WIA Pin Code Proposal — Ethiopia

1 Summary

This document describes how WIA Pin Code, a free 12-digit coordinate code, could be used alongside Ethiopia's existing addresses, postcodes and address systems. It does not propose replacing any national system.

                    Key facts:
                    12-digit code (XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX); each code identifies a cell of about 20 m × 40 m at the equator
Calculated from coordinates alone, so conversion works without an internet connection
Free for governments and individuals
Published formula (YUJIN Transform v2), so results can be checked independently

                

2 Current Addressing Situation (as of 14 October 2026)

Classification: C — National digital addressing system exists, is being rolled out or is being legislated

Ethiopia is rolling out the Ethiopian Digital Addressing System (Space Science and Geospatial Institute) city by city, starting with Bishoftu in 2023.

Population: 135.5M (World Bank, 2025)
Rural population: 75.9% (World Bank, 2025)

Global context: the Universal Postal Union notes that “the absence of a complete, correct and unique national address infrastructure constitutes a major socio-economic challenge for a number of developing countries” (Addressing the world – An address for everyone, 2012, p. 7).

3 WIA Pin Code

WIA Pin Code uses the YUJIN Transform v2 formula (Yeon Sam-heum, Ph.D.) to convert GPS coordinates into a 12-digit code.

                    Example point in Ethiopia:

                    GPS: 9.15°, 40.49° → WIA Pin Code: ---

Technical specifications:

Format: XXX-XXX-XXX-XXX (12 digits)
Cell size: about 20 m north–south everywhere; about 40 m east–west at the equator, narrower towards the poles
Backward compatible: the first nine digits are the v1 code (2025); a v1 code alone covers a strip about 20 m × 40 km and is not a house-level address
Coverage: the whole Earth, including all of Ethiopia
Offline: code calculation needs no internet connection; maps and search do
Personal data: the code is computed from coordinates only and contains no personal data
Specification: https://wiapincode.smilestory.ai/docs/yujin-transform.html

4 Possible Next Steps (to be agreed with national authorities)

Step 1 — Conversation and interoperability check

Understand the national address, postcode or digital address programme
Test how WIA Pin Codes map to existing records; the national system remains the reference

Step 2 — Small local pilot (scope agreed locally)

Area, partners and duration agreed with the responsible authorities
Free use of the code-calculation API, the WIA GIL map and the MCP server

Step 3 — Joint review

Review the results together and publish only what the data show
The national authority decides whether and how to continue

This document does not promise timelines or outcomes.

5 Pricing Structure

🆓 Free Plans — Individuals, Non-Profits & Governments

FREE

Free

Individuals & Developers

$0

✅ 100 requests/day
✅ v1 base code (first nine digits)
✅ Basic API endpoints
✅ Community support
— Commercial use
— Batch processing

Get Free API Key

NGO

NGO / Non-Profit

Humanitarian & Aid Organizations

$0

✅ Unlimited requests
✅ Full 12-digit code (v2) + v1 base code
✅ Humanitarian deployment
✅ Batch + Grid generation
✅ Priority support
✅ Special agreement

Apply for Access

GOVERNMENT

Government

Nations & Public Sector

$0

✅ Unlimited requests
✅ Full 12-digit code (v2) + v1 base code
✅ National deployment
✅ Batch + Grid generation
✅ Direct technical support
✅ National implementation support

Apply for Access

💼 Business Plans — Commercial API Access

STARTER

Starter

Startups & Small Business

$99/month

✅ 10,000 requests/day
✅ Full 12-digit code (v2) + v1 base code
✅ Commercial use ✓
✅ Email support
✅ Basic analytics
✅ CSV batch (1K rows)

Subscribe — $99/mo

⭐ MOST POPULAR

Business

Mid-size & Logistics

$499/month

✅ 100,000 requests/day
✅ Full 12-digit code (v2) + v1 base code
✅ Commercial use ✓
✅ Priority support
✅ Advanced analytics
✅ CSV batch (100K rows)

Subscribe — $499/mo

ENTERPRISE

Enterprise

Large Corporations

$999/month

✅ Unlimited requests
✅ Full 12-digit code (v2) + v1 base code
✅ Commercial use ✓
✅ 24/7 dedicated support
✅ SLA 99.99% + Dedicated server
✅ Unlimited batch + Custom API

Subscribe — $999/mo

6 What This Proposal Does Not Claim

It does not replace national addresses, postcodes or digital address systems.
It does not promise economic, emergency-response or delivery figures; any effect would have to be measured in a pilot.
A WIA Pin Code identifies a cell of about 20 m × 40 m, not a specific door or household.

7 Sources

All links accessed 14 October 2026.

https://capitalethiopia.com/?p=53579 — Feb 2024: Bishoftu complete, Adama in progress, Addis Ababa agreement
World Bank, World Development Indicators (population, rural population share): https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS (API data updated 2026-10-08)
Universal Postal Union, “Addressing the world – An address for everyone”, 2012, p. 7: https://www.upu.int/UPU/media/upu/publications/whitePaperAddressingTheWorldEn.pdf
YUJIN Transform specification (WIA Pin Code): https://wiapincode.smilestory.ai/docs/yujin-transform.html