Indian Postal Department launches DIGIPIN: Read how it will simplify and modernise India’s addressing system and help in citizen-centric delivery of public and private services
Taking a significant leap towards achieving the vision of Digital India, the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, launched two transformative digital platforms- ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ on Tuesday (27th May). The move marks an important milestone in the direction of modernising India’s addressing system and geospatial governance.
The platforms have been launched as part of the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which aims to project India as a global leader in the geospatial sector.
What is DIGIPIN
DIGIPIN is part of the postal department’s vision to offer Address-as-a-Service (AaaS), which includes a range of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organisations. The department took the initiative to establish a standardised, geo-coded addressing framework in India, aimed at simplifying address identification and facilitating citizen-centric delivery of public and private services. The platform has been developed by the Department of Posts in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Image via X/Sougat Chakraborty
Officially reviewed and adopted by the Thematic Working Group on Address under the National Geospatial Policy 2022, DIGIPIN is now available to all Ministeries, State governments, institutions for integration into the workflows, and users for their own use.
How does DIGIPIN work
DIGIPIN or the Digital Postal Index Number is an open-source, interoperable, geo-coded, grid-based digital address system. It simplifies locating places by dividing the entire geography of India into precise 4×4 meter units where each grid is assigned a unique 10-character alphanumeric code based on longitude and latitude coordinates. It is a permanent digital address that will not change even if the names of the streets, localities or places change. The platform will prove to be helpful in precise location of areas which are unstructured, constantly changing or no address rural regions, forests, and oceans. This will ensure last-mile delivery in remote areas which otherwise can’t be located with an address.
Image via X/Sougat Chakraborty
DIGIPIN provides a digital representation for a physical location along with a stable location identification. It complements the existing location system by adding precision, stability and permanency. DIGIPIN for a location can be retrieved by visiting the ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ portal which generates a unique 10-character pin using precise coordinates. The portal does not store any personal information ensuring user privacy.
By providing improved location accuracy, DIGIPIN will help ensure accurate service delivery across multiple sectors and will also reduce emergency response period. Since it is open-source, a complete repository of the DIGIPIN technical documentation and source code is available on GitHub.
‘Know your PINCODE’
In order to modernise the existing 6-digit PIN Code system that has been in use since 1972, the Department of Posts undertook a national geofencing exercise across all postal jurisdictions to geo-reference all the pin code boundaries of the country. As a result, the Department launched the ‘Know Your PIN Code’ portal which makes use of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based location features to enable users to identify the correct pin code of a location. The portal also allows user to provide feedback for continuous improvement of the dataset. The complete geo-fenced PIN Code boundary data has been published on the Open Government Data Platform under the title “All India PIN Code Boundary geo-json”.
Image via X/Sougat Chakraborty
The Department of Posts has invited active feedback from citizens on ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ portals so that their services can be further refined.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the two platforms, Vandita Kaul, Secretary, Department of Posts, said, “The launch of these two applications reflects our government’s unwavering commitment to digital transformation and precision governance. DIGIPIN, in particular, will redefine how we perceive addresses, ensuring that every citizen, even in the remotest part of the country, is digitally locatable and serviceable. These applications are a testimony to the Department’s continued efforts to modernise infrastructure and meet the evolving expectations of citizens and all other stakeholders”.
National Geospatial Policy 2022
The policy was launched by the Government of India in Decemeber 2022, with a long-term vision of liberalising and democractising the access to geospatial data, fostering innovation and enabling its widespread use across governance, businesses and academia. It seeks to ensure that geospatial database generated with public funds are openly accessible. One of the important goals of the policy is to establish a high-resolution topographical survey and mapping system by 2030 along with a highliy accurate Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the entire country.
The policy recognises the significant role that geospatial technology can play in governance, economic growth, and societal development. Therefore, it focuses on strengthening institutional frameworks, enhacning national and state-level coordination to develeop a vibrant geospatial ecosystem.
News