India Post has introduced a new digital addressing system called DIGIPIN, designed to provide accurate location identification using a unique 10-character alphanumeric code.
Unlike traditional PIN codes that cover large geographical areas, DIGIPIN pinpoints the exact location of a property within a 4-metre square.
India Post Launches DIGIPIN: A New Digital Addressing System for Precise Location Identification
To get a DIGIPIN, users must visit the government website, locate their home, and generate the unique code.
The system aims to streamline deliveries, improve emergency services like ambulance and fire rescue operations, and enhance efficiency, especially in remote regions.
DIGIPIN will benefit online shoppers, logistics companies, and emergency responders by reducing delivery errors and increasing accuracy.
Users can share their DIGIPIN with e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon to ensure faster and more accurate deliveries.
The “Know Your DIGIPIN” platform can be accessed at https://dac.indiapost.gov.in/mydigipin/home, where users can find their personalized 10-character digital code.
The main benefits of DIGIPIN include:
Precision: Identifies exact locations within a 4-metre square.
Efficiency: Streamlines deliveries and emergency responses.
Inclusivity: Covers areas lacking formal addressing systems.
Privacy: Does not store personal data.
According to India Post, DIGIPIN is an open-source nationwide geocoded addressing system developed in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC, ISRO.
It divides the country into 4m x 4m grids, each assigned a unique 10-character alphanumeric code based on latitude and longitude coordinates.
A regular postal address depends on street names, localities, and house numbers, whereas DIGIPIN uses precise geospatial coordinates as a reference.
DIGIPIN is especially useful for areas with unstructured or changing addresses, such as informal settlements, rural regions, forests, or even oceans.
It helps simplify address management by providing consistent, location-based identification across diverse geographic terrains.
Features Of DIGIPIN
DIGIPIN can also function offline, as the Department of Posts has made its programming code publicly available for fetching and decoding the system.
Using DIGIPIN does not change your existing postal address; it serves as an additional digital layer to make addressing more accurate and standardized.
Over time, as DIGIPIN becomes integrated into more GIS systems and service platforms, the need to provide long descriptive addresses may reduce.
Each DIGIPIN is generated from a location’s latitude and longitude, encoded into a 10-character alphanumeric format using predefined symbols.
The main difference between a PIN code and a DIGIPIN is that a PIN code covers a large area, while a DIGIPIN identifies a specific 4m x 4m location, providing much greater precision.
DIGIPIN is especially beneficial for rural and underdeveloped areas, helping create geo-referenced landmarks where conventional addresses are unclear or unavailable.
