Mobile app revolutionizes GPS navigation in Libya
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Challenge
Background: The lack of addressing in Libya
Libya was facing an ever-growing problem – a lack of official addresses paralyzed the economy and stalled innovation. Our client Lamah decided to respond to this problem by creating Makani – a revolutionary GPS navigation app to change the lives of millions in Libya for the better. How?
They divided the biggest Libyan cities into multiple zones and designated each one an alphanumeric postal code. Then, they ascribed a unique number to each home and business. And that was just the beginning of the mapping revolution in Libya.
Lamah’s goal is to accelerate the digital development of Libyan society by providing incomparable innovative solutions. We’re happy that we can participate in this process by delivering digital products that bring our client’s ideas to life.
Our client’s goals:
- To enable Libyans to accurately search and locate places using a digital map app.
- Free installation and accessibility of the Makani app on mobile devices (Android and iOS).
- Providing individual, digital codes instead of geographically descriptive addresses.
- To make it easier for Libyan businesses to grow and connect, thanks to their presence on the digital map and being easily accessible for clients.
The idea behind the Makani app is one of a kind and unprecedented in Libya, where postal codes barely existed. To be in line with the common concept of addresses in other countries, our app provides individual/digital codes instead of geographically descriptive addresses.
Makani is a mapping revolution in Libya.
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Solution
GPS navigation app that gives users detailed and clear addresses for places in Libya
We developed a GPS navigation app that gives users detailed and clear addresses for buildings in Libya, whether they are houses, governmental or private institutions, or even shops, markets, restaurants, and others. The first version of the app was publicly launched in December 2019.
Makani moves Libyans from the use of difficult descriptive addressing to smooth digital addressing and enables the navigation of geographical locations within the country. It helps users to locate places within their region through a digital map that allocates specific postal codes to almost all locations.
This is vital to this society, as they’ve been deprived of such amenity.
The app is available for free on any iOS or Android smartphone, making it finger-tip accessible. Makani is positively rated by its users – in the Apple store at 4.5, on Google 4.2.
In 3 months after launch, the map contains more than 1 200 000 addresses from nearly 75 cities in Libya. We are constantly developing new features. What’s more, the app’s users are adding new addresses. All in all, the Makani app is growing.
It’s worth stating that Makani brings many opportunities and benefits to businesses in Libya. By providing their addresses, companies are easily accessible to customers. Moreover, various government agencies can access and use their information in the e-government system.
The app does not exclude foreigners from having access to the app or making use of it. With businesses growing and thriving in many parts of the country, connectivity is essential.
We’re in the process of developing another navigation app for our client Lamah.
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