Nominatim
Nominatim finds map coordinates for addresses and vice versa, using OpenStreetMap data.
Nominatim is a free tool that helps translate addresses into geographic coordinates (like latitude and longitude) and the other way around. Think of it like a digital map lookup service.
For example, if you give Nominatim the address "1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA", it can tell you the specific latitude and longitude coordinates for that location. This is useful for mapping applications and location-based services.
Nominatim is a geocoding and reverse geocoding service that uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. It provides an API for converting addresses into geographic coordinates and vice versa. The service is typically run by the OSM community or third parties, with a focus on fair use and rate limiting to manage load.
Its accuracy depends heavily on the quality and completeness of the underlying OSM data. While powerful for general use, it may not always provide the precision required for highly specialized applications without additional data sources or fine-tuning.
Nominatim is appearing in AI news because advanced language models are being integrated with mapping and location services. This allows for more sophisticated applications like generating custom running routes, which requires translating natural language descriptions into precise geographic data.
- Generating running routes with GPT-6 Astra and ChatGPT WorkOpenAI · Simon Willison ·
- OpenAI ChatGPT
- OpenAI's ChatGPT is being used to generate custom running routes by leveraging services like Nominatim to convert address information into map coordinates.
- Geocoding
- Geocoding is the general process of converting addresses to coordinat
- OpenStreetMap
- OpenStreetMap is the source of map data, whereas Nominatim is a s
Nominatim is a project that provides geocoding services based on OpenStreetMap data. It is a community-driven effort to make map data accessible. Source ↗
Go to the Nominatim website and enter an address in the search box. Observe how it returns the latitude and longitude coordinates. Then, try entering coordinates to see if it can find the corresponding address.
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Questions people ask
- Is Nominatim free to use?
- Yes, Nominatim is a free service. However, it has usage policies and rate limits to ensure fair access for everyone.
- What data does Nominatim use?
- Nominatim uses data from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world.
First seen on Subvolts Sep 12, 2026. Updated Sep 19, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.