Dubai’s New Address System To Ease Travel

A new address system consisting of a ten-digit code is expected to ease navigation around Dubai when it comes into place next year, officials announced on Tuesday.

The 10-digit codes will be placed around 130,000 buildings in the emirate as part of Dubai municipality’s Geo Address System (GAS). The codes will be placed across the UAE though Dubai has linked up with Explorer maps to improve practicality.

The entire 10-digit code will pinpoint the exact location anywhere in the country while the first few digits alone can be used to identify the area. The codes, mapped to the National Coordinates Grid system, erase the need for complicated directions or lengthy street addresses.

The users can find the locations either by entering the codes in www.mylocation.ae and receiving directions or by clicking a photo of the code on their smartphones and sending it to anyone who requires directions.

Apart from daily use the codes will also benefit emergency service personnel, assisting them to find a location accurately and quickly.

“The system is minutely accurate compared with other navigation systems, to the extent that every one with a smart device can identify the exact place,” said Abdul Hakim Malik, director of the municipality’s Global Information Systems department.

The project will be carried out in three phases with plaques initially being placed on 130,000 buildings. The second phase will place codes on shops, factories and warehouses while phase three will focus on apartments and office buildings.

Dubai government, which has increasingly proven to be tech savvy, launched its ‘m-government’ scheme earlier this year, aiming to provide all services via smartphones by the next two years.