President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, October 18, launched a new location navigation technology known as the Ghana Digital Property Address System. The digital address system which is also called GhanaPostGPS was designed by Ghanaian information technology firm, Vokacom to tackle the lingering challenge of location and property addressing in the country.
The Digital Property Address system (GhanaPostGPS), forms part of the three initiatives of the Akufo-Addo government aimed at the recording of all state-owned properties and citizen’s data in a centralized national database. The essence of the initiatives is to facilitate a national planning and a formalized economic development.
Ghana Digital Property Address System – How It Works
The Digital Property Address System is an Information Technology location-based navigation system which is expected to provide an effective means of providing an address to every location and place in the country, including undeveloped parcels of land, using an IT application.
The new system, according to the President, gives an address to the location of virtually everything including the “blue kiosk, the ‘waakye’ seller or the ‘koko’ seller.”
The system which has been designed to comprehensively map the entirety of Ghana divides the country into grids of 5m x 5m squares and assigns each one a unique and permanent address, known as a digital address. This will be made possible through the generation of unique codes for each of the locations using the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
The idea is that a national address database will be embedded into the system which will enable all Ghanaian residents to validate their home and office addresses for easy direction and identification. This has been described by many as a revolutionary innovation which is rarely experienced on the African continent. Though similar technology has been implemented in developed countries like the United States of America, The United Kingdom and a host of others, its replication by indigenous minds in Ghana has been applauded on several quarters.
Interestingly, the app is very easy to use; all it takes is a moderate knowledge of how to use a smartphone. Though this may quite be a challenge at first especially for the older generation or uneducated, anyone with a fair knowledge of how to use a smartphone can always put them through.
However, if you need clarifications on how to get the app and use it appropriately, the following should guide you.
How To Download and Use GhanaPostGPS
Take the following simple steps to download and use the Ghana Digital Address System – it’s free of charge!
How To Download Application
- Visit your application store [Google Play Store for Android, Apple Store for iOS] and search for GhanaPostGPS;
- Download the app and install it;
- Once the app is installed, follow instructions to register;
- Verify and confirm your login details;
- Your digital address system is ready for use!
See Also: Jumia Ghana: How To Navigate Through Products & Categories Faster
How To Generate Address
Optimize the very many benefits of the navigation app with the following steps:
- Turn on your device’s location button;
- Open the GhanaPostGPS app and click on the button;
- Your unique address will appear next to the digital address, for example, Digital Address: GA-543-0125.
Note: Accuracy of the address is important. It is advised that you stand in front of your property to produce the most accurate address. Check for address accuracy just below the address code.
How To Locate Properties and Landmarks
Now that you already have the GhanaPostGPS app on your device. You only have to do the following:
- Key in the digital address in the search column and click on the search button. Full details of the address will be generated.
- Click on the route option below it to navigate to your specified address location.
- To find landmarks, type the name of the landmark into the search tab. A drop-down menu will appear with options to choose from.
- Select the required landmark and the digital address will automatically be generated.
How To Contact Emergency Services
You can quickly contact emergency service using the GhanaPostGPS in the following steps:
- Click on the emergency button on the app;
- Select the service you require, eg. Ghana Police Service, Fire Service or Ambulance Service;
- Type in additional information and click on the ‘send location’ button. A pop-up message will ask that you close or continue with the request.
Enjoy! Didn’t they say we can now find you even when you’re in the middle of River Oti? Lol!