Coplogue

I believe what3words is the simplest and most precise way to indicate a physical location. At some point, I’m sure we’ve all been frustrated with trying to find someone based on a vague description of their location. Typically, the other person will provide their proximity to a landmark or send you a “pin” of their location.¹ What about those who can’t remember where they parked their vehicle in a large and busy parking lot? Or worse, how about those who find themselves in distress within a park or rural area? There’s usually limited unique references and/or no street addresses to convey their specific location to receive emergency assistance. What3words to the rescue…

• What is What3words?
• Why use What3words when I already use a trusted navigation application, such as Google Maps?
• What are other advantages that what3words has over regular street addresses5 and Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates?
• Limitations of What3words
• Can I use What3words without a data connection or phone signal?
• How do I use What3words in an emergency and which emergency services currently use it?
• Useful references for the What3words application
• References

What is What3words?

What3words is a proprietary geocoding system that has divided the world into a grid of 3 metre squares, with each square assigned a unique address consisting of a combination of three random words.² In contrast, street addresses are not as specific and are sometimes duplicated within the same region. What3words can be accessed via its mobile application and online map at what3words.com. There is also an application programming interface (API) that developers can use to integrate what3words into their own applications and platforms.

There is a growing number of practical applications for what3words. For the purpose of our initiative, we will focus on how people can use what3words to tell emergency services exactly where help is needed. Although what3words charges certain businesses that benefit commercially from their products, it is free for users who access it directly through the application and online map, and for emergency services and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for educational, community and innovative projects.³

Why use What3words when I already use a trusted navigation application, such as Google Maps?

The key point is that what3words has a different function; it provides an easy way to determine an exact location. Although a navigation application can tell you how to get to a general location, they cannot pinpoint the exact location, for example, of a building entrance at the street address. What3words can be used to identify a precise location to a three metre square, which can then be traversed to a navigation application to generate a path to the destination.⁴

What are other advantages that what3words has over regular street addresses⁵ and Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates?

• What3word addresses are permanent, which allows the system to work offline. On the other hand, street addresses are subject to change as towns and cities develop, and based on modifications to street names.
• What3words has global coverage, whereas separate regions can have their own street address system.
• What3words is available in 60 languages making it easy for different people to refer to the same address system using their native language.
• “GPS coordinates use a string of numbers to identify a location – the more numbers you use, the more precise the location. what3words has simplified the equivalent of 16-digit GPS coordinates to 3 words.”⁶ Thus, what3words addresses are easier to remember, quicker and easier to communicate, and simpler to enter into a navigation system. What3words also uses AutoSuggest technology to help quickly identify and correct input mistakes.

Limitations of What3words

• Although what3words can identify indoor locations, it is currently recommended to only select outdoor locations due to limited GPS accuracy when indoors.⁷
• What3words addresses only work at ground level (i.e. two-dimensional space,) similar to a street address. Thus, it doesn’t specify a height location, such as a building floor. To specify a location in three-dimensional space, the user must specify the relevant floor and room information on top of the what3words address for the suitable building entrance.⁸

Can I use What3words without a data connection or phone signal?

What3words does work without a data connection or phone signal. Even when you’re offline, “you can still find the 3 words for your location and navigate to other locations (using what3words Compass). This is because our app uses a GPS signal to work, which has near-universal coverage wherever you are in the world. However, we find it works best when you’re outside and able to see the sky above you. To share a what3words address over the phone or in a text message, you need a phone signal or a data connection. You also need a data connection to load maps, or share an address in other apps or on social media.”⁹

How do I use What3words in an emergency and which emergency services currently use it?

Although the contents of this website are intended for a universal audience, follow this link to learn how to share a what3words address with emergency services and find out which Canadian emergency services have adopted this system:

https://what3words.com/news/emergency/three-words-to-tell-canadian-emergency-services-exactly-where-you-are.

Also, follow this link to read about real-life success stories of what3words having been used in emergency situations:

https://what3words.com/what3words-for-emergencies-real-life-stories.

Useful references for the What3words application

• How to use what3words
• What3words Support Site 
• Emergency & Recovery – Receive and communicate precise locations for faster response times

Please leave us a comment below with your thoughts on, and/or experience with, what3words. Can you think of a different and innovative way to indicate a precise location?

References

1. What3words – How is what3words different to sharing a pin? ↩︎
2. What3words – What is what3words? ↩︎
3. What3words – How does what3words make money? ↩︎
4. What3words – Why do I need what3words when I have Google Maps? ↩︎
5. What3words – How are what3words addresses better than regular street addresses? ↩︎
6. What3words – How is what3words different to GPS coordinates? ↩︎
7. What3words – How does what3words work indoors? ↩︎
8. What3words – How does what3words deal with multiple floors (and height)? ↩︎
9. What3words – Does the app work without phone signal or data connection? ↩︎