Open Location Code

Open Location Code
Name	Open Location Code
Developer	Google
Initial release	2014
Latest release version	1.3.0
Status	Active
License	Apache License

Open Location Code is a geocoding system that encodes geographic coordinates into short alphanumeric codes designed for human use and offline sharing. It was developed to complement systems like Global Positioning System and What3words by providing a free, open alternative usable across platforms including Android (operating system), iOS, and web services such as Google Maps. The project involves contributions from engineers, standards bodies, and mapping communities such as OpenStreetMap and integrates with toolchains used by organizations like United Nations relief agencies and Amnesty International.

Overview

Open Location Code provides a way to represent latitude and longitude as a compact code that can be communicated by people, printed on signs, or encoded into applications used by International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, NASA, European Space Agency, and humanitarian responders. The design emphasizes simplicity akin to postal systems used by Royal Mail, United States Postal Service, and global addressing initiatives like UN OCHA programs. The system targets scenarios where traditional addresses maintained by municipal authorities such as City of London Corporation, New York City Department of Transportation, or Municipalité de Paris are unavailable, drawing interest from civic technology groups, disaster response teams, and transportation firms including Uber Technologies and logistics providers like DHL.

Encoding and format

The code format divides the globe into a grid using a base-20 alphabet and a separator character, producing codes often presented in two parts—one for coarse area and one for finer precision—analogous to coordinate notations used by Geographic coordinate system users at institutions like Royal Geographical Society. Typical codes are 10–11 characters long and can be shortened relative to a reference locality similar to practices in International Civil Aviation Organization location indicators or Federal Aviation Administration procedures. The alphabet and checksum design echo approaches found in other identification systems such as ISO 3166 country codes, International Telecommunication Union numbering, and Universal Product Code patterns used by retailers like Walmart.

Algorithms and implementation

The underlying algorithm encodes latitude and longitude into alternating pairs of base-20 digits and refines precision with a grid subdivision similar to methods used by Mercator projection implementations in mapping libraries like Leaflet (software), Mapbox, and Google Earth. Reference implementations exist in languages and ecosystems including C++, Java, Python (programming language), JavaScript, and Go (programming language), enabling integration with platforms such as Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, and client apps built for Samsung Electronics devices. Libraries provide functions for encoding, decoding, shortening relative to a locality (as practiced by postal services like Canada Post), and recovering bounding boxes comparable to spatial queries in PostGIS and Esri ArcGIS workflows.

Use cases and applications

Adopters include humanitarian organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières, disaster response coordination units within United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, field teams from International Rescue Committee, and civic projects hosted by Mozilla Foundation-backed initiatives. Commercial usage spans courier services, ride-hailing platforms compared to Lyft, outdoor recreation tools such as those by REI, and events management for organizations like International Olympic Committee during logistics planning. Integration scenarios include embedding codes in printed materials produced by National Geographic Society, tying codes to asset tags managed by Siemens, and enabling offline navigation on devices used by US Geological Survey field crews.

Adoption and standards

While not an official International Organization for Standardization standard, the system has been promoted through collaborations with mapping communities like OpenStreetMap and supported in developer ecosystems including GitHub repositories and package managers such as npm, PyPI, and Maven Central. Advocacy and pilot programs have involved municipal partnerships modeled after initiatives by City of Buenos Aires and Cape Town civic tech offices, and coordination with global disaster frameworks such as Sendai Framework activities. The licensing under Apache License has encouraged incorporation into open-source projects and corporate stacks used by Red Hat and Canonical (company).

Limitations and challenges

Challenges include user familiarity compared to natural-language systems like What3words and compatibility with legacy address databases managed by authorities such as HM Land Registry and Bureau of Land Management. Shortening codes relative to a locality requires reliable reference data similar to code-relocation issues encountered in ISO 3166 updates and postal code reorganizations like those by Deutsche Post. Precision and readability trade-offs can complicate emergency dispatch protocols used by 911 centers and international coordination among agencies such as World Health Organization during outbreaks. Interoperability with geospatial standards like OGC specifications and integration into enterprise GIS platforms like Esri remain ongoing areas for tooling and governance work.

Category:Geocodes