Geocoding is the process of converting addresses (like 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway,Mountain View, CA) into geographic coordinates (like latitude 37.423021 and longitude -
122.083739), which you can use to place markers on a map or position the map.
Google has an excellent web service that allows us to make use of their large database of
geographic information. We can submit a geographical search string like Ann Arbor, MI to
their geocoding API and have Google return its best guess as to where on a map we might find
our search string and tell us about the landmarks nearby.The geocoding service is free but rate
limited so it cannot be used to make unlimited calls to the API in a commercial application.
