Makani: The new addressing system in Dubai

You may have heard about the new addressing system in Dubai –  “Makani”.If you are living in a standalone structure, you were most likely given your own Makani number. Residents of multi-storey buildings or apartments can probably find the unique code of their building in the lobby.

Makani, an Arabic word which means ??my location?? or ??my place??, uses a unique 10 digit code locating a building.It is an application developed by the Dubai Municipality, aimed at improving location finding in the emirate.  Since  many of the older houses and streets in Dubai didn??t really have numbers and names, it really takes time to find a location and it is a big problem especially at the time of an emergency.But with Makani number, it is made easier.

A 10-digit number has been given to each building and every location, including government organisations, hospitals, parks, commercial buildings, houses, factories, warehouses, etc,? explained Abdul Hakim, Director of  GIS Department at Dubai Municipality earlier.

??When a location has several entrances, each entrance is given a different coordinate. For example, when you search for Dubai Mall, the application will give you the boundaries of the mall and all the entrances. Each entrance has a different coordinate.?

How to use it?

Suppose you had an emergency which required an ambulance. The ambulance driver may ask you for your Makani coordinates and all you have to do is to give the ten digit unique code for your building.With the help of Makani app, they will be directed via GPS to the specified location. If you have a sticker with the code, place it somewhere easy to be seen. When the code is for a building you live in, take a picture of the code, or write it down on a piece of paper.

The Makani Dubai app which is  available in the Appstore and GooglePlay helps you find the code of your location.The application is also available as a website.The user can type the name of the building or location in the search bar, and click on the desired result to find out the coordinates of a destination. Another option is to zoom in on the map to locate the building.

Main features of Makani App

• The application shows buildings outline and their main entrances specified as points on the interactive map viewer.
• Voice navigation feature is available on smart phones and devices to guide the user??s path from the current location to the target site.
• The application calculates the distance between locations as part of the user??s planned destinations and trip; shows the route on the map and explains the steps to reach the target site.
• This application uses Makani Number and MGRS for locating and navigating. The values for these systems can be transformed to local and international coordinate systems.
• Users can share the coordinate of a location with others through different communication channels.
• Makani Number can be added as a location to the contact list on the smart phones.
• Different search tools are available to search a location (like search by Parcel ID and Traditional addressing system).
• Users can choose the viewing mode for the map; planned map and satellite imagery, also the user can view the live traffic status for main roads.