Denso mapcode
The Denso mapcode system is a spatial reference system (not to be confused with the international mapcode system, a different spatial reference system). Denso mapcodes are 7- to 10-digit codes identifying specific 900-square-meter areas in Japan.
History
The Denso mapcode system was developed in 1997 by Denso Corporation for easy identification of any location in Japan by Japanese navigation systems. Car navigation systems are unable to identify locations for which addresses or telephone numbers are not available or house numbers, like in Japan, are not sequential. The Denso code system enables accurate pinpointing by number, predetermined according to latitude and longitude.
The use of map codes is free to end users but corporations wanting to commercialise it will need to sign a contract with Denso and pay a fee. In Japan, car navigation system suppliers such as Clarion and Kenwood have adopted the system and Toyota and Nissan have introduce it in their vehicles[1].
Design principles
The Denso mapcode system divided Japan into 1162 zones, each zone into 900 blocks, and each block into 900 areas. A Denso mapcode consists of the zone number (up to 4 digits), the block number (always 3 digits) and the area number (always 3 digits), a numeric code of up to 10 digits.
As the codes proved too coarse for certain situations, the system was extended in 2004: by adding an asterisk and two extra digits, a specific cell of 9 square meters can be identified within an area.
Application
Unfortunately, neither Garmin nor TomTom publish their own car navigation maps for Japan[2], although a third-party map for Garmin is available from UUD[3]. Nowadays Japanese car rental companies offer on request at the time of reservation a rental car with a multi-language car navigation system. Navigation is not done by entering the destination street address, but by entering the telephone number or the Denso mapcode of the destination address[4].
Before August 2016, finding a Denso mapcode of a Japanese address involved 6 steps on the website http://mapion.co.jp in the Japanese language[5][6]. Luckily, the new alternative http://japanmapcode.com/en works pretty much like Google maps and displays the mapcode for any address or GPS-coordinate entered. You can even point at a location on the map and the website displays the address and mapcode.
Furthermore, on October 18th 2016, Denso has launched the free smartphone app Drive! Nippon, for iOS and Android[7]. This app, bilingual in Japanese and English, will show the mapcode if you know the street address of GPS-coordinate. If you point at a location on the map, it will show the street address and GPS-coordinate and produces the mapcode. Internet connection is required.
References
- ^ "JAPAN: Denso to launch sat-nav map codes for no-address locations".
- ^ "Using GPS to navigate in Japan".
- ^ "Japan GPS navigation and topographic map for Garmin".
- ^ "How to use GPS in Japanese Rental Car".
- ^ "Denso mapcode structure" (in Chinese).
- ^ "Japan mapcode search – How to find Map Codes for your destinations".
- ^ "旅がもっと楽しくなる！NIPPONを見つける旅へ" (in Japanese).