Mapping: Disruption ahead!

Have you ever sent a package to a remote part of the world that lacks a consistent set of physical addresses? Unless your organization specializes in logistics and distribution, you probably outsourced the task to a company that does. At a more personal level, have you gone to one door at a concert when the friend with the tickets went to a different door? Have you tried to find a tourist attraction known by its name but lacking a street address? These situations highlight the importance of better ways to identify and find specific locations.

According to the United Nations Development Postal Union, an address is “part of a person’s identity.” Roughly 4 billion people have no good way to describe where they live, making it difficult to receive deliveries, access social services or report a crime, fire, or other emergency. As the population of informal urban settlements explodes, it becomes virtually impossible to locate individuals within these communities. The same problem exists in remote areas that lack a formal postal addressing system.

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