What3words

Gremlin

Gremlin

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Any one else have this app and had to use it ?

www.bbc.co.uk

What3words: The app that can save your life

Police want everyone to download a smartphone app they say has already saved several lives.
www.bbc.co.uk

As I often walk on my own I have downloaded it and it seems to work ok outside, but when I try it indoors
it's often a couple of squares out
I like the way it doesn't need an internet connection to find you
 
Hmmm, commercial enterprise trying to make money with a secret and somewhat flawed proprietary location mechanism when there are free alternatives that just work,
 
Been around for many years and it pops up every so often on a number of online forums such as this, always with this question and the same debate where some people think its a good idea and some people who think it's pointless. I seem to recall that some police forces are now at least aware of it so it could be used for reporting, for example, the exact location of an accident on a rural road. That said it seems to be mainly a reasonable solution looking for a problem to solve.
 
Gremlin said:
but when I try it indoors it's often a couple of squares out
Click to expand...
Probably because your phone's GPS isn't picking up enough satellites indoors to be accurate and is relying on mast triangulation etc.
 
Use it a lot for meeting couples in exact spaces for photoshoots, or friends to fly drones. Works well, much better than just a postcode IMO. Can't see what's flawed about it tbh.
 
sirch said:
I seem to recall that some police forces are now at least aware of it so it could be used for reporting, for example, the exact location of an accident on a rural road.
Click to expand...

Quite a few of the emergency services use it now, I only found out when it appeared on our local
news.

Pound Coin said:
Hmmm, commercial enterprise trying to make money with a secret and somewhat flawed proprietary location mechanism when there are free alternatives that just work,
Click to expand...

Where do you pay?
I downloaded it free and not been asked for any money
 
It's not commercial and it's not flawed. It's free and uses gps just like OSLocate. Gps is more reliable outdoors as it needs a clear 'view' of the satellites. The only difference between What3words and OSLocate is that one gives a location in 3 words and one gives the same location as a lat/long or grid reference. Words are easier to remember and repeat than a long string of letters and numbers. And that's as sinister as it gets..............
As I do a lot of walking alone and in remote areas (well, not this year..........) I have both apps on my phone. Even if you're not an outdoor type one or both could be useful. You could be travelling and witness an accident. How are you going to describe where it is if you don't know the area?
Have I ever used it? No. I hope I never have to but if I ever do, it's there. It has been around for quite a while now.
 
You can use W3W in Navmii (freemium GPS navigation) and it works well esp. when a postcode isn't specific enough.
A friend who is a police officer has recommended it - as others have said - in three words you can direct the emergency services to a very specific location. Much easier than GPS co-ordinates.
 
I downloaded it a while ago but have never had to use it in anger. I did use it once to get my friend to the entrance of a reserve which was hard to find.
We do used to do quite a bit of walking in the countryside and although I use a handheld GPS unit and can get the Long / Lat quite easily 3 words are a lot easier to report if needed.
 
I have it on my phone after seeing it in a number of scenes where people just were unable to report a location, it looks like a no brainer to me.
 
Organisations have to pay.
Gremlin said:
Quite a few of the emergency services use it now, I only found out when it appeared on our local
news.



Where do you pay?
I downloaded it free and not been asked for any money
Click to expand...

You don't pay, businesses pay.
Have a look at their website - businesses have to contact their team to find out more.
 
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Here are some thoughts on W3W, in a blog.
 
Pound Coin said:
Organisations have to pay.


You don't pay, businesses pay.
Have a look at their website - businesses have to contact their team to find out more.
Click to expand...

Yes, businesses have to be able to pay to be listed on it. That still doesn't stop it working for 99% of users who aren't businesses.

Businesses have to pay to advertise on this forum, and yet this forum works perfectly for all of us who don't pay. And the businesses advertising premiums pay for the infrastructure and upkeep. Don't really see how that's an issue with the platform though.

ETA: Actually, just looked and both our businesses are already listed on it and we don't pay them a penny.
 
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Pound Coin said:
You don't pay, businesses pay.
Have a look at their website - businesses have to contact their team to find out more.
Click to expand...

Business don't have to pay that's their choice like with any program
More important from my point of view is that it is free for emergency services and charities
 
Gremlin said:
Business don't have to pay that's their choice like with any program
More important from my point of view is that it is free for emergency services and charities
Click to expand...

So, how do they make their money?
 
Pound Coin said:
So, how do they make their money?
Click to expand...

