The thing like GPS that uses 4 words instead of lat / long?

[D.P.]

I'm not sure, that's why I removed my post. I know that you need to pay for access to the postcode database but I'm not sure whether there's any agreement to let emergency services have free access.


You don't always have a data connection to send that via an app. I suppose you could make an app to send a text message with that info, but that's not always reliable in low signal areas. At least if you can easily tell someone the info over the phone you'll know for sure they received the info.

If you have no data or SMS then it is extremely unliekly you have any voice.

 

[D.P.]

You really can't think of any situation where it would be useful to verbally communicate your location?

What about in the scenario above (you need help but can't move) but you have a sat phone or 2way radio with you which you can use?
What about in the scenario above but you have a friend with you who can walk to get help and will need to communicate your location to someone.

No regular person has a sat phone. You can buy satelleite emergency transponders, which guess what, send your exact GPS location.

 

[touch]

You can buy satelleite emergency transponders, which guess what, send your exact GPS location.

I know, I've got one and it's very reassuring.
That doesn't mean there would never be any situation where I want to communicate my location manually. I'd rather have more options available to me on the off-chance that it might be needed one day.

 

[esmozz]

Any method of passing location information is going to be fallible. Voice, SMS, or data can all fail in different ways as can the systems in place to process the information.

Which is why you would want a multi-tier approach to the problem - I don't think anybody is suggesting the W3W should be the only way of communicating location information.

I can certainly see situations where it would be useful.

Its worth noting to the naysayers that the U.K. emergency services do seem to be using it - I assume they know what they're talking about.

As a side note - ELTs have a massive false alarm rate, I doubt very much if an ELT activation without any supporting information (such as a missed check-in for hikers, for example) will generate a prompt response from the emergency services.

 

[Django x2]

Because a phonecall is realtime. You know immediately if your message got through and try to get help by another means if not.
How long are you going to sit there with your text message pending waiting to be rescued? Minutes? Hours? What if you never get signal?

Err, then you'd never get a phonecall out either. They use the same cell network. If you have signal for a call, you have signal for a text. The point being, a traditional SMS needs a smidge of signal long enough to send those packets. A call will require significantly more stable cell connection than SMS

 

[esmozz]

Err, then you'd never get a phonecall out either. They use the same cell network. If you have signal for a call, you have signal for a text. The point being, a traditional SMS needs a smidge of signal long enough to send those packets. A call will require significantly more stable cell connection than SMS

I think, although SMS and Voice use the same signal, SMS is processed differently and so could fail in a different way. For example I'm pretty sure it is possible for the SMS messaging system to fail independently from a voice call.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Me and my wife downloaded and talked about this APP yesterday.
Today I left work but I'm still a bit ill so rang her to come and fetch me and my bike.
I told her to use What3words and to use the location stores.salt.handed and she navigated straight to me - how good is that

 

[Malevolence]

I told her to use What3words and to use the location stores.salt.handed and she navigated straight to me - how good is that

I was cycling down there myself just last night, came down past the Hospital and all way down Harpfields to Keelings Drive roundabout and then up Keelings into Oakhill.

 

[D.P.]

Me and my wife downloaded and talked about this APP yesterday.
Today I left work but I'm still a bit ill so rang her to come and fetch me and my bike.
I told her to use What3words and to use the location stores.salt.handed and she navigated straight to me - how good is that

ir you could use wattsapp and share location

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I was cycling down there myself just last night, came down past the Hospital and all way down Harpfields to Keelings Drive roundabout and then up Keelings into Oakhill.

My evening commute is
Hilton Rd > Harpland Rd > Collin Rd > Trent Valley Rd > London Rd > Round by the left side of the old Michelin > Campbell Rd roundabout > Incinerator > Bet365 > Blurton/Heron Cross

 

[SexyGreyFox]

ir you could use wattsapp and share location

You could do it a lot of ways, I wanted to try that way.
I can't see the Emergency Services sharing on Whatsapp though.

 

[D.P.]

You could do it a lot of ways, I wanted to try that way.
I can't see the Emergency Services sharing on Whatsapp though.

they may or may not use wattsapp, but they certainly use alternatives such as 112app.

 

[Django x2]

I remember back in May when I said this was being adopted by the emergency services, only to be told it wouldn't be.

Oh, look how that turned out...

 

[Resident]

I think, although SMS and Voice use the same signal, SMS is processed differently and so could fail in a different way. For example I'm pretty sure it is possible for the SMS messaging system to fail independently from a voice call.

It is and does happen. To put it in a computing sense SMS is POP3 mail & voice is http.

Your mail server failing doesn't stop you from browsing websites but the data for both uses the same Internet connection.

 

[iamdjdz]

I remember back in May when I said this was being adopted by the emergency services, only to be told it wouldn't be.

Oh, look how that turned out...

I'm not sure what you mean by look how that turned out but I'm aware of it being used by the fire service. I'm not allowed to provide source or details but was told about it being used very recently to get an appliance to a scene.

 

[SixTwoSix]

Story on the beeb from last month about it.

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

I was talking to folks in work about this a while ago, firstly they thought I was joking then when they knew I wasn't there were plenty of dismissive comments along the likes of why not just use your phone gps.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Yesterday evening my wife was going to a party where she hadn't been before so she used What3words and went straight to her friends house.
The woman lived in a village and the postcode covered all the village but What3words got her straight to the door.
That was twice in one day she used it.

 

[Django x2]

I'm not sure what you mean by look how that turned out but I'm aware of it being used by the fire service. I'm not allowed to provide source or details but was told about it being used very recently to get an appliance to a scene.

Read up through the thread. It was clear one individual thought he knew better because he attended some meeting once. In actual fact, it's been used by most of the emergency services for most of this year, even recommended to some callers who have not been able to provide a decent location. It's integrated into STORM for quite some time now but just not been enabled or utilised across the board.

 

[champ222]

surely this system, with a bit of common sense can work well?

If your trying to find your friends house out in the sticks near Northampton, but the 3 words take you to Manchester or somewhere in China, its pretty obvious youve got it wrong.

If your phoning the emergency services, give them the words, and they type them in, look at the screen and say "are you in a field near bedford?" for example, you should know that much.

Seems like a good system, with a simple double check.

 

[ColdAsIce]

Without going through the whole thread I could sympathise with one of the original complaints with the 3 word system. One being that if the person on the other end of the phone miss hears you or say you have a strong accent that is hard to decipher in a foreign Country then mistakes can easily happen. The 3 words are so unique that even getting one wrong could throw you 100 if not 1000s of miles away from the actual location. Certainly seems useful though, especially if you can text the 3 word answer.