What 3 Words

[picker]

Can anyone explain how we can use the what 3 words app.Lets say if I need help and have the app on my phone.

[Buenchico]

The app simply divides the world into 3 metre by 3 metre squares, with each square being identified by a unique group of three words. You simply open the app and read the three words that are shown on your screen.

If, say, you're involved in a road accident on a country road, where you don't know the number of the road and you didn't notice the name of the village you drove through a while back, you can tell the ambulance service that you're at "self.proudest.tagging" or "loafing.pods.records". (They're both real locations not too far from me but I've deliberately not used my actual home location). The operator can simply type those words into their system and your exact location will appear on the screen in the cab of the ambulance that they send out to you.

[Buenchico]

Not having What3words on your phone is a bit like not having a smoke detector in your home (but, unlike a smoke detector, What3words is free!)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49319760

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47705912

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-51615597

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49856740

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-50318925

[theprof]

I can't speak highly enough about What3Words. Mrs Prof and myself love the UK canal network and we either hire or borrow a narrowboat each year for a couple of weeks at a time. A couple of years ago, the main battery on a hired boat gave up the ghost while we were on a well known canal ring. We were in the middle of nowhere on the network and quite a few miles away from any human habitation. The postcode for the area concerned covered good few miles of the canal, something that's not unusual in the rural countryside. I had limited phone reception, but did manage to contact the marina.
By convention, narrowboat users describe their position to others by stating they are between any two given bridges - virtually all bridges on the network have a number. However, the two bridges concerned were some distance apart. Anyhow, I phoned the marina and tried to describe where we were to the less than helpful manager. His attitude left much to be desired so I asked him to install What3Words on his tablet. He thought I was winding him up initially. After some persuasion, I gave him the three words applicable to our location. He understood the meaning of the words eventually and told his engineer to install the app and head for the location.
The guy turned up two hours later with a new battery on a trolley. He had pulled it from where he was parked around half a mile away along the towpath and admitted he would have had a hell of a job to find us if it wasn't for the app.
The app is now used extensively by narrowboat users on the canal network and is recommended in the guidance manual on most hire boats.

[Spicerack]

You'd think (I would) they'd run out of words.
Obviously not.

[Spicerack]

Does it work at sea as well?

[Buenchico]

^^^ The system only uses 40,000 words, Spicerack, but (since 'dog.cat.fox' is different to 'cat.fox.dog') that provides 64 billion combinations.

[Mamyalynne]

Spice

https://support.what3words.com/en/articles/3579928-how-does-what3words-work-for-the-sea

[jim360]

DOes work at sea too, eg:

https://what3words.com/offscreen.oldie.failure

[Spicerack]

Of course, I was thinking of 9? combinations of 3 words and then another 9? of 3 different words but you can 'drop' 1 of the words and put any 1 of 40,000 in it's place.

[Buenchico]

>>> Does it work at sea as well?

From the RNLI Thanet website:
"Coastguard Operation Rooms across the UK can access ‘What 3 Words’ as part of a suite of tools to locate those in distress. There isn’t always mobile phone coverage at sea, so carry a VHF radio or Personal Locator Beacon as well to call for help"

https://thanetrnlicommunitysafety.org.uk/have-you-downloaded-the-what-3-words-app-yet/

[Spicerack]

Better than all that latitude/longitude stuff for landlubbers.

[theprof]

There are 40,000 words in the English language database Spicerack. This is all that is needed to cover every 3 metre by 3 metre square on the entire planet using combinations of those 40,000 words.

[Buenchico]

^^^ Correction to my maths!

I seem to have been thinking in terms of the old British definition of 'billion' (ten to the power 12), rather than the now universally-accepted definitions of 'billion' (ten to the power 9) and 'trillion' (ten to the power 12). So "64 billion', above, should read "64 trillion".

(I'm obviously showing my age!)

[jim360]

In case you noticed it, I hope you didn't mind the example what3words at sea I chose. I came across it by accident I assure you, spicey :)

[NickorWan]

Magpie crossword mag carried a treasure hunt in the December 2018 issue, where all puzzles were set by the editors and each in a different way led to three words. One set gave the site, then the others each led to one square on the site - together they formed a larger square where the centre square was PENNY DROP MOMENT. Very clever.

Great site, we have an Airbnb and have used it on occasion to give directions.

Great mag too.