Afrilocode™

Afrilocode™ is a location system app for the African continent.

This app is designed as a simple yet cost-effective solution to assigning a location code to each and every household or building in Africa.

Hence, you can create a location code for your house or business in Africa. That code is unique and denotes a rectangular area on the map of Africa.

The code is short and easy to remember; and can be converted into latitude/longitude coordinates, and vice versa.

The length of a code varies from 1 to 11 characters. The shorter the code the larger the area.

Therefore, you can create a code for a region, a city, a village, a plot of land, a house, or a tree.

Here are some examples of location codes:

• S: this code covers a region that comprises most of the RD Congo and Angola
• SWD: covers Kinshasa and its suburbs
• SWD 9N: locates the city center of Kinshasa
• SWD 9NWL: locates the campus of the Institut Superieur de Commerce in Kinshasa
• SWD9N WLCD: locates the entrance to the Institut Superieur de Commerce in Kinshasa

You can use the location code of your home as your postcode or home address because it represents the precise location of your home on the world map.

Languages

The Afrilocode app works in 6 different languages: English, French, Hausa, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. These are the common official languages in Africa.

Contact us

You can contact us by email at info@afrilocode.net.

Afrilocode website

You can also calculate your location code on-line at the Afrilocode app's website https://afrilocode.net. Do visit this website regularly to find out about the new releases of the Afrilocode app.

Terms of use and Privacy policy

The Terms of use and the Privacy policy of the Afrilocode app are available on-line at https://afrilocode.net.

How to create a location code for a house

Set the location accuracy level (i.e. place size) to "Entrance of house or building" in the menu SEARCH->SETTINGS.

Then choose one of the following options:

1. Stand at the front door and read your location code from the app. Make sure your device's location setting is turned on. You also need to allow Afrilocode to access your device's location.
2. Tap the menu SEARCH then enter the latitude and the longitude coordinates (separated by a comma) of the front door.
3. Tap the menu SEARCH then tap on the position of the house in the map. Make sure the checkbox EXPLORE at the bottom of the screen is checked.

The button QR CODE allows you to create a QR code for the house. To create the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to access photos and media on your device.

How to create a location code for any other places

Set the appropriate location accuracy level (i.e. place size) in the menu SEARCH->SETTINGS.

Then choose one of the following options:

1. Stand in the area and read your location code from the app. Make sure your device's location setting is turned on. You also need to allow Afrilocode to access your device's location.
2. Tap the menu SEARCH then enter the name of the place.
3. Tap the menu SEARCH then enter the latitude and the longitude coordinates (separated by a comma) of the place.
4. Tap the menu SEARCH then tap on the position of the place in the map. Make sure the checkbox EXPLORE at the bottom of the screen is checked.

The button QR CODE allows you to create a QR code for the place. To create the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to access photos and media on your device.

Place Size

There are 6 location accuracy levels (place sizes) to choose from. The larger the area the shorter the location code.

Place size	Max area	Max code length
Large country or region	1.9×106 km2	1
Large city or district	2.9×103 km2	3
Town or village	4.2 km2	5
Land parcel or street	6268 m2	7
Entrance of house or building	10×10 m2	9
Person or tree	3×3 m2	11

Map type

Click this button to choose a map type (e.g. normal, satellite, terrain, or hybrid).

Show accuracy boundary

Toggle this button to show/hide the boundaries of the location on the map.

Show location marker

Toggle this button to show/hide the location marker on the map.

Show location grid

Toggle this button to show/hide the location grid on the map. The location grid is used to choose the precise location code for your house.

Home/ Work/ Others

Save here the location codes of your home, work place, and other points of interest.

1. My location code is not displayed. What should I do?
   • Check that your device's location is turned on.
   • You also need to allow Afrilocode to access your device's location.
   • If you are outside of Africa, only the latitude and longitude coordinates will be displayed.
2. The button QR CODE is not working. What should I do?

   To create the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to access photos and media on your device.

3. The button SCAN QR is not working. What should I do?

   To scan the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to take pictures and record video.

4. How to calculate the location code of my current position?

   Press YOUR CODE. Make sure your device location setting is on. You also need to allow Afrilocode to access your device's location.

   Your location code and the corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates will appear on the screen.

5. How to view my current location on the map?

   Press YOUR CODE then SHOW MAP at the bottom of the screen.

   Or, copy your location code and paste it into SEARCH.

   The button QR CODE allows you to create a QR code for your location. To create the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to access photos and media on your device.

6. How can I share my current location code?

   You can share your location with friends, family, or emergency services. Press SHARE at the bottom of the screen.

7. What is the menu INVITE for?

   You can invite friends and relatives to download the app by pressing the button INVITE at the bottom of the screen.

8. How to calculate the location code of a place?

   Press SEARCH and enter the name of the place, or the latitude and longitude (separated by a comma) of the place.

   You can also just tap on the position of the place on the map when the checkbox EXPLORE is checked.

   Or scan the QR code of the place using the button SCAN QR. To scan the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to take pictures and record video.

   The button QR CODE allows you to create a QR code for the place. To create the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to access photos and media on your device.

9. How to display the location of a place on the map?

   Press SEARCH and enter the name of the place, or the location code of the place, or the latitude and longitude (separated by a comma) of the place.

   You can also just tap on the position of the place on the map when the checkbox EXPLORE is checked.

   Or scan the QR code of the place using the button SCAN QR. To scan the QR code, you need to allow Afrilocode to take pictures and record video.

10. How to find directions to or from a place?

    Press SEARCH then DIRECTION at the bottom of the screen.

11. How to change the settings of the app?

    Press SEARCH then SETTINGS at the bottom of the screen.

12. What location accuracy level should I choose in the settings?

    For a house, choose the accuracy level Entrance of house or building.

    For your current location or any static object like a tree, choose the accuracy level Person or tree.

    For any other place, choose the accuracy level that covers best the area of the place.

13. My neighbour and I have the same location code. What should we do?

    This may happen when your front doors are less than 10m apart. In this case, use the location grid to choose a different location code for your house as follows: (1) Change the settings to show the location grid on the map. (2) Input your house location code in the search and press ENTER. This will show your house location on the map. (3) Check the checkbox EXPLORE at the bottom of the screen. (4) Tap in any neighbouring box in the location grid to display the location code of that place. Then choose one for your house.

    If this solution is not satisfactory, you and your neighbour must use a higher accuracy level (like Person or tree) to calculate your respective location codes.

14. How accurate is a location code?

    A location code is calculated using the latitude and longitude coordinates provided by the GPS device in your phone or tablet. The accuracy will depend on the local conditions. GPS works best with a clear view of the sky. However, if you remain still for a few moments you will get a better accuracy. For most smartphones, GPS location is normally around 10m accuracy in good conditions.

    It can take a minute or so to get a fix. When switching back to the app, it can take 10 to 20 seconds to re-establish location.

15. Can I use the app outside the African continent?

    You can use the app from anywhere, but to calculate the location codes of places in Africa. There is no codes for locations outside Africa.