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Thread: What3words location App

  1. #1

    What3words location App

    I heard about a location App for smartphones on the radio a while back and yesterday remembered to download it.

    The idea of the app is to define a precise location, within a 3x3m grid. The entire globe is mapped with the grid with each square of the grid uniquely named by 3 random words such as ‘watch.shower.ink’.

    If you’re stuck up a mountain and want an emergency service to find you, you use the app to find, then share your exact location.

    Same for trying to locate a friend at a festival or getting a delivery to the correct location if you’re anywhere remote.

    Obviously the more companies, people and services that use the app the more useful it’ll become.

    You never know, it could save your life so worth downloading. And it’s free.

  2. #2
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    No substitute for proper map reading skills.
    But can be a useful addition.

    We've discussed it at some length within my SAR team.

    Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Master petethegeek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chrisparker View Post
    I heard about a location App for smartphones on the radio a while back...
    This item perhaps, which I seem to recall being broadcast on Radio 4?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49319760

    I already had the app loaded but hadn't realised it was being so widely used in earnest.

  4. #4
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
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    My kids have it in case I mislay them at music festivals, as well as more usual rendezvous arrangements just in case the technology fails.

    It is actively being used for addressing mail in places without normal street addresses such as in Brazilian favelas and Mongolia as it is much easier to share a three word location than long numerical coordinates.

  5. #5
    Craftsman Kris's Avatar
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    What 3 words is gradually being adopted by more and more of the Emergency Services accross the UK as a simple and effetive way for members of the public to be able to pinpoint and identify a location where they are needed.

    Globally, its being considered for use in disaster zones by Rescue Teams to track locations where casualties need help as a simpler alternative to using GPS Lat & Long coordinates.

  6. #6
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    It is actively being used for addressing mail in places without normal street addresses such as in Brazilian favelas and Mongolia as it is much easier to share a three word location than long numerical coordinates.
    Very clever!


    Quote Originally Posted by Kris View Post
    Globally, its being considered for use in disaster zones by Rescue Teams to track locations where casualties need help as a simpler alternative to using GPS Lat & Long coordinates.
    It is intriguing as to how simple and useful an idea this is (albeit 'simple' only when facilitated by near-ubiquitous mobile telephony and GPS).

  7. #7
    I once got stranded at a location and the three words were “Go F&CK Yourself”. The emergency services never came...

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    Less useful in tower blocks...

    Sent from my OnePlus 6T using Tapatalk

  9. #9
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    I think this app is fantastic and as soon as I heard about it I downloaded it onto my daughters phone.

  10. #10
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by amnesia View Post
    Less useful in tower blocks...

    Sent from my OnePlus 6T using Tapatalk
    Less useful than what: Latitude & Longitude, OS Grid?

  11. #11
    Grand Master SimonK's Avatar
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    When I lived in the UK the police advised using an indelible pen to mark your nickable stuff with your postcode slash house number so they could find you if your nicked stuff was recovered. I guess marking it with a 3-word location would be better, plus your flat number if you live in a tower.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SimonK View Post
    When I lived in the UK the police advised using an indelible pen to mark your nickable stuff with your postcode slash house number so they could find you if your nicked stuff was recovered. I guess marking it with a 3-word location would be better, plus your flat number if you live in a tower.
    Interesting strategy, especially if it is something valuable. Gets sold on to someone equally as dodgy - hmmm, this is nice, I wonder where I can find another...

  13. #13
    Grand Master AlphaOmega's Avatar
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    I've used the app to direct third parties to my position.

    It worked well and I'd recommend it.

  14. #14
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    The only time I tried to use it the RSPCA said sorry we don't use that. Maybe when more people use it it will be better.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

  15. #15
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    Be aware that What3words is both a proprietary system and covered by copyright.

    It may be free now, but that doesn't mean that it will always be free (I'm pretty sure that they will be looking at how best to monetise it if/when they get to a critical mass of users). And being copyright it means that nobody else will be able to create any apps to compete with it (unless they pay to licence it). And if the W3W servers are unavailable (or the company goes bust) then the whole system will stop working.

    At least Latitude and Longitude are universally understood and are freely available.

  16. #16
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post
    Be aware that What3words is both a proprietary system and covered by copyright.

    It may be free now, but that doesn't mean that it will always be free (I'm pretty sure that they will be looking at how best to monetise it if/when they get to a critical mass of users). And being copyright it means that nobody else will be able to create any apps to compete with it (unless they pay to licence it). And if the W3W servers are unavailable (or the company goes bust) then the whole system will stop working.

    At least Latitude and Longitude are universally understood and are freely available.
    Here's a direct pull from the website. Of course, it doesn't mean that their business model can't change.

    "We’ve developed a business model that works for everybody. what3words is not open source and our focus is on having the right commercial solutions for different users: the system is free to use for most people, while companies that use the service to make money pay a fee. This approach ensures both the scalability and sustainability of the what3words solution."

  17. #17
    Grand Master AlphaOmega's Avatar
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    PK is there a non-proprietary app you prefer?

    I used W3W to provide the location of a small forest fire but to be honest... it took the Emergency Services call handler at least 10 minutes to familiarise herself with the system and even then she asked me to run half a mile to the nearest road to double check.

