Getting Started with GEM

Getting started

Global Entity Matcher (GEM) is designed to simplify the process of aligning your geospatial data with standardized identifiers. This guide helps you understand the prerequisites and choose the right approach for your needs.

Overview

GEM enables you to match your proprietary transportation network data against Overture Maps reference datasets. You can interact with GEM through two methods:

Approach	Best for	Key benefits
UI	Interactive use, exploration, manual jobs	Visual interface, guided workflows, no coding required
API	Automation, integration, batch processing	Programmatic access, CI/CD integration, scripting

API vs. UI comparison

Capability	UI	API
Interactive guided workflow	✅	❌
Upload data to storage	✅	✅
Trigger matching jobs	✅	✅
Monitor job status	✅	✅
View job details	✅	✅
Download results	✅	✅
Batch operations	❌	✅
Automation & scripting	❌	✅
CI/CD integration	❌	✅
No coding required	✅	❌

When to use the UI

The UI is ideal when you want to:

Explore capabilities: Are new to GEM and want to explore features
Get visual feedback: Prefer visual feedback and guided workflows
Perform manual operations: Run occasional, manual matching jobs
Monitor in real-time: Want to monitor job progress in real-time
Quickly access results: Need to quickly check job history and results

When to use the API

The API approach is ideal when you need to:

Automate recurring workflows: Schedule regular data matching jobs
Integrate with existing systems: Connect GEM to your data pipelines
Process multiple datasets: Submit batch jobs programmatically
Build custom applications: Create tailored interfaces for your users
Implement CI/CD: Include GEM matching in your deployment processes

Next steps

UI Documentation - Use GEM through the web user interface
API Documentation - Use GEM programmatically via API
Glossary - Familiarize yourself with key terms and concepts
FAQ - Find answers to common questions