Postal Pin goes digital with DIGIPIN

Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN) developed by IIT Hyderabad and NRSC under ISRO, has been launched by the Department of Post to provide precise location with the help of coordinates. This beta version is now available on their web application and open for feedback.

By Vaikhari

Hyderabad: House number…street name…locality name… none of this is needed any more. Now just using a 10-character alphanumeric code you can send your mail via post to anyone across the country.

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This New Digital Address System, DIGIPIN (Digital Postal Index Number), developed by the Department of Post in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC under ISRO can identify locations with precision.

The initiative aims to simplify the postage system by dividing the Indian boundaries into approximately 4m x 4m grids and assigning an alphanumeric code based on longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates to the location.

For instance, ‘Telangana Today’ office’s DIGIPIN would be 422-2L6-L54M.

DIGIPIN is a complementary element for location identification and therefore, your postal address does not change. It can additionally help navigate areas with changing or unclear addresses like rural regions, forests, and oceans. It is also available offline.

To find your DIGIPIN, you’ll need a device equipped with GNSS feature to find your exact location for conversion. The Department of Post has created an open-source web application for this purpose. The web application to find your DIGIPIN can be found at dac.indiapost.gov.in/mydigipin

Currently the department has released a beta version of the DIGIPIN for public feedback. Once the final version is released then people can use it for mailing in post offices. As for now, the programming code is public for people to generate and decode codes.

This system is a secure method of location identification, and no personal data whatsoever is collected. This initiative further helps the government to achieve its goal of a Digital India.