Address PIN Code goes digital as Digipin

The Department of Post has sought participation of various stakeholders; including citizens, developers and institutions, for refining its GPS-based address locator service DIGIPIN. The postal department had announced the launch of ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ on May 27 in alignment with the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which envisions the development of an advanced geospatial infrastructure to support digital governance and public service delivery.

This new system, developed in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, is set to revolutionise how locations are identified across the country. DIGIPIN stands for Digital Postal Index Number. It’s a unique 10-digit code that precisely indicates the location of a property, contrasting with traditional PIN codes that cover larger areas.

This initiative aims to enhance service delivery, particularly in remote and underserved areas, by providing accurate geographic coordinates essential for various services. India has been divided into small square grids and every grid is given a unique code based on latitude and longitude. So your DIGIPIN is a digital address tied directly to your home’s location on the map.

“The Department of Posts encourages citizens, developers, institutions, and other stakeholders to explore both portals and actively contribute to their refinement,” the statement had said. The postal department has developed The DIGIPIN (Digital Postal Index Number) as an open-source, interoperable, geo-coded, grid-based digital address system in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC, 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,” the statement said.

Through “Know Your PIN Code” service, the Department of Post aims to modernise and refine its geographic accuracy of the six-digit PIN Code system that was introduced in 1972 has been serving as the backbone of India’s postal delivery. Both platforms are available on India Post’s official website and include built-in options for submitting feedback on data accuracy and system usability.

“This participatory approach will help continuously improve the quality and reliability of digital addressing across India and ensure the solutions remain responsive to local realities,” the statement said. The geo-fenced PIN Code boundaries dataset has also been uploaded on Open Government Data Platform under the title “All India PIN Code Boundary geo-json”.

“The Department of Posts encourages citizens, developers, institutions and other stakeholders to explore both portals and actively contribute to their refinement. Both platforms include built-in options for submitting feedback on data accuracy and system usability,” the Postal Department said.