Site of the Day for Friday, October 29, 2021
what3words Software of the Month
This month's software was developed in the UK in 2013, and although a patented
application is free for personal use worldwide. Designed as an app for both
Android and Apple phones it is available at each of the relevant sources.
Its purpose, through the use of three unique words, is to pinpoint any location
on Earth to a 3 meter square grid [approximately 3.5 square yards]. With the
app on a cellphone it will give the three words for the specific location on a
hiking trail in the middle of the woods, from a bewildering location in a
rabbit warren of suburban streets, or in an anonymous river that initially
looked promising for kayaking.
"The simplest way to talk about location ... Street addresses weren't designed
for 2021. They aren't accurate enough to specify precise locations, such as
building entrances, and don't exist for parks and many rural areas. ... This
makes it hard to find places and prevents people from describing exactly where
help is needed in an emergency. ...That's why we created what3words." - from
the website
What3words gained popularity in developing countries by their rescue services,
since it's easier to indicate a location using three words than with a long
series of map coordinate numbers. In the past few years, however, its use has
been adopted by emergency services in countries with more sophisticated search
facilities in place. For example, more than 40 emergency communications centers
in 8 of Canada's ten provinces have added it to their systems and virtually all
recommend it.
The website provides a host of details in their FAQ including answers to
numerous questions about languages in use within the app, such as noting that
words are assigned independently within each of the 50 languages currently
available; they are not translated. In addition, how the app is used on
cellphones is also covered in terms of signals and data.
While there may be a lingering controversy about the ease of use of what3words
versus the more traditional numerical map coordinates, there is much to be said
for having a quick backup to specify a location, be it a far corner of a junk
yard or a tucked away spot in a vast urban park.
Wheel over to the site for details on this interesting and potentially useful
cellphone app at:
https://what3words.com/about/
A.M. Holm
Comments? Suggestions? amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx
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