[microcolonel]

Mapcodes are coordinates within a rectangular region, you define the region, then the code(or if you're IN the region, you don't need to worry about defining it).

One of the available regions is "Earth", which offers global coordinates(they're a bit longer, four or five characters on each side of the dot).

The upside of this is that it is possible to implement it completely offline, you don't need to query the regions from a database, because they're already defined. You just run the algorithm to project the local coordinates onto global coordinates, and your GPS system will handle that.

[grey-area]

One of the available regions is "Earth", which offers global coordinates(they're a bit longer, four or five characters on each side of the dot).

Why not just use lat, lon, which can be shorter too?

Central park, NY - 40.78 -73.97

Hyde Park, LON - 51.51, -0.17

[microcolonel]

Those coordinates are obviously less accurate than the mapcode, and not at all any smaller.