What Three Words

[Mark-1]

There are plenty of apps which can send your gps location as an SMS, maybe we should be looking at those?

Much better, the ones I've seen the Emergency services send you a text link which opens your browser with an app that communicates your position. But (there's always a but) the ones I've seen (SARLOC was one Phonefind another IIRC) require good enough signal for data and (obvs) good enough signal for phone. If you have both of those you might as well just use Glimpse or WhatsApp location according to personal preference.

 

[Iliade]

I have had to call the emergency services more times than I care to recall. In the south at least, the UK ambulance service call handling system does not appear to have the capability to use any of the 'standard' navigational grids. They can just about cope with postcodes, which is very helpful when you are on a hillside in the middle of nowhere!

I even once spent about half an hour on the phone to the police trying to establish the location of a road incident while stood right beside the road name sign! Evidently their road map system didn't have the right name on it...

W3W and related systems do hold a lot of promise and the Ambulance service's dispatch system does work, at least with their own version, but the buggy nature when I have tried using W3W in anger is scary.
I think it is horses for courses - HM Coastguard really should stick to lat & long, please... Especially since they now appear to be rarely cognisant of major local features - "The burning boat is alongside Greenwich Light Vessel." "Where in London is that sir?"

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I've just had a notification alerting me to the fact that there are now extensions for Chrome and Firefox that integrate W3W into Google maps. That's quite a big + because the W3W mapping is a bit rubbish.

Products | what3words

They also tell me that it'll work with Garmin and Apple watch.

 

[Hermit]

Nice - Google Maps Chrome extension is very easy. And yes, does have an apple watch app.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

View attachment 108559

Nice - Google Maps Chrome extension is very easy. And yes, does have an apple watch app.

I'm loath to give identifying info out, but my mooring is at ///expensive.protests.generated. I might change the boat's name.

 

[Topcat47]

Anything that can help at a time of crisis has to be a good idea. I was knocked off my bike in West Sussex and the Emergency Call Centre I raised on my mobile was in Manchester. The poor girl had no idea where East Harting was or even Petersfield. Hampshire was no help either, she insisted I give her a post code. I lay in the gutter for half an hour until a bus came past and the driver took my phone and somehow got through to the local police. Just as well my battery was fully charged.

 

[penberth3]

Anything that can help at a time of crisis has to be a good idea. I was knocked off my bike in West Sussex and the Emergency Call Centre I raised on my mobile was in Manchester. The poor girl had no idea where East Harting was or even Petersfield. Hampshire was no help either, she insisted I give her a post code. I lay in the gutter for half an hour until a bus came past and the driver took my phone and somehow got through to the local police. Just as well my battery was fully charged.

Insisting on a Post Code really is stupid. Unless you live on that road how are you going to know? In rural areas its even less helpful.

 

[Stemar]

Insisting on a Post Code really is stupid. Unless you live on that road how are you going to know? In rural areas its even less helpful.

True, but a townie girl with no understanding of lat/long and, quite possibly no way for the caller to give one...

I suspect things would be different now. Not just lat/long on every phone, but W3W when it's easier for all. Not a replacement, just another tool in the box. Pick the one that suits. If I'm lying in the road in a strange town or out in the countryside, W3W sounds like a useful one.

 

[penberth3]

True, but a townie girl with no understanding of lat/long and, quite possibly no way for the caller to give one...

I suspect things would be different now. Not just lat/long on every phone, but W3W when it's easier for all. Not a replacement, just another tool in the box. Pick the one that suits. If I'm lying in the road in a strange town or out in the countryside, W3W sounds like a useful one.

I assumed they had access to street maps on-screen - something like an A to Z would give the answer 99% of the time.

 

[Newboy6458]

True, but a townie girl with no understanding of lat/long and, quite possibly no way for the caller to give one...

I suspect things would be different now. Not just lat/long on every phone, but W3W when it's easier for all. Not a replacement, just another tool in the box. Pick the one that suits. If I'm lying in the road in a strange town or out in the countryside, W3W sounds like a useful one.

Surely the stupidity was putting such a person on the emergency desk with inadequate resources and training?

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I assumed they had access to street maps on-screen - something like an A to Z would give the answer 99% of the time.

Just leave the other 1% where they fall then?

 

[HissyFit]

I assumed they had access to street maps on-screen - something like an A to Z would give the answer 99% of the time.

I've been doing a little research recently, and am amazed at how much detail is missing from Google maps and Streetmap. I'm looking to use this: OpenStreetMap

 

[penberth3]

I've been doing a little research recently, and am amazed at how much detail is missing from Google maps and Streetmap. I'm looking to use this: OpenStreetMap

I'm not surprised. That's why I mentioned A to Z, and there is similar mapping Philips, the AA etc., generally based on the OS. I've no idea what the emergency services use.

 

[TernVI]

I've been doing a little research recently, and am amazed at how much detail is missing from Google maps and Streetmap. I'm looking to use this: OpenStreetMap

I use komoot for cycling, which seems to be based on open streetmaps. It certainly has the same notable errors near here, like missing footpaths and roads which look as if they join up, but don't.
Bingmaps is a good portal to the OS data.
Some County Councils have better online maps than others, if you want their view of what is a right of way for instance.

As we're well into lounge territory anyway, any opinions on other cycling apps than Komoot? Its big weakness IMHO is that it doesn't show contour lines (or maybe I've not found how to switch them on!). The free version gives me half a county of map, stored offline in my phone and tracks my walking and cycling.

 

[chriss999]

If you change the map layout to satellite layout and go over the sea...zoom in and you'll see a load of boxes, every box has a unique set of words, seems to work over the sea as much as it does land. I'll have to give it a try the next time im out.

Yes. I understand about the squares being over land and sea. But in the boat I have a big red button to press in emergencies and it will broadcast my location with little more for me to do. On land I don’t.

 

[dunedin]

Whilst the grumblies grumble, more reports of successful land based rescues aided by W3W. What3words: Stafford women rescued from flooded river after using app
The rescue services seem to welcome W3W, so I am happy to go with their views

 

[dgadee]

Never heard of it but just had a quick look. It is proprietorial - unlike lat and long - and I suspect that may cause problems in future, for example when it has become a 'standard' at which point it becomes a valuable property to the owner. The overall idea seems quite useful, though.

 

[Newboy6458]

As I said way back, for the technically illiterate it’s brilliant.
For experienced navigators amongst us, other tools are available.

 

[RobbieW]

As we're well into lounge territory anyway, any opinions on other cycling apps than Komoot? Its big weakness IMHO is that it doesn't show contour lines (or maybe I've not found how to switch them on!). The free version gives me half a county of map, stored offline in my phone and tracks my walking and cycling.

Have a look at Windy Maps, it appears to use OS as the base and I think can be encouraged to show hills. You can always delete it if you dont like

 

[TernVI]

Have a look at Windy Maps, it appears to use OS as the base and I think can be encouraged to show hills. You can always delete it if you dont like

Thanx!