Ad Hoc Data Selectietool
Geographic Search Enhancement for Legacy B2B Data Platform
Visit AdHocData.beOverview
Ad Hoc Data is a leading B2B data provider in the Netherlands and Belgium, established since 2005. With over 1.2 million Belgian companies in their database and a Trustpilot score of 4.7/5, they provide businesses with comprehensive company data for marketing and sales. Their selection tool allows users to filter and export company data based on industry, location, company type, and employee count. I was tasked with adding geographic search capabilities to their existing platform.
The Challenge
The existing codebase was built with legacy technologies (Angular 1.x, LESS, vanilla JavaScript) and had strict API compatibility requirements. Any new features needed to integrate seamlessly without breaking existing functionality or requiring changes to the backend API structure.
The Solution
GeoJSON Polygon Integration
Implemented geographic boundaries for all Belgian provinces, arrondissements, and postal code areas using GeoJSON polygons. This enables precise geographic filtering of company data.
Coordinate Extraction from Exports
Analyzed the existing data export structure to extract company coordinates, enabling geographic point-in-polygon calculations without backend modifications.
Legacy-Compatible Architecture
Built the feature using vanilla JavaScript and Angular 1.x patterns to ensure seamless integration with the existing codebase. All API payloads remain unchanged.
Interactive Map Interface
Created an intuitive map interface allowing users to select regions visually, with support for multi-selection across different geographic levels.
Key Features
Geographic Search
Find companies within any Belgian province, arrondissement, or postal code area
Data Compatibility
Works with existing data exports and API structure
Legacy Integration
Built to work with Angular 1.x and vanilla JavaScript
Multi-level Selection
Combine selections across provinces, arrondissements, and postal codes
Results
Users can now filter 1.2M+ Belgian companies by geographic region with a single click
43 arrondissements, 10 provinces, and 1,000+ postal codes available for selection
Zero changes required to existing API endpoints - full backward compatibility
Seamless integration with legacy Angular 1.x codebase
Monthly data updates continue to work without modification