[dZired]

MapmyIndia has launched a nation-wide digital address system called eLoc, which is aimed at making doorstep navigation easy and quick. eLoc is basically a 6 character code (ex: 8GDTYX) which stores all address information within. A search of this eLoc code on the MapmyIndia interface offers turn-by-turn navigation to the exact doorstep of the destination. The company claims that this digital address system will remove the need to provide multi-line addresses, which are often misspelt and/or have conflicting street and locality names.

MapmyIndia currently has generated over 2 crore eLocs across the country. Additionally, users can add new eLoc addresses to the database through the company's website or mobile app, which will then be validated by MapmyIndia, before they go live on the platform.

The company is also open to partnership with other map service providers who can integrate the eLoc data and APIs into their own platform. MapmyIndia is claiming that this new digital address ecosystem will also help businesses like e-commerce which include doorstep delivery, by minimising the time and effort required to search for the end user's address.

Link to Team-BHP News

[gkveda]

A welcome feature if it really serves the purpose as per description. My experience with Current MMI maps (in GPS) is not good.

The search feature does not search anything that I type below the level of District. What I mean is, If I search say, Chitoor, I get Chitoor, Andhrapradesh as Search result.

However, if I search, Kanipakkam(where Ganapathi Temple is famous for), I do not get the result at all.

I need to literally search on the map by zooming in and then, click on the place to get "Navigate to here " Option. Comparing to Google Maps, search feature is awesome.. The moment you type any corner of the world with right spelling, it gives the search result.

But, Once destination is fixed, Reaching the destination is definite in MMI whereas in Google maps, sometimes, it misleads and takes you somewhere else !!

With this feature, I assume, they would have improved the search feature as well. Crossing fingers !

By the way, when is this being launched on GPS ? Any idea?

[Prodigy07]

Originally Posted by gkveda

However, if I search, Panipakkam(where Ganapathi Temple is famous for), I do not get the result at all.

Sorry to nit-pick, but isn't Kanipakam?

[gkveda]

Thanks for pointing it out. It was my mistake. Yes, It is Kanipakkam.

I was just giving an example. Any place that is below district level(Village OR city), MMI does not give right search result.

[novicefreak]

Great Information and thanks for sharing.

This is definitely great step towards simplifying address.

The concept is basically based on Mapcode

What is a mapcode?

A mapcode represents a location. Every location on Earth can be represented by a mapcode. Mapcodes were designed to be short, easy to recognise, remember and communicate. They are precise to a few meters, which is good enough for every-day use. more at http://www.mapcode.com

Nevertheless, Great start for simplifying addresses -> "Make in India'.

With many players in this domain(geospatial domain) standardization is key and calls for attention!
(Mapcode, Zippr-Apparently, GHMC Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation of Telangana state has a pilot project Wiki-Zippr )

Thanks!

[sukhoi30]

Good concept!!

Will this replace the PINCODE system? That is the main system used by many courier and post companies to identify location.

[basubhatta]

A good initiative indeed. I am a registered user of MMI. However, I rather prefer to use google map. Because MMI misses several roads. I generally use navigation system for tours in unknown territory, especially interior tourist spots. Although MMI operates offline, I found google as superior in such cases. IMO, Nokia here is even better than MMI. They should give emphasis on roads first then the doorsteps.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by dZired

The company claims that this digital address system will remove the need to provide multi-line addresses, which are often misspelt and/or have conflicting street and locality names.

Great, but I wish this also had some sort of checksum to validate that there has been no typo in the eLoc... or does it already have that?

[GTO]

An idea whose time has come. When we have unique ids for each citizen of this country, I don't see why we can't for postal addresses. A short number would make things so much easier, vis a vis a 5 to 6 line postal address. Not to forget, Indian postal addresses are so looooooong.

For mass adoption though, such an initiative should come from the government. That would be my first choice. Second would be Google Maps, simply because it's so widely used.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by gkveda

I was just giving an example. Any place that is below district level(Village OR city), MMI does not give right search result.

The main reason I feel for this is that MapMyIndia uses people from other parts of India, to update the cities/towns etc. I have seen that many places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been given completely wrong place names, or place names have funny spelling (the locals don't use that spellings). So searching for places becomes a problem.

Now when planning for road trips, I first plot it on Google Maps, and feed the Longitude & Lattitude to MapMyIndia device. Then I create a "route" in MapMyIndia and drive the trip. MapMyIndia has other wise screwed up my trips big time.

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

Will this replace the PINCODE system? That is the main system used by many courier and post companies to identify location.

I don't think PINCODE would get replaced. Because it is officially recognised. The PINCODE has a big fault, that is it can only identify places at a post office level. They had tried to introduce another number (7th number) which was to note down the "postal beat"; i.e the route which each post man covers. This did not take off well.

In areas like UK, their pincodes are alphanumeric and can be even used to identify each street, or each big building. How ever this may not be possible in India, as "alphabets" in Indian languages are written differently. A Kannadiga writing the letter "Ka" would be different from the way a Malayali writes "Ka". Where as for numbers, at least all of use the same style .

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

I don't think PINCODE would get replaced. Because it is officially recognised. The PINCODE has a big fault, that is it can only identify places at a post office level. They had tried to introduce another number (7th number) which was to note down the "postal beat"; i.e the route which each post man covers. This did not take off well.

That's actually an interesting concept, and a great way to transition to a newer system.

Example, a current address looks like

John Doe
Flat #13A, Building name,
Street name, near xyz landmark,
Mumbai - 400026

All you have to do to enable the transition to the new system whilst still being backward compatible, is add this eLoc to the end of the zip:

John Doe
Flat #13A, Building name,
Street name, near xyz landmark,
Mumbai - 400026-AZ35EM

Once that catches on, you can phase out the redundant part of the address:

John Doe
AZ35EM

One disadvantage of the eLoc type system is that you NEED a digital device to decode it. You can't just look at it and say "ah, this package is going to KA due to it's 560xxx Pin Code"

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

John Doe
Flat #13A, Building name,
Street name, near xyz landmark,
Mumbai - 400026-AZ35EM

The catch is on the bolded part. Off course English may have now become more prevalent (and more people know it), but the AZ35EM also has to get written in English. The earlier advantage (of using numbers only), was that even if the letter had the address in any state language the postal staff (again from any other state) could at least know where to route the letter to. It was like the IP Address in internet. Every system can understand and use it .

[srishiva]

If they are using 6 characters (each having 35 values), its not many unique values (about 1.8 billion).

What exactly do they want to locate with that?

[tilt]

I wonder why MapMyIndia decided to develop a separate system when MapCode already exists. MapCode is already compatible with most GPS devices, and can locate basically any square metre on Earth.

Also, it's free for anyone to use. It's not like MapMyIndia had to pay anyone to be able to use MapCodes.

This kind of development by individual companies results in multiple standards and fragmentation.

Cheers

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by srishiva

If they are using 6 characters (each having 35 values)

Why 35 and not 36?

Originally Posted by tilt

I wonder why MapMyIndia decided to develop a separate system when MapCode already exists.

This kind of development by individual companies results in multiple standards and fragmentation.

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