It’s a great idea, but there are big issues with it.
Namely it’s not relational, aka yellow mourner good isn’t next to yellow mourner bad so you are completely reliant on their app. They are not open source (unlike plus codes that Google developed) and inorder for 3rd parties to integrate W3W onto their Nav systems, a huge licensing fee is asked for.
The new technology is integrated into the three forces’ control room software which means the public can share their three word address when contacting the police.
I signed up to it and got a little blue plaque to put on the outside of our sqn. When we do any walking we mention that it’s a good app if you get lost or injured to see your location and pass on.
Probably much, much easier for Joe Public to access / report - most people have their mobile 'phone available rather than OS Sheet 12345 = instant location / reporting option.
Just checked the app on my 'phone against current position; took 10 secs, yes, I’m in my lounge.
Whilst it appears to be a perfectly good system, it seems to me to be a solution to a non-existent “problem”.
Fancy new system - “I can look up my location using an app on my phone and relay it to the Emergency services. They can enter it into their navigation systems and be directed to it”
Brilliant!
Trusty old OS Grid system - “I can look up my location using an app on my phone and relay it to the Emergency services. They can enter it into their navigation systems and be directed to it”
The trusty old system also has the benefit that if my phone isn’t working I can manually find my location using a map.
And if the emergency services’ fancy system goes down they can manually look up my location using a map.
This really strikes me as someone making a buck on the back of the idea that three words are easier to say than two letters and six figures, and whilst that may be true, is it really a genuine benefit? I say “no, not really. It’s a gimmick”.
So if your phone isn’t working then how do you contact the helpy chaps with badges and stretchers? If they implement 3words properly then it would make my life easier in an emergency.
but the question was “what is the benefit” - w3w is more accurate than 8 figure grid references.
there is an additional advantage of human error of an OS map.
we see it with a 6 figure regularly enough. while i might say 123 456 you might say 124 456.
there is bound to be similar (human) errors with 8 figure (and yes I accept the error is only by 20m or so which is still damn close and within earshot - I am simply answering the question)
the w3w system is fixed and cannot be mistaken if you are in that box, you are in that 3x3m box…
Simple yet accurate
The what3words algorithm takes complex GPS coordinates and converts them into unique 3 word addresses. It means anyone can talk about anywhere with 3 simple words. Ubiquitous
what3words is useful where street addresses don’t exist and provides a level of specificity when they are not accurate enough
or Addressing around the world isn’t suitable for everyday needs. Street addresses can be inaccurate or ambiguous. Road names are repetitive. Homes and businesses are often located far from the centre of their postcode. And much of the world simply isn’t addressed – from informal settlements to the park where you’ve planned to meet friends, or the precise location where you’re waiting for the cab to collect you.
As we continue to integrate new technologies into our daily lives, so the role of precise and reliable addressing becomes ever more important.
Poor addressing means deliveries go astray, businesses can’t be found, aid doesn’t get through, remote assets are difficult to manage and friends fail to meet up. At best, it’s expensive and frustrating. At worst, it hampers growth and development, restricts social mobility and affects lives.
75% of the world suffers from poor addressing or none at all. The other 25% still lacks universal coverage. Whilst improvements have been made in mapping and navigation, defining exactly where “there” is remains a big issue.
Precise and consistent location referencing can not only improve global addressing, it could also connect you to untapped customer bases and new industry sectors. 3 word addresses can become the answer to a wealth of problems.
The UN estimates that 4 billion people lack a reliable way to address their homes. They struggle to open bank accounts, register a birth or access electricity or water supplies, becoming invisible to the state.
