Move over postal PIN code, DIGIPIN is here

CHENNAI: After being an inalienable part of addresses for more than five decades since the Independence Day in 1972, the Postal Index Number code, commonly called PIN code, has a digital rival from within, which would offer a very accurate location of the intended address.

The Indian Postal Department has introduced a digital address called 'DIGIPIN' as an alternative to PIN codes. While traditional PIN codes cover a wide area, the DIGIPIN system represents the exact location of your home or business within a radius of four metres.

Unlike traditional codes that follow a six-digit system, DIGIPIN uses a 10-digit alphanumeric code that combines both letters and numbers.

The specific DIGIPIN code for any given address can be obtained on the India Post website, which is designated for creating and finding codes.

For instance, the DIGIPIN for the Egmore Metro Rail station is 4T3-8L8-FT75.

The advantage of DIGIPIN is not limited to delivering correspondence to the exact place; it would also help emergency services, such as ambulances and fire departments, to reach the location accurately. The new system is designed in such a way to use it offline, which, officials say, is expected to be particularly beneficial in rural, remote, and underserved areas.

The open-source, interoperable, geo-coded, grid-based digital address system was developed in collaboration with IIT-Hyderabad and the National Remote Sensing Centre of ISRO. “It is a cornerstone of the Department of Posts' vision to offer Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) — an array of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organisations,” it said.

Other than helping India Post personnel to deliver letters and other consignments to the right location, it would also help e-commerce firms that do deliveries at the customers’ doorsteps.

As it is an open-source system, the department urged citizens, developers, institutions, and other stakeholders to explore the portals and help refine it by submitting feedback on data accuracy and system usability.

Some among the public, like P Viswanathan, a senior citizen from Chitlapakkam, have raised privacy concerns. However, India Post said DIGIPIN does not store any private data and only provides an alphanumeric code based on geographic coordinates, ensuring privacy.

"DIGIPIN may be helpful for remote and rural areas. But for a city address, it's yet another location-finding tool like Google Maps. And it's not going to replace traditional PIN code," commented Sandhya Vedullapalli from Anna Nagar.

To know your DIGIPIN, visit https://dac.indiapost.gov.in/mydigipin/home.