Remember that time you were driving around Dubai and knew that you needed to find that friend's place next to the hotel that was near that one restaurant? Remember how confused you were? Be confused no longer.
In January, Dubai started to distribute Makani numbers to its residents. With the new address system, each building and house will have its own unique 10-digit number. When connecting to the Makani app, users only need to enter the new number to receive clear and accurate directions.
“A 10-digit number has been given to each building and every location, including government organizations, hospitals, parks, commercial buildings, houses, factories, warehouses, etc,” Abdul Hakim, Director of GIS Department at Dubai Municipality, said to Emirates 24/7 .
"Somebody showed up at my door and gave me my number. He said it’s a unique number for every house and building in Dubai and that it will help people, especially delivery boys and courier companies, to pick my location easily," one Dubai resident said to Gulf News .
The move is seen as particularly beneficial for the delivery of mail and packages, especially as the e-commerce sector grows both regionally and globally.
"This new program will spur on e-commerce and make it easier for companies and consumers to transact online by smoothing out the often tricky issue of delivery," wrote Omar Soudodi, CEO of PayFort .
"The region’s inconsistent address system is a small problem that compounds all of these existing challenges and the Dubai Municipality should be applauded for helping e-commerce in this small but important way."
Makani numbers will now become the official – and much more convenient – way of getting from one place to another. Police or emergency services will begin asking for Makani numbers when responding to calls. Businesses have already begun advertising their numbers for easier location by customers. Larger buildings, such as Dubai's massive shopping malls, will have multiple Makani numbers for different entryways.
The app is mainly geared toward drivers, but directions for walkers and for public transportation will also be available. According to Hakim, the directions via the Makani app are accurate to one meter and are more precise than other location finding devices. There might be one drawback though.
“I think it is a great initiative but unfortunately not many people are aware of it yet. I myself learnt about this new concept only after I got my dedicated number. I have not used it anywhere so far since people may not know about Makani,” one Dubai resident pointed out to Gulf News .
In time however, as the system develops and residents become accustomed to memorizing and sharing their Makani numbers, the new initiative promises significantly less confusion. So, we'll tell you our Makani number if you tell us yours?