Working with Geolocation and Google Maps API [HELP]

Question

I'm new to the mobile development world and right now I'm building an app that uses jQuery mobile and PhoneGap. Here's my logic:

• I have a table that contains the users and their addresses. I grab the user address and pass it trough the maps API to catch the location. But I'm doing this for every single record and sometimes the API breaks because the number of simultaneous requests.

How can I know what users are closest to me without running it through the maps API?

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Rafael, Google limits the number of requests you can do because it's against their TOS to do batch geocoding without paying for a (rather pricey) business license. You'll need to find a service that allows you to geocode addresses en masse.

I would recommend one like LiveAddress API which will not only geocode the addresses but also confirm the validity and fill out missing or incorrect information. Each request to the API may include up to 100 addresses. There's a non-API version if you just want to verify an existing list of addresses in a spreadsheet or CSV file.

I do work at SmartyStreets and would be happy to help you with any other questions about your addresses.