India Post helps transform geolocation with DIGIPIN

More than 50 years after six-digit Postal Index Number revolutionised mail delivery in India, the Department of Post has rolled out a 10-digit alpha numeric Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN). “The DIGIPIN is like online maps but only more accurate. Its geolocation is accurate up to 4 metres as it generates latitude and longitude. While the PIN code covered a large area (average area of around 170 sq. km per Pincode), the DIGIPIN narrows it down to a narrow grid,” Chief Post Master of General Post Office, Hyderabad Circle, Y. Prasad explained. The 10- digit alpha-numeric code represents geographic coordinates, developed by creating a uniform 4x4 metre grid of the country.

The DIGIPIN is a collaborative effort of India Post, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, National Remote Sensing Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation.   

“The PIN code was used for sorting mail. But its usage was limited as many people did not care to write it down and much of the addressing and delivery was down to local knowledge and information. The DIGIPIN is a machine-readable code that can help mail delivery even when drones will be deployed for the purpose,” said Mr. Prasad. 

With enhanced location accuracy, DIGIPIN is expected to be very useful during emergencies as it can generate precise geographic coordinates ensuring faster response times. 

However, as the DIGIPIN is a latitude and longitude based grid its use for multi-storeyed building complexes in urban areas is likely to be a challenge.

The DIGIPIN is part of the IT 2.0 rollout of the India Post where it will be integrated with mobile devices provided to the staff for carrying out online postal, financial and insurance transactions. 

In the pipeline is a digital address layer, similar to the UPI ID, which has helped eliminate the recall and use of banking information. The digital address is expected to allow users to generate unique and customised labels (such as username@domain) to represent their DIGIPIN and descriptive addresses and manage this information.

Interestingly, the 4 X 4 grid of India encompasses areas in neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh and generates the DIGIPIN for areas in those countries as well. 

The DIGIPIN can be accessed at https://dac.indiapost.gov.in/mydigipin/home and works only if the digital device has location sharing enabled.