I have some questions regarding the "map" & address locations found on the ward maps via the ward website. The background on my request is related to my calling as Welfare Specialist/Emergency Prep Coordinator. We want to divide our ward into "walkable" grids so we can check on members when disasters hit. (Just came thru Irene & an EQuake). Using the map, we have encountered the following:
All member addresses are showing "not verified".
1. I have attempted to "verify" my own address, so I can then instruct members to verify their address. No luck..click on the "check mark"..no change.
2. We have members who are clearly not at the geographical location indicated on the map (yes, I read the other thread regarding this). The address is correct but some locations are showing up to 20 miles & 1 river AWAY from their actual location. Any thoughts?
3. Does MLS (or whatever it is called now) update the addresses on the maps? If so, how soon (mentioned in the other "thread" but not answered)
4. If a member updates or changes info on the ward website/map, does that update MLS?
Thank you in advance. The clerk/bishopric are not familiar with this forum, have directed them this way, but they delegated the above concerns to me....
Map Questions/Address Verification
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- aebrown
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That's the default until addresses are verified, so this is not surprising. Many ward clerks are not aware of this capability, but only the ward clerks (and bishopric members, I believe) can actually verify the addresses.sherrypterry1 wrote:All member addresses are showing "not verified".
But there are lots of good reasons for clerks to do this updating. As an Emergency Prep Coordinator, I'm sure you understand how important it is to know exactly where each member lives for emergency planning and response. There are also lots of other good reason. So I'd recommend that you discuss this with your ward clerk and ask him to work on verifying addresses.
It's been a while since I've tried to verify my address, and I no longer can do so (since my address has now been verified by a clerk). But I was able to verify my address. It then had a status of "member-verified" (which is not the same as "verified"). Later, a clerk verified my location, and then it changed to "verified" status.sherrypterry1 wrote:1. I have attempted to "verify" my own address, so I can then instruct members to verify their address. No luck..click on the "check mark"..no change.
Member verification is one option, but it sounds like it might not be working right now, and it's going to be tough to get a very high percentage of your members to verify their addresses themselves. You'll have to work with your ward clerk anyway to get all the other addresses verified, so you might as well expect the clerks to do it all.
I'm not sure what geocoding procedure the Church uses to turn the address into a latitude/longitude position, but many people have experienced this. In any case, this inaccuracy is one good reason why it's important for clerks to verify the addresses so that the lat/lon will be correct for every household in the ward.sherrypterry1 wrote:2. We have members who are clearly not at the geographical location indicated on the map (yes, I read the other thread regarding this). The address is correct but some locations are showing up to 20 miles & 1 river AWAY from their actual location. Any thoughts?
The addresses on the map come from MLS. I'm not sure what you are asking with "how soon". Are you asking how soon after an address is changed in MLS the new address will appear for the person on the map? If so, that's very quick -- within hours. If you are asking how soon the lat/lon will change if the address changed while the person is still in the ward, then the answer is that it never changes -- a verified location doesn't change within the ward, even when the address changes.sherrypterry1 wrote:3. Does MLS (or whatever it is called now) update the addresses on the maps? If so, how soon (mentioned in the other "thread" but not answered)
sherrypterry1 wrote:4. If a member updates or changes info on the ward website/map, does that update MLS?
A member has no way to change an address on the lds.org directory or map, and MLS has no information about actual lat/lon, so there is no way that MLS gets updated with address information at all because of any changes on websites.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
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While I agree that there many good uses for the Maps Application on LDS.ORG, if you want to divide your ward into walkable grids and produce lists with households sorted by grid assignment, the best tool I know of is the Geo-Code feature in MLS. The Maps Application and the MLS Geo-Code feature are not integrated, but they can be used together to help in the maintenance of each other.
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