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skier View Post
    Less useful than what: Latitude & Longitude, OS Grid?
    An address.

    W3W is great, but is only 2 dimensional.

  20. #20
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    Can't comment on the privacy or licensing aspects, but W3W is also integrated into the new Mercedes MBUX system. You can say "Hey Mercedes, navigate to What 3 Words daring lion race" and it will put the exact location into the sat nav. Which is handy, because the standard navigation using a post code is pretty poor in the new A-class. You'll also (allegedly) soon also be able to find the W3W location in their app and then send it to the MBUX before you get in the car.

  21. #21
    I’m fairly sure when I loaded the app it said something like “...wants to access your location when you’re not using the app”. What? No thanks.

  22. #22
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AlphaOmega View Post
    PK is there a non-proprietary app you prefer?
    Latitude and Longitude, which just about every navigation/location app I have ever used will understand.

    You can get whatever level of precision you want by varying the number of digits used. It's free, not proprietary, has no copyright restrictions, has no dependency on W3W servers, has no privacy concerns, can be used by non-English speakers, will be understood by all professional organisations who need to know your location, is mature, tried and tested.

  23. #23
    I was wondering about the language used, does it always generate English words? Might be easy for us to use but foreign speakers?

  24. #24
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    I was wondering about the language used, does it always generate English words? Might be easy for us to use but foreign speakers?
    I assumed that you texted/e-mailed the three words?

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by blackal View Post
    I assumed that you texted/e-mailed the three words?
    Why words then? Could be random text.

  26. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Why words then? Could be random text.
    It could but then it offers no benefit over long/lat coordinates. 3 words is easy to be used and understood over the phone and can be easily remembered.

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by catch21 View Post
    I’m fairly sure when I loaded the app it said something like “...wants to access your location when you’re not using the app”. What? No thanks.
    I just installed it and it only asked to use my location while the app is running.

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by chrisparker View Post
    It could but then it offers no benefit over long/lat coordinates. 3 words is easy to be used and understood over the phone and can be easily remembered.
    Realise this, hence my comment about foreign speakers.

  29. #29
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
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  30. #30
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post
    Latitude and Longitude, which just about every navigation/location app I have ever used will understand.

    You can get whatever level of precision you want by varying the number of digits used. It's free, not proprietary, has no copyright restrictions, has no dependency on W3W servers, has no privacy concerns, can be used by non-English speakers, will be understood by all professional organisations who need to know your location, is mature, tried and tested.
    W3W will never replace Latitude and Longitude and I'm 100% certain that it wasn't designed to. Latitude and Longitude is fine if you're intimately familiar with using it but consider this. Young child (or anyone else that isn't familiar with Lat/Long) missing in a woodland, on cliffs etc. and phones the emergency services.

    Which variant of Latitude and Longitude are they using and does the person receiving the information understand the various formats?:

    Degrees, minutes, and seconds: 40° 26′ 46″ N 79° 58′ 56″ W
    Degrees, minutes and decimal minutes: 40° 26.767′ N 79° 58.933′ W
    Decimal degrees: 40.446° N 79.982° W
    Degrees (+/-): +40.446 -79.982

    Against this you simply pass three words: edit/resort/sleep

    W3W is designed as an app for smartphones which are far more ubiquitous than standalone GPS units. Sure there are apps that give you Lat and Long but I refer you to the point above re familiarity.

    So, to address your points re Lat & Long:

    - It's free. So is W3W for all individuals
    - It non-proprietary. Yes, but so what for individual users?
    - Has no copyright issues. Yes, but so what for individual users?
    - Has no dependencies on W3W servers. On a smartphone it has the same dependencies on servers as any other app unless maps are downloaded onto the device - there are some that facilitate this.
    - Has no privacy concerns. The privacy agreement with W3W is little different to any other app. If you don't want it knowing your location when using it, you're f^"*$d! Remember, we're not comparing to standalone GPS units here.
    - Can be used by non-English speakers. So can W3W.
    - Understood by all professional organisations. Very true but that's not the aim. It's the app user that's key here not the highly trained emergency services.
    - Is mature, tried and tested. So we shouldn't try to improve things? This just sounds like you're resistant to change or alternatives.

    I make all the above points as someone who has used Lat & Long (and many other navigational systems) throughout most of my professional life in the military, initially as a pilot and subsequently elsewhere.
    Last edited by Skier; 16th September 2019 at 14:29.

  31. #31
    Couldn’t a young child just share their location with WhatsApp or is this not accurate enough?

  32. #32
    Grand Master AlphaOmega's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post
    Latitude and Longitude, which just about every navigation/location app I have ever used will understand.

    You can get whatever level of precision you want by varying the number of digits used. It's free, not proprietary, has no copyright restrictions, has no dependency on W3W servers, has no privacy concerns, can be used by non-English speakers, will be understood by all professional organisations who need to know your location, is mature, tried and tested.
    Thanks, agreed on the privacy front. I know there have been some issues recently for those using Strava who don't want to be trackable.

  33. #33
    Lat & long, and W3W are solving the same problem but for very different users. If you were emergency services would you ask a five year old for a lat & long or W3W?

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