General Category > GPS
what 3 words
woollypigs:
I looked at this some years ago, quite neat.
https://what3words.com
Making your location easier to find/say to others and sometimes makes a funny sentence too. See you here - steadfast.marketplaces.ironworkers ? https://w3w.co/steadfast.marketplaces.ironworkers
Now some of the UK emergency services have started to use it, so it is catching on.
https://what3words.com/2019/03/uk-emergency-services-rollout-what3words-in-control-rooms-to-save-resources-time-and-lives/
FifeingEejit:
It's basically a rehash of the national grid thats been in use in various forms since the 1930s...
Except unlike the grid it won't work if you don't have a working GPS locater handy...
orienteer:
Being 2D, it doesn't identify individual premises in multi-storey buildings.
Feanor:
Is there an algorithm for determining the 3 words, given your location?
Or is it purely a hooting great rainbow table?
quixoticgeek:
--- Quote from: FifeingEejit on 27 March, 2019, 10:26:43 am ---It's basically a rehash of the national grid thats been in use in various forms since the 1930s...
Except unlike the grid it won't work if you don't have a working GPS locater handy...
--- End quote ---
No. Not really.
National grid only really covers the UK, and it's complex and hard for many people to communicate. Small errors in transcription can cause massive errors in where you end up. Especially if read over a poor phone line.
"Where are you?"
"TEE ARE 123456"
"Ok, See you at PEE ARE 123456"
"No, TEE ARE"
"Eh"
"TANGO ROMEO"
"AAAH"
Where as with What3Words, it's just "Purple.Monkey.Dishwasher" And because of the algorithm, Purple.Monkey.Pirate, is going to be thousands of kilometers away so you can easily check you're in the right ball park.
But the real development of what3words comes from the fact that the whole data structure fits in 10MB of disk/memory. And it works world wide.
When you consider how few countries have functional post codes (NL, UK, Eire, are a minority), and how many countries don't have actual addresses. What3words is actually an amazing invention. Sure it's not that much use to Brits, or the Dutch. But to someone in Mongolia, or the Ivory Coast, it's revolutionary. Having a postal address makes it a lot easier for people to participate in the process of government. The bureaucracy of a modern functioning society requires the ability of the government to send you information, be it a poling card, or an agricultural subsidy form. For that you need an address.
Yes what3words is a private enterprise, it's not an open standard. *BUT*, it's a beginning, and it really is revolutionary.
If you don't believe me, meet me at thinker.managed.groom, we can discuss it over a pint. It really is a great project.
J
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