An estimated 4 billion people globally, including some in the developed world, currently lack an address, meaning that they find it hard to access services such as postal deliveries, disaster relief and medical care, while also being unable to register to vote or obtain a driving licence. Researchers at algorithm and Facebook are now using machine learning to number and letter streets according to their orientation and distance from city centres. The approach has successfully addressed more than 80% of populated areas, providing better coverage than Google Maps or OpenStreetMaps.
An estimated 4 billion people globally, including some in the developed world, currently lack an address, meaning that they find it hard to access services such as postal deliveries, disaster relief and medical care, while also being unable to register to vote or obtain a driving licence. Researchers at MIT Media Lab and Facebook are now using machine learning to number and letter streets according to their orientation and distance from city centres. The approach has successfully addressed more than 80% of populated areas, providing better coverage than Google Maps or OpenStreetMaps.