Actually, I'll answer my own question:

Business review
During the year the Group continued to recognise revenue from the sale of its core product, an enterprise software system for the bi-directional conversion of GPS coordinates to 3-word addresses. The Group also continued its strategy of targeting specific local markets around the world to drive consumer awareness and usage of the product on a free-to-use basis, as well as working with major global businesses across a range of industries to generate commercial returns.The business continued to scale its operations and build out specialist teams with specific target industry commercial focus. In order to-best serve global markets?-as well -as the UK-based head office, there are two subsidiaries in USA and Germany, and a South African branch.

Principal risks and uncertainties
The management of the business and the execution of the Group's strategy are subject to a number of risks. The principal risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are considered to include:

Commercial risk
The success of the business is dependent on the development, conversion and retention of a pipeline of commercial contracts to take the business cash flow positive.

Behavioural change risk
The Group has created a new addressing format, with the aim of becoming a universal standard for location referencing. A key aspect of this is converting and retaining a high volume of new consumers, and so driving network effects and consumer behaviour change.
Click to expand...

Last year the Turnover of the company was £392,989, and the year before it was £273,641

Last year the Loss made by the company was £14,468,797 and the year before £11,440,279

So, at the moment they don't make any money. I've emboldened bits in their statement above...
 
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Two squares that cover Mrs Nod's Yoga studio give results that basically say pain hurt twist! Can't remember the exact words.
 
I haven't used What3Words but have used(by way of a test) the OS Locate app.

I should not be surprised as I know the basics of how GPS works but it is a bit mind boggling that a battery powered pocket sized computer is able to pick up signals from a number of satellites and provide an accurate plot of my position.

Dave
 
Went for a walk around the village last night, was amused at how accurate that blue square is at following you around
and how quick :giggle:
 
Pound Coin said:
Here are some thoughts on W3W, in a blog.
Click to expand...

Whilst I agree it is not ideal as a "world" locator. For most of us on here, wondering around the UK it is a handy tool to have.

Now I can read a map and can give coordinates, but even around me there are some areas where actually establishing where I am is difficult. (Think woods where you can wonder off the footpaths etc)
 
I think the point is that if you have a Smart Phone the tech is already there, it doesn't need to be reinvented in a proprietary way designed to make money.

If I want to know where I am I just call up Maps and there, a blue circle where I am.
 
If you get caught out in a blizzard up a mountain have poor mobile reception, hypothermia - prefer trying to read out a latitude and longitude or uttering "marble.messaging.hacksaw" ?

Anyway - it has another use - postal services in many parts of the world that don't have road names or house numbers - Mongolia use it for this as do several African countries, especially in informal settlements.

As for commercial interests - they charge considerably less than Royal Mail do for their Postcode Address File (which also has much poorer resolution in the Postcode to Lat/Long part) and its global. For Joe Soap it's free.
 
I think it's brilliant.
I've used it a few times myself, all of the emergency services in North Yorkshire use it to find people in remote locations, we use it at our farm, mainly so that visitors can find us but we also have all of the main areas of the farm listed on a sheet of laminated paper that's situated in each vehicle, tractors etc so that if any of us need help we can give a location that's near enough - thinking ahead here, in case some is injured and can't be on the phone or the radio and mess about getting an exact location at the same time.

I just don't see any downsides.
 
We used to call them coordinates. Google maps will do it automatically. If you have a phone signal ,especially one with data, the options are endless.
 
Cockney said:
We used to call them coordinates. Google maps will do it automatically. If you have a phone signal ,especially one with data, the options are endless.
Click to expand...
Yes, but they're long complicated numbers that people can get wrong. Something like devours.insisting.mend (which is a remote location in North Yorkshire that I found with W3W a couple of days is far simpler
 
use it for meeting up when paddleboarding to locate a launch site. its a 1 meter grid square so being 3 squares out id hope that the rescue service would look a couple of meters either side of the supposed grid square or that you would notice them. Ive heard of operators asking people to try and down load the app if they cant give an accurate location
 
AgentOrange76 said:
use it for meeting up when paddleboarding to locate a launch site. its a 1 meter grid square so being 3 squares out id hope that the rescue service would look a couple of meters either side of the supposed grid square or that you would notice them. Ive heard of operators asking people to try and down load the app if they cant give an accurate location
Click to expand...
In fact it's a 3 x 3m square, not a 1 metre one - not that this difference will ever matter.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes, but they're long complicated numbers that people can get wrong. Something like devours.insisting.mend (which is a remote location in North Yorkshire that I found with W3W a couple of days is far simpler
Click to expand...

