Four billion people around the world live without a formal address. In much of Africa, even in affluent areas, those who need directions the most – taxi and ambulance drivers, and delivery people – are not literate, hence, do not use street names. Concurrently, only 28% of Africa has internet connectivity, preventing many from accessing essential services via modern means like WhatsApp location.
SnooCODE is a digital addressing system that works with geocoding technology and a combination of satellite navigation systems like GPS, GNSS and GLONASS to assign a memorable 5–7-digit alphanumeric address code to any location on Earth. It allows anyone to generate the code unique to their location (e.g. Accra 5BJ-XRR), which when shared, opens a map leading to the exact location.
Living the problem of unreliable connectivity in Africa, Sesinam and his team built SnooCODE to work offline – the only time the Internet is needed is for downloading the app, available to Android and iOS users for free.
Sesinam and his team were shortlisted for the Africa Prize with SnooCODE RED, a logistics app which significantly reduces emergency response times through a custom-made mapping system to help ambulances navigate dense urban areas. Using software originally developed to deliver parcels to areas without street addresses, SnooCODE RED reimagines how we understand the postal system, helping ambulances reach emergencies faster.
Not having an address costs Africa an estimated USD 12.6B annually, i.e., USD 9.90 per person. Costs include calling for directions, and the loss of life when ambulances cannot reach patients on time.
SnooCODE is solving this problem at a one-time cost of USD 0.5–1.5 per head of population, while providing more than just an address.
SnooCODE has the USP of being usable anywhere on earth – online or offline. Furthermore, SnooCODE provides three other capabilities beside accurate location: ultra-fast route optimisation; proof of delivery and compliance verification; integration into emerging technologies like driverless cars and drones, none of which is offered directly by their competitors.
SnooCODE is best understood as digital infrastructure. It serves as a foundation upon which other technologies can be built to power logistics and mobility, governance and administration, healthcare, security and climate action, anywhere on Earth.
