MapCode

The mapcode system is a spatial reference system (not to be confused with the Denso mapcode system). A mapcode is a code consisting of two groups of letters and digits, separated by a dot. It represents a location on the surface of the Earth, within the context of a separately specified country or territory. For example, the entrance to the elevator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is “France 4J.Q2”. As with addresses, it is often unnecessary to explicitly mention the country.

The mapcode algorithm defines how a WGS 84 coordinate (a latitude and longitude) can be converted into a mapcode, and vice versa. Mapcodes are supported on over 50,000,000 car navigation devices world-wide. More and more mapping companies are adopting mapcode as a standard.

Design principles

The mapcode system was designed specifically as a free, brand-less, international standard for representing any location on the surface of the Earth by a short, easy to recognize and remember “code”, usually consisting of between 4 and 7 letters and digits. The shortness is the key differentiating factor between mapcodes and other location references; more densely populated areas are designated with shorter (4 character) codes.