Why You Should Use SnooCODE

The big question we keep getting asked by newbies is, “Why SnooCODE?”

“Why should I use SnooCODE especially when I already have an address?”

This question came into stark focus when our colleague, Luke, ended up 17.7 km from where he was supposed to be, all because the US zip code he was headed to was very similar to another address and got mixed up!

But first, just in case you need a refresher on SnooCODE, here goes.

SnooCODE is a digital addressing system built to function even in challenging environments where network connectivity is sporadic and unreliable or unavailable. With the SnooCODE app, you can generate a 6- or 7-digit alphanumeric geolocation code (a SnooCODE) that acts like a UK/US post- or zip code, except it is over 400 times more precise.

This allows you to quickly and accurately save, share, and navigate to an address/location. Most of all, a SnooCODE is unique to your location and has an in-built error detection feature to prevent you from ending up where you don’t want to!

What do we mean by this?

So, imagine you are Luke (who ended up 17.7 km from his actual location), pumped up for an important meeting in a foreign country, in a location you are unfamiliar with. So, to get there, you decide to order an Uber. As you type in the address, the app suggests several locations, with two addresses similar to what you have typed.

The two addresses in the drop-down suggestion look dangerously similar, and both are in the same state of New York. Thinking they are the same, you click on the address you think is right, except instead of heading West, you are now heading East!

And this is why Luke missed his meeting, wasting hours of time on the wrong road (and any true New Yorker knows what that means).

We wondered if this expensive slip would have happened if New Yorkers used SnooCODE instead of zip codes, one of the world’s most famed addressing systems? Because the challenge with traditional formal addressing systems is that they often rely on some level of local knowledge. For instance, “405 E 45th St” does not mean much to me if I am a stranger in New York. Sure, it’s in Brooklyn, New York, but “405 W 45th St” is also in New York!

SnooCODE, however, has been built in a way that each alphanumeric code is unique to a city and distinct geographical location. For example, typing in the SnooCODE “4BN-8OC” might bring up locations in geographic areas that are vastly distinct from each other.

Using Luke’s scenario, it means the options he would potentially have seen using the SnooCODE app would be “Brooklyn 4BN-8OC", or “Cincinnati 4BN-8OC". And unless he was planning on a road trip to Ohio, it would immediately be obvious to him which address he needed to select on the ride app.

This is one of the subtle but powerful features that was considered when building SnooCODE. SnooCODE was created in a context where there wasn’t the luxury of legacy traditional addresses that could be relied on, and which people know.

There was the need to build a robust system that could help countries in the Global South leapfrog to a more resilient error-tolerant navigation system and still address the challenges of today while integrating with the technology of the future.

SnooCODE  surpasses American and Western zip codes in its accuracy and user-friendliness – simply use a 5- 7-digit alphanumeric code to communicate your location anywhere on Earth to your front door. For example, many of us are familiar with the 90210 zip code, arguably the most famous American zip code thanks to Hollywood. In comparison, a SnooCODE is 90,800 times more precise than the 90210 zip code, and this without the complication of a street name, or knowing where East is from West.

And the icing on the top? The SnooCODE app works offline, eliminating barriers of use like network problems.

So next time you need some help navigating, and you’re looking for a user-friendly, error-tolerant way to get there, by all means, please, use SnooCODE!

[Download the SnooCODE mobile app here]

#SouthSouthCooperation #SouthSouth #TriangularCooperation #GlobalGoals #Snoocode #AnAddressForEveryone