What3Words to launch rural applications awareness campaign

[JP1]

Next week #What3Words will launch their rural applications awareness campaign

This free to use App maps the entire World in 3m x 3m squares using three unique word references

Last week Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue service used the locator to find a remote animal rescue position.

Many police forces already use the system for pinpointing otherwise remote or featureless positions for incidents, crimes and rescues.

Every farmer and loan worker could make a list of useful location points ; remote delivery points, gate access points, air ambulance landing points with road ambulance access, reknowned poaching or hare coursing or fly tipping positions or etc

You don't need data on your mobile phone for the GPS system to give an exact location.

Keep a look out for further information posted on here and on The Farming Forum

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-04-15/police-use-three-words-to-find-someones-exact-location/

Police use three words to find someone's exact location

The app divides the world into 3x3 metre squares. Credit: What3Words


Three simple words will be able to help police in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire find someone's exact location.

The 'What 3 Words' app divides the world into 3x3 metre squares and gives each one a unique three-word address.

The aim is to improve response times and ultimately save lives.

Three simple words can act as coordinates, helping officers to find a caller's exact location by using a free mobile phone app.

Supt Nick Lyall, from Bedfordshire Police, said: "What3Words is a really quick way of finding those rural, remote locations and making sure we get our resources there as quickly as we possibly can.

"We've already had an example in Bedfordshire where it has been used to save a life, a man that tragically fell in the river. We were struggling to get an ambulance to him to provide the life saving first aid that he needed. The PCSO on the scene used What3Words to identify his location."

Police in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire will start using the app. Credit: ITV News Anglia
What3Words divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares. Each grid is given a unique three word address, for example - 'thinks, exact, issue'.

The coordinates link through to a GPS map, providing directions to the location.

But what if the caller doesn't have any data on their phone?

Geordie Palmer, from What3Words, said: "The app works offline so you can find the three word address of where you are without a data connection.

"If you don't have the app then what the forces do is send you an SMS with a link to the map site to find your location, in this scenario you would need data to get that three word address."

The app can pinpoint an exact location using three words. Credit: What3Words
The success of the app - here and elsewhere - relies on awareness and people using it.

Emergency services in our region believe it will have a positive impact.

David Lynch, from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "A lot of the time as a response, someone might say, well I'm half a mile away from this area.

"If someone uses the app they can give us the exact location which cuts down on seconds or even minutes where we can send out a response."

 

[JCMaloney]

100% agree it is a fantastic application.

 

[Brisel]

Good. It's about time more people realised the usefulness of this app.

I hope you're proud @cjrsheldrick

 

[JP1]

As an ex retained firefighter and a livestock keeper I agreed to the What3Words team coming to do some filming around me to highlight and try to explain some real and tangible uses for the App

What3Words are now making some videos to show how the system works and examples for how it can be used

It's free to use and does not require data for the GPS positioning system to work and you to establish any 3m x 3m grid anywhere in the World

• Find a specific farm yard entrance and the correct road approach using two simple location points
• Remotely let a third party haulier know where to tip lime / bio compost on a remote concrete pad
• Get your vet to a difficult calving in a remote handling pen away from the home farm
• Give your TB vet the co-ordinates to each of seven remote handling pen positions so there are no delays on the testing day
• Get an air ambulance landing on the top of a moor by the only road track suitable for land vehicles
• Work with your agronomist on finding specific land mapping points on the farm

Whole countries have now adopted this system e.g. Mongolia as opposed to setting up a post code system

It is worth noting the system is available in many languages not just English.

@MX7 @Guy Smith @Clive

 

[JP1]

Good. It's about time more people realised the usefulness of this app.

I hope you're proud @cjrsheldrick

He should be

You'd be surprised just how much energy it takes to convince some in the Government and in the industry leadership

 

[JP1]

Other examples of how your local knowledge could help establish key What3Words locators include:

• Sources of open water for major fire incidents. A Pre-determined attendance for a large barn fire or thatch fire will mean crews arriving without local knowledge. Someone with local knowledge could give vital co-ordinates for the rescue services co-ordinators to plan water relays
• Many large events happen without landmarks being very evident; festivals, equestrian events, forest runs etc. Your knowledge of the App might mean getting swift assistance
• So many deliverioes by truck using postcodes result in large vehicles getting lost, stuck, often unable to get hold of a farmer because of lack of mobile signal. We get this all the time in Wales especially where often the postcode takes someone down a road the wrong side of the valley. A private message to a haulier the day before telling him which way to approach the delivery point, a key gateway and an exact delivery spot would help everyone avoid a lot of frustration

You don't need to make these public, just have them to hand to help someone else and the rescue services

 

[JP1]

 

[Old Tip]

Enlighten me, why is it called What3Words, didn’t make any sense to me at all, but I am officially slow on the uptake

 

[JP1]

Enlighten me, why is it called What3Words, didn’t make any sense to me at all, but I am officially slow on the uptake

No worries

Just carry What3Words in your head over Easter with the lambing and I'll post a short video showing what the system does , probably ready at the end of next week

 

[H200GT]

I have had the app downloaded for some time, and encouraged others to do so.

Often in the industry I work in full time, as well as in agriculture, it involves working in remote areas that have no road access. In the event of a serious accident or medical emergency it could easily make the difference between life an death as finding the casualty can be time consuming. Twice I have had to call an ambulance in an emergency in the past, and twice there has been a delay in treating the casualty as the ambulance crew could not find the location we were in as postcodes would not take them to our location.

Never had to use it whats3words in anger yet, I just hope if I ever do the people on the other end of the line will know what I am on about.

Its a fantastic app - id encourage everyone to read up on it and download it.

 

[JP1]

I am very heartened by the comments so far on this thread. I have to say I felt there were too many with a negative slant when I last brought this up in 2017 or so

As @H200GT just said, the acid test would be in an emergency life or death situation and therefore a basic understanding of what W3W can do and how it works is essential

It's free for users and very simple

 

[JeepJeep]

Downloaded it this morning.

Quite impressed and so so simple.

 

[Brisel]

Enlighten me, why is it called What3Words, didn’t make any sense to me at all, but I am officially slow on the uptake

https://what3words.com/

 

[ThatsSomeSheep]

Presumably the words can be already in use and therefore easier to remember?

eg Hill Field Gate

TSS

 

[JP1]

https://what3words.com/

Next week, I hope to have a short video(s) up which show real W3W locations and drone footage to explain how it works

I may have only majored on the emergency angle but it's equally useful for mundane tasks like getting a pallet delivered effectively

 

[JP1]

Presumably the words can be already in use and therefore easier to remember?

eg Hill Field Gate

TSS

My own farm "pace.providing.districts"

Put that in W3W and you'll find me

 

[JP1]

Similarly go on line or on the App @ThatsSomeSheep and as you scroll over YOUR farm, you choose a memorable or most accurate 3m x 3m grid reference and then you can give that to anyone you wish to to find you / that location

 

[Brisel]

On Sunday I'll be at eating.lots.chocolate

Oh, that's somewhere in Vermont, USA!

 

[Old Tip]

Small Thistle Field will show me up for the farmer i am though, the field is small but the thistles are enormous

 

[Clive]

Good app

I’m currently sat at

https://w3w.co/thick.thus.claps

Waiting for a sprayer