Merge tag 'v2.6' into fiksgatami-dev

1 files changed, 35 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/customising/geocoder.md b/docs/customising/geocoder.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4dc44b507
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/customising/geocoder.md
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+layout: page
+title: How to customise the geocoder
+author: matthew
+---
+
+# How to customise the FixMyStreet geocoder
+
+<p class="lead">
+  The first step of using FixMyStreet is entering a string
+  that the needs to be <em>geocoded</em> to take you to a relevant map page.
+</p>
+
+See the diagram below for the full flow of using FixMyStreet. The geocoder is
+near the start of the process, before maps, MapIt boundaries or bodies enter
+the picture.
+
+The geocoder takes a string -- for example, the name of a place or a street --
+and converts it into a [lat-long]({{ "/glossary/#latlong" | relative_url }}) location.
+
+The geocoder defaults to OpenStreetMap's [Nominatim](http://nominatim.openstreetmap.org).
+FixMyStreet also contains Bing and Google based geocoders, and can use
+custom geocoders too.
+
+You can customise the geocoding by providing limiting parameters in
+<code><a href="{{ "/customising/config/#geocoding_disambiguation" | relative_url }}">GEOCODING_DISAMBIGUATION</a></code>.
+You typically need to do this so the geocoder only considers places in the area
+your FixMyStreet site is serving. For example, you may want to limit results to
+a specific country or city.
+
+The options vary [depending on which geocoder you use]({{ "/customising/config/#geocoding_disambiguation" | relative_url }}).
+
+## Detailed flow: location &rarr; map pin &rarr; drop-down menu
+
+![FMS bodies and contacts](/assets/img/fms_bodies_and_contacts.png)