name | Description |
        //   |---------|--------------|
        //   | `Easting` | The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly |
        //   | `Northing` | The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin |
        //   | `GridReference` | The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference |
        //   | `Longitude` | The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
        //   | `Latitude` | The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
        //   | `CountyCode` | The reference code for the county the postcode is in |
        //   | `County` | The name of the administrative county the postcode is in |
        //   | `DistrictCode` | The reference code for the district the postcode is in |
        //   | `District` | The name of the administrative district the postcode is in |
        //   | `WardCode` | The reference code for the ward the postcode is in |
        //   | `Ward` | The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in |
        //   | `Country` | The name of the country the postcode is in |
        //   | `Constituency` | The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in |
    }
}

'NOTE: A Service Reference to the web service must be added to use this sample code.
Private Sub FindLocation(ByVal licence As LocationLicence, ByVal postcode As String)
    'Declare the required options.
    Dim GetAdminArea As [Option] = New [Option]()
    GetAdminArea.Name = "GetAdminArea"
    GetAdminArea.Value = "True"
    Dim GetConstituency As [Option] = New [Option]()
    GetConstituency.Name = "GetConstituency"
    GetConstituency.Value = "True"
    Dim GetCountry As [Option] = New [Option]()
    GetCountry.Name = "GetCountry"
    GetCountry.Value = "True"
    Dim DatumEPSG As [Option] = New [Option]()
    DatumEPSG.Name = "DatumEPSG"
    DatumEPSG.Value = "4326"
    'Invoke the web service method.
    Dim proxy As LocationSoapClient = New LocationSoapClient()
    Dim results As LocationOutput = proxy.FindLocation("your-username", "your-password", licence, postcode, New [Option]() {GetAdminArea, GetConstituency, GetCountry, DatumEPSG})
    'Check that the call succeeded, and show the error message if there was a problem.
    If (results.Status.Success = false) Then
        MessageBox.Show(("Error: " + results.Status.ErrorMessage))
    Else
        'TODO: Process method results here.
        'Results can be extracted from the following fields:
        'result.Result
        '  The location of the postcode in the following fields:
        '  
        '  {.table .table-striped}
        '  | Name | Description |
        '  |---------|--------------|
        '  | `Easting` | The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly |
        '  | `Northing` | The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin |
        '  | `GridReference` | The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference |
        '  | `Longitude` | The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
        '  | `Latitude` | The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
        '  | `CountyCode` | The reference code for the county the postcode is in |
        '  | `County` | The name of the administrative county the postcode is in |
        '  | `DistrictCode` | The reference code for the district the postcode is in |
        '  | `District` | The name of the administrative district the postcode is in |
        '  | `WardCode` | The reference code for the ward the postcode is in |
        '  | `Ward` | The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in |
        '  | `Country` | The name of the country the postcode is in |
        '  | `Constituency` | The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in |
    End If
End Sub

// NOTE: The php_soap.dll extension must be enabled in the php.ini file.
function FindLocation($licence, $postcode)
{
  $options = array(
    "Option" => array(
      array(
        "Name" => "GetAdminArea",
        "Value" => "True"
      ),
      array(
        "Name" => "GetConstituency",
        "Value" => "True"
      ),
      array(
        "Name" => "GetCountry",
        "Value" => "True"
      ),
      array(
        "Name" => "DatumEPSG",
        "Value" => "4326"
      )
    )
  );
  $params = array(
    "username" => "your-username",
    "password" => "your-password",
    "licence" => $licence,
    "postcode" => $postcode,
    "options" => $options
  );
  $client = new SoapClient("https://webservices.data-8.co.uk/Location.asmx?WSDL");
  $result = $client->FindLocation($params);
  if ($result->FindLocationResult->Status->Success == 0)
  {
    echo "Error: " . $result->FindLocationResult->Status->ErrorMessage;
  }
  else
  {
    // TODO: Process method results here.
    // Results can be extracted from the following fields:
    // $result->FindLocationResult->Result
    //   The location of the postcode in the following fields:
    //   
    //   {.table .table-striped}
    //   | Name | Description |
    //   |---------|--------------|
    //   | `Easting` | The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly |
    //   | `Northing` | The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin |
    //   | `GridReference` | The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference |
    //   | `Longitude` | The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
    //   | `Latitude` | The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
    //   | `CountyCode` | The reference code for the county the postcode is in |
    //   | `County` | The name of the administrative county the postcode is in |
    //   | `DistrictCode` | The reference code for the district the postcode is in |
    //   | `District` | The name of the administrative district the postcode is in |
    //   | `WardCode` | The reference code for the ward the postcode is in |
    //   | `Ward` | The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in |
    //   | `Country` | The name of the country the postcode is in |
    //   | `Constituency` | The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in |
  }
}

Request Format

{
  "licence": "InternalUser",
  "postcode": "CH2 4NE",
  "options": {
    "GetAdminArea": true,
    "GetConstituency": true,
    "GetCountry": true,
    "DatumEPSG": 4326
  }
}

Results Format

{
  "Status": {
    "Success": true,
    "CreditsRemaining": 1000
  },
  "Result": {
    "Easting": 341730,
    "Northing": 374581,
    "GridReference": "SJ417745",
    "Longitude": -2.8750729498251455,
    "Latitude": 53.265023812641019,
    "CountyCode": null,
    "County": null,
    "DistrictCode": "E06000050",
    "District": "Cheshire West and Chester",
    "WardCode": "E05012216",
    "Ward": "Gowy Rural",
    "Country": "England",
    "Constituency": "City of Chester"
  }
}

Depending on your chosen authentication method you will need to modify this request slightly:

Public Sub FindLocation(licence As String, postcode As String)
  Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
  Set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
  rs.Open "https://webservices.data-8.co.uk/recordset.ashx?service=Location&method=FindLocationSimple" &
    "&username=your-username" &
    "&password=your-password" &
    "&licence=" & licence &
    "&postcode=" & postcode
  If rs.MoveFirst Then
    If rs.Fields(0).Name = "Success" And rs.Fields(0).Value = false Then
      MsgBox "Error: " & rs.Fields(1)
    Else
      'TODO: Process method results here.
      'All the results are available in the first row in the recordset.
      'Results can be extracted from the following fields:
      'Result
      '  The location of the postcode in the following fields:
      '  
      '  {.table .table-striped}
      '  | Name | Description |
      '  |---------|--------------|
      '  | `Easting` | The distance of the postcode east of the OS grid origin to the southwest of Scilly |
      '  | `Northing` | The distance of the postcode north of the OS grid origin |
      '  | `GridReference` | The location of the postcode as a 6-digit OS grid reference |
      '  | `Longitude` | The longitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
      '  | `Latitude` | The latitude of the postcode expressed in decimal degrees in the WGS84 datum |
      '  | `CountyCode` | The reference code for the county the postcode is in |
      '  | `County` | The name of the administrative county the postcode is in |
      '  | `DistrictCode` | The reference code for the district the postcode is in |
      '  | `District` | The name of the administrative district the postcode is in |
      '  | `WardCode` | The reference code for the ward the postcode is in |
      '  | `Ward` | The name of the electoral ward the postcode is in |
      '  | `Country` | The name of the country the postcode is in |
      '  | `Constituency` | The name of the parliamentary constituency the postcode is in |
    End If
  End If
End Sub