Geocoding Debug Guide

How the Geocoding System Works

The map now uses real geocoding via the Nominatim API (OpenStreetMap) to get precise coordinates for office addresses.

Process Flow:

Address Normalization: Cleans addresses by removing metadata like "Main office", "2nd Floor", etc.
Geocoding: Sends cleaned address to Nominatim API
Caching: Stores geocoded coordinates to avoid repeated API calls
Rate Limiting: Respects Nominatim's 1 request/second limit
Marker Placement:
- Single offices: placed at exact geocoded location
- Shared offices: spread in a circle around the location for visibility

Debugging in Browser Console

After searching for a postal code, check the browser console (F12) for:

// You should see output like:
Original address: 2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton AB  T5J 2R7

Cleaned address for geocoding: 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton AB  T5J 2R7, Canada

✓ Geocoded "1 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton AB  T5J 2R7, Canada" to: {lat: 53.5440376, lng: -113.4897656}
  Display name: Sir Winston Churchill Square, 9918, Downtown, Central Core, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 5H7, Canada

Expected Behavior

For Edmonton postal codes (T5J, T5K, etc.):

Municipal reps → Should appear at City Hall (Sir Winston Churchill Square)
Provincial MLAs → Should appear at their constituency offices (geocoded addresses)
Federal MPs → May appear at Parliament Hill in Ottawa OR local Edmonton offices

For Calgary postal codes (T1Y, T2P, etc.):

Should appear at various Calgary locations based on constituency offices

For other Alberta cities:

Should appear at the actual street addresses in those cities

Why Some Clustering is Normal

If you see multiple markers in the same area, it could be because:

Legitimately Shared Offices: Multiple city councillors work from City Hall
Same Building, Different Offices: Legislature has multiple MLAs
Geocoding to Building vs Street: Some addresses geocode to the building center

The system now spreads these markers in a circle around the shared location so you can click each one individually.

Testing Different Locations

Try these postal codes to verify geographic diversity:

Edmonton Downtown: T5J 2R7 (should show City Hall area)
Calgary: T1Y 1A1 (should show Calgary locations)
Red Deer: T4N 1A1 (should show Red Deer locations)
Lethbridge: T1J 0A1 (should show Lethbridge locations)

Geocoding Cache

The system caches geocoding results in browser memory. To reset:

Refresh the page (F5)
Or run in console: geocodingCache.clear()

API Rate Limiting

Nominatim allows 1 request per second. For 10 representatives with offices:

Estimated time: 10-15 seconds to geocode all addresses
Cached results are instant

Fallback Behavior

If geocoding fails for an address, the system falls back to:

City-level coordinates (from Alberta cities lookup table)
District-based approximation
Government level default (Legislature, City Hall, etc.)

This ensures every representative has a marker, even if precise geocoding fails.

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