OpenStreetMap Integration
Turn Facility Addresses Into Reliable Transportation Locations
OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service converts facility addresses into latitude and longitude coordinates. FTM stores those coordinates inside Salesforce so mapping, routing, dispatch, and other transportation workflows start with accurate location data.
Geocoding workflow
Facility Address
Text address on the FTM record
Nominatim
OSM geocoding service
Latitude
32.7767
Longitude
-96.7970
Verified FTM Facility
Coordinates stored in Salesforce
GraphHopper
Google Maps
PC*Miler
Dispatch
Facility geocoding
Coordinates, Not Just Addresses, On Every Facility Record
Text addresses can tell you where a facility is located. Latitude and longitude tell routing engines, map services, and dispatch tools exactly where it is. Nominatim reads a facility address from FTM, submits it to the OSM geocoding service, and writes the returned coordinates back to the Salesforce record.
Facility Record In FTM
Address entered; no coordinates yet
Address Read From Record
Street, city, state, postal code
Nominatim Geocodes The Address
OSM address search API
Latitude And Longitude Returned
Best matching address coordinates
Coordinates Saved To Facility
Available for routing and mapping
Facility Record | FTM
Facility Name
Dallas Freight Hub
Street
3800 Commerce St
City / State
Dallas, TX
Postal / Country
75226 | US
Latitude
32.7767
Longitude
-96.7970
Geocoding Status
Verified
Last Geocoded
Jul 18, 2026
The current FTM implementation geocodes facility records individually through a user-triggered process. Geocoding runs asynchronously. When no address match is found, Nominatim returns no coordinates and FTM sends a notification email.
Address to coordinates
Before And After A Facility Is Geocoded
When a facility is first entered in FTM, it typically holds only a text address. After geocoding, the same record carries latitude and longitude that routing engines, map displays, and dispatch planning can use directly.
Before Geocoding
Street
4200 Commerce Court
City
Lisle
State
IL
Postal Code
60532
Latitude
Not set
Longitude
Not set
Status
Unverified
Nominatim
OSM Geocoding API
After Geocoding
Street
4200 Commerce Court
City
Lisle
State
IL
Postal Code
60532
Latitude
41.7931
Longitude
-88.0718
Status
Verified
Coordinate values are illustrative. Geocoding accuracy depends on OSM address data quality for the specific region and address type. Always validate coordinates for industrial, rural, or newly constructed facilities.
Scope of this integration
Geocoding Prepares Location Data. It Does Not Route.
OpenStreetMap through Nominatim provides geographic coordinates. The routing, distance calculation, mapping, and dispatch capabilities shown in other FTM integration pages use those coordinates, but they come from separate configured services.
This integration does not provide
Routing, navigation, or ETA
- Route distance between pickup and delivery
- Estimated travel time
- Stop sequencing or trip optimization
- Live traffic or real-time road conditions
- Shipment tracking or ETAs
- Batch or automated geocoding of all records
What this integration provides
Accurate coordinates stored on Facility records
- Latitude and longitude from OSM address lookup
- Coordinates saved directly to the Salesforce Facility record
- Reliable location data for routing engines like GraphHopper
- Address quality checks that surface failed matches by email
- Open-source geographic coverage across most regions globally
Connected workflows
Verified Coordinates Enable Every Downstream Transportation Workflow
Coordinates stored on a Facility record become available to routing engines, map display services, dispatch planning, and reporting. The geocoding step is the foundation; the workflows that follow depend on it being accurate.
GraphHopper Routing
Facility coordinates used as pickup/delivery points in route calculations
GraphHopper calculates road distance and estimated travel time between geocoded locations
FTM stores the route result on the Load record for dispatch and reporting
Trip Stop Optimization
Depot and stop coordinates from geocoded Facility records
GraphHopper sequences stops across the trip using those coordinates
FTM writes optimized sequence back to the Trip and related Loads
Map Display
Coordinates on FTM records enable location visualization in configured map views
Map tile services using OSM data render the geographic background when configured
Facility location displayed alongside dispatch, load status, and routing views
Dispatch And Reporting
Dispatch console uses facility coordinates to display load origin and destination context
Salesforce reporting can include facility location data in transportation analysis
Customer portal and carrier app can display location context when coordinates are present
Address quality
What Happens When An Address Cannot Be Matched
Not every address resolves successfully. Industrial parks, new developments, rural locations, and abbreviated addresses may not match precisely in OSM data. The current FTM implementation handles these cases with a notification rather than a silent failure.
Match Found
Coordinates returned and saved
- Latitude and longitude stored on the Facility record
- Geocoding status updated to reflect a successful result
- Facility available for routing and dispatch workflows
- Coordinates should still be validated for industrial or non-standard addresses
No Match
Email notification sent; coordinates not saved
- Nominatim returns no result for the submitted address
- FTM sends an email so the issue is visible rather than silent
- Address should be reviewed and corrected before re-geocoding
- Coordinates may need to be entered manually for some facility types
OSM geocoding uses public Nominatim. Public Nominatim has usage limits and is suitable for controlled geocoding workflows rather than high-volume batch processing. High-throughput environments may require a dedicated geocoding service or a self-hosted Nominatim instance.
