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.
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History
The Denso mapcode system was developed in 1997 by Denso Corporation for Japanese navigation systems. House numbers in Japan are often not sequential, but based on the age of the building, making it difficult to find a location even when the address is known.
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.