What3Words

[brown dog]

Heads-up to a really clever app for sharing gps locations to the nearest 3m, without using Lat Long.  

Emergency services in my neck of the woods have started using it.

And great for RVing with people/family at precise, rather than vague, locations:

https://what3words.com/about-us/

[force64]

i've been using it for about 3 months.  on a smartphone great integration with your navigation program be it google maps or Waze.

 

Andy

 

[Popsbengo]

1 hour ago, brown dog said:

Heads-up to a really clever app for sharing gps locations to the nearest 3m, without using Lat Long.  

Emergency services in my neck of the woods have started using it.

And great for RVing with people/family at precise, rather than vague, locations:

https://what3words.com/about-us/

Just tried it, really good.  Thanks for the tip

[Orka Akinse]

Been using this for about 12 months, great for when out in the countryside to mark quarry etc 

[Moorlander]

I can see its uses as its easier to remember three words than coordinates , so wheres this ? ///duke.vines.anyone

[Scotch_egg]

4 hours ago, Moorlander said:

I can see its uses as its easier to remember three words than coordinates , so wheres this ? ///duke.vines.anyone

Hatfield house 

[Moorlander]

7 hours ago, Scotch_egg said:

Hatfield house 

Yep , so it has it's uses so long as everyone has a suitable digital device, completely useless if they only have charts.

[brown dog]

1 hour ago, Moorlander said:

Yep , so it has it's uses so long as everyone has a suitable digital device, completely useless if they only have charts.

Well, yes, but rather a negative take. How are you visualising the UK communication between caller and recipient taking place? No mobile phones. VHF/ phonebox only?  Individuals without gps, but carrying relevant maps or charts?  That sounds like a scenario from the era of Heartbeat😂😊 

For UK use, ithe what3words comparator is against the inaccuracy of gps postcodes: Imagine you're calling an ambulance (presumably, from a phonebox, because your scenario doesn't envisage havinh a mobile phone) to someone in a large car park - what3words will get them within 3 metres. Postcode or address, if you know it, would just get them to the general area, and then you'd have to try to talk them in...from the phonebox.   

Lat Long? Good luck with finding your Lat Long in that car park, to similar accuracy, without a gps: Carrying an air nav chart when you go shopping, being able to determine your Lat Long from that chart, and then passing that Lat Long on a 999 call (again, from a phonebox, because you don't have a mobile phone) and it being understood and useable by a recipient also without a gps but, happily, with a chart covering where you happen to be.  (Think a helo could prob deal with it (albeit, almost certainly with dig lat long into a gps, rather than charts) but anyone else: no chart, no understanding of lat long, blank face) 

Same goes for grid ref without gps: You'd have to be out shopping carrying the correct map sheet in the car park (does anyone?!) and be able to map read precisely to 8fig anywhere; and then pass the grid by phone (again, from a phonebox, because you don't have a mobile phone) to someone else who not only has the same sheet, but can also map read to 8 fig - I doubt most emergency vehs carry full 1:50,000 OS mappage for their whole area, or, other than mtn rescue, have many (any?) responders trained in reading such maps to 8fig.

Or.. less dramatic... you're meeting a pal's picnic group at a massive outdoor concert ...what3words gets you within 3m in the open space covered by crowds of people

I can only see postives, and nothing to be reflexively cynical about. 😊

 

 

[Popsbengo]

I wonder if the military will use it to call in air-strikes 😉

[maximus otter]

2 hours ago, Popsbengo said:

I wonder if the military will use it to call in air-strikes 😉

What3words is accurate to 10 feet.

Modern L5 band GPS is accurate to 8" - 12"

maximus otter

[Popsbengo]

27 minutes ago, maximus otter said:

What3words is accurate to 10 feet.

Modern L5 band GPS is accurate to 8" - 12"

maximus otter

really?  I can sleep better knowing that now...

[brown dog]

11 hours ago, Popsbengo said:

I wonder if the military will use it to call in air-strikes 😉

It wouldn't be too shabby for that, using google earth photo view it, essentially, gives a point mensurated target location. ...  and 3m x 3m box  isn't 3m accuracy, it probably represents a CEP of about 1.7m  ....plenty close enough for government work.

[Popsbengo]

1 hour ago, brown dog said:

It wouldn't be too shabby for that, using google earth photo view it, essentially, gives a point mensurated target location. ...  and 3m x 3m box  isn't 3m accuracy, it probably represents a CEP of about 1.7m  ....plenty close enough for government work.

Jeezuz,  I was only kiddin'  dudes.

What a very literal bunch you are!