Attribution requirements
OpenStreetMap Requires Credit When Its Data Is Used
OSM data is released under the Open Database License. Applications that display maps, distribute geocoding results, or use routing outputs derived from OSM data are generally required to attribute the source.
Standard credit text
Any public-facing use of OSM-derived data requires visible attribution to OpenStreetMap contributors. This includes map displays, geocoding results shown to end users, and routing outputs derived from OSM road data.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Attribution requirements are set by the OSM Foundation and the ODbL license. Consult your legal team regarding specific obligations for your implementation.
Credit OSM in any public-facing use of OSM-derived data or map display
Review ODbL share-alike requirements if redistributing derived datasets
Confirm that any routing service used in FTM handles OSM attribution correctly on your behalf
Verify compliance obligations when geocoding results appear in customer-facing interfaces
Operational outcomes
What Changes When Facility Coordinates Are Accurate
Better Location Quality
Geocoded facility records carry verified coordinates instead of relying on text addresses that routing engines and map services must interpret differently each time.
Consistent Facility Locations
Every workflow referencing a facility uses the same stored coordinates. Distance calculations, map displays, and dispatch views start from the same location data.
Better Routing Inputs
GraphHopper and other routing integrations calculate more reliable distances when coordinates are precise. Inaccurate coordinates produce inaccurate routes.
Faster Facility Onboarding
New facilities can be geocoded individually when added to FTM, making them immediately available for routing and dispatch without manual coordinate lookup.
Visible Address Issues
Failed geocoding results in an email notification rather than a silent gap. Address problems surface before they affect routing or dispatch decisions.
Stronger Transportation Reporting
Facility coordinates stored in Salesforce support geographic analysis, lane reporting, and location-based transportation performance review.
Accurate Location Data Stays With Every Transportation Record
FTM runs natively on Salesforce. Geocoded coordinates stored on Facility records are immediately available to Loads, Trips, dispatch, routing integrations, and reports inside the same environment. No data transfer, no sync, no separate geocoding database to maintain.
Who uses this integration
Useful Across Carriers, Brokers, Shippers, And Mixed Operations
Carriers
Geocode depot, terminal, and delivery locations so trip routing and stop sequencing start with accurate coordinates.
Freight Brokers
Verify pickup and delivery locations before committing to load routing and distance calculations used in quoting and dispatch.
Shippers
Geocode warehouse, customer, and distribution center addresses to support outbound route planning and delivery reporting.
Mixed Operations
Maintain accurate coordinates across brokerage, fleet, warehouse, and shipper facility records in one Salesforce-native platform.
What geocoding enables
Accurate Coordinates Power These FTM Integrations
Geocoded facility records are the foundation routing, dispatch, and mapping integrations depend on.
FAQ
Common Questions
The current FTM implementation uses OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service to geocode facility addresses. It reads the address from a Facility record, submits it to Nominatim, and stores the returned latitude and longitude on that record. When no match is found, FTM sends a notification email.
No. The OpenStreetMap integration geocodes addresses into coordinates. Routing, distance calculation, and trip optimization are handled by separate integrations such as GraphHopper, Google Maps, or PC*Miler. Those services use the coordinates this integration provides.
The current implementation geocodes one Facility record at a time through a user-triggered process. It is not designed for high-volume batch geocoding. High-throughput environments may require a dedicated geocoding service or a self-hosted Nominatim instance.
Accuracy depends on OSM data quality for the specific address and region. Urban addresses in well-mapped areas generally resolve reliably. Industrial parks, distribution centers, rural locations, and newer facilities may produce imprecise results. Validate returned coordinates against known facility data before using them in routing workflows.
When Nominatim returns no match, FTM sends a notification email rather than silently failing. The Facility record is not updated with coordinates. The address should be reviewed and corrected before geocoding is attempted again.
The current implementation uses the public Nominatim API, which does not require an account but does have usage limits. High-volume or production-scale geocoding workflows should evaluate whether a dedicated or self-hosted geocoding service is more appropriate.
OSM data is released under the Open Database License, which includes attribution requirements. Applications that display maps or distribute data derived from OSM are generally required to credit OpenStreetMap contributors. Review the ODbL license and consult your legal team regarding the specific obligations for your implementation.
OSM data exists for most regions of the world. Geocoding quality and road network coverage vary by country and region. Test geocoding results for the specific regions your facilities are located in before using them in production routing workflows.
Once latitude and longitude are stored on a Facility record in Salesforce, they become available to FTM routing integrations such as GraphHopper. When a load references those facilities as pickup or delivery points, the routing integration can use the stored coordinates directly rather than having to resolve the address at calculation time.
OpenStreetMap + FTM
Start Every Transportation Workflow With Accurate Location Data
See how FTM connects Nominatim geocoding to Facility records inside Salesforce, and how verified coordinates improve routing, dispatch, and transportation reporting across your operation.
Salesforce-native transportation management since 2016.
