Place codes (Pcodes)

Pcode is an abbreviated term for “Place code”; this is similar to a zip code or postal code, and is a part of a humanitarian and development data management system providing unique reference codes to around 71,000 locations across Myanmar. The MIMU maintains the P-codes for Myanmar based on information collected from a variety of sources, including but not limited to humanitarian and development organizations. Without a system for organizing such data it is almost impossible for data from more than one source to be combined.

The Pcodes enable information providers and users to exchange, link and map available information from a wide variety of sources, including data from the different assessments and surveys done by researchers, UN agencies, donors, local and international NGOs working in Myanmar. Using the P-code system, organizations can continue to generate data for their own purposes while making this available in a format that others can easily make use of.

Specific Pcodes are provided for Union Territory, States/Regions, Districts, Townships, Towns, Wards, Village Tracts and Villages in Myanmar.An additional set of Pcodes has been developed for IDP camp locations (Camp Codes) to facilitate sharing of information gathered from these locations. Each Pcode includes the names by which the settlement is commonly known, an English transliteration of the name based on a standardized system, and locational data using GPS coordinates to enable accurate mapping of each village for programme planning, coordination and also identification of village locations in the event of crises requiring humanitarian support.