The point is that the machines already can do location stuff. The tech is there. They don't need a new proprietary system from a company that is desperately fighting for an income it doesn't have. Look at the figures upstream.

With the current dumbing down of the English language, can you be sure that you can spell 'devours' properly when you are stressed?
 
Pound Coin said:
The point is that the machines already can do location stuff. The tech is there. They don't need a new proprietary system from a company that is desperately fighting for an income it doesn't have. Look at the figures upstream.

With the current dumbing down of the English language, can you be sure that you can spell 'devours' properly when you are stressed?
Click to expand...

And what 3 words is another means that aids location. You may not like it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a valid means of pinpointing your location.

To be honest your last comment is really, irrelevant, as the words are in front of you as you look at the application. Your are more likely to make a mistake reading coordinates than three words.
 
munch said:
And what 3 words is another means that aids location. You may not like it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a valid means of pinpointing your location.

To be honest your last comment is really, irrelevant, as the words are in front of you as you look at the application. Your are more likely to make a mistake reading coordinates than three words.
Click to expand...

You do not have to read a coordinate! The tech is already there.

with what three words you need a smartphone and the app. With coordinates you don’t.
with what three words you are reliant on the proprietary and secret algorithm that belongs to a private company that is trying desperately to make money. With coordinates you are not.
with what three words each square of definition bears absolutely no connection with the square next door, unless you have the algorithm you cannot find out what is right next to where you are. With coordinates you can.
 
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Pound Coin said:
You do not have to read a coordinate! The tech is already there.

with what three words you need a smartphone and the app. With coordinates you don’t.
with what three words you are reliant on the proprietary and secret algorithm that belongs to a private company that is trying desperately to make money. With coordinates you are not.
with what three words each square of definition bears absolutely no connection with the square next door, unless you have the algorithm you cannot find out what is right next to where you are. With coordinates you can.
Click to expand...

You do realise it's not compulsory to use it ?

I use OS maps for walking, probably like a lot of people I don't necessarily need to know the co-ordinates
to find my way round, I can actually rread a map and use a compass.
If anything happened I would find it difficult to tell emergency services exactly where I was, this is where
what2words comes into play, similarly if I was driving in an area I didn't know and came a cross an accident,
it would be very useful
I really can't understand you problem with someone trying to develop and very useful free to the public app
that's not making them a fortune at them moment

I wonder how long it will be before breakdown services use it, if they don't already

When I used to drive around for work, one RAC guy told me they always felt relieved when someone
knew the postcode if their breakdown, saved a lot of time finding you, but how many of know
every postcode ?
 
Gremlin said:
When I used to drive around for work, one RAC guy told me they always felt relieved when someone
knew the postcode if their breakdown, saved a lot of time finding you, but how many of know
every postcode ?
Click to expand...
Postcodes are great in urban areas, but not so much for those of us who venture out . . .
For example, the postcode for our farm covers a very large area, and if you put our postcode into the vehicle satnavs they will take you to a spot 3 miles from us. This is yet another benefit of what3words.
 
Gremlin said:
You do realise it's not compulsory to use it ?

I use OS maps for walking, probably like a lot of people I don't necessarily need to know the co-ordinates
to find my way round, I can actually rread a map and use a compass.
If anything happened I would find it difficult to tell emergency services exactly where I was, this is where
what2words comes into play, similarly if I was driving in an area I didn't know and came a cross an accident,
it would be very useful
I really can't understand you problem with someone trying to develop and very useful free to the public app
that's not making them a fortune at them moment

I wonder how long it will be before breakdown services use it, if they don't already

When I used to drive around for work, one RAC guy told me they always felt relieved when someone
knew the postcode if their breakdown, saved a lot of time finding you, but how many of know
every postcode ?
Click to expand...
It isn’t free.
it isn’t open source.
 
Pound Coin said:
It isn’t free.
it isn’t open source.
Click to expand...

So where do I pay the bill, never been asked, so to me it is free
Please explain where I personally am paying for it, if by donation that is a choice
not compulsory
 
Garry Edwards said:
Postcodes are great in urban areas, but not so much for those of us who venture out . . .
For example, the postcode for our farm covers a very large area, and if you put our postcode into the vehicle satnavs they will take you to a spot 3 miles from us. This is yet another benefit of what3words.
Click to expand...

If you know the postcode, which is my point, even where I actually live I only know my own postcode
not the surrounding streets
A stranger in the area who needed help would have a clue and may not even know the road/street name
if they needed some sort of assistance
My satnav is good at taking me to the wrong place at times, normally pretty good though
 
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