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What 3 words


JTaylor91
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I think w3w is good within it’s limitations, the main one being that you still need a form of communication to relay the 3 word “coordinates” to emergency services. I don’t think it will add much to my safety as I always have two devices that give GPS coordinates, but I accept that if the brown stuff is hitting the fan, it’s easier to say 3 words than give numerical coordinates. Having said that, I’d be activating my PLB in an emergency.

As an aside, I use my phone for GPS navigation when bush hunting. Maps are pre-downloaded and no signal is required. It’s never failed, I know exactly where I am all the time, even under dense canopy.

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2 hours ago, manthing said:

If your relying on the phones combined data/GPS signal to get your position its only as good as that. Just checked my position and its put me a good 80yards from where I am. 

How accurate is it at getting the handsets position?

I don't know if it is still the case, but I remember when GPS was coming into service in the forces - Military has resolution down to 1 meter but civil licensing had it to 10 meters. I do know that there is now a European system now.

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As a mountain rescue team member I have very mixed feelings about w3w.  I can see the benefits in urban and  rural areas for getting a vehicle to the right door etc, but for people out on the hills a good old 6 figure grid ref is what we like to see.  Firstly it would indicate you had a map which means that maybe all you need is a little assistance or local knowledge to get you right.  Secondly, it saves us having to translate w3w into a grid ref (MR, coastguard and air ambulance do not navigate by w3w).  In the last couple of months we have had 4 locations provided by w3w, 2 were accurate, the other 2 put our casualties in Alaska and Northampton when in fact they were actually in the Yorkshire Dales), they do get mixed up in translation/repetition.  We have now adapted our incident management platform to translate w3w into a grid ref, we don’t necessarily like it in our particular field of operation, but accept that it’s here to stay for now.

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5 hours ago, discobob said:

I don't know if it is still the case, but I remember when GPS was coming into service in the forces - Military has resolution down to 1 meter but civil licensing had it to 10 meters. I do know that there is now a European system now.

10m would be good. With out physically moving my "position" moved approx 110m.

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15 hours ago, manthing said:

OK, just installed and w3w has my position some 30m in the opposite direction...

What system does it use to locate the handset?

I've just checked it and it's got me sat in my neighbours garden not in my house.

Left it a few minutes and it's got me now 👍

The white square is where it said I was.

 

Screenshot_20200106-212328.jpg

Edited by harrycatcat1
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  • 8 months later...

Well a resurrection of a thread but I used this app in an actual scenario yesterday. While walking the dog, two Polish chaps shouted me over. A woman that I have spoke to a few time’s had fallen from her mobility scooter and into the canal. They had hold of an arm each but they couldn’t pull her out, the three of us tried but with the sidings and her being on the bigger side it was a real struggle. They had already dialled 999 but with their limited English the operator didn’t really know what was going on or where they were. I spoke to the operator to explain the situation and the operator asked, do you know of an app called what 3 words? Loaded it up and gave her my location. In the mean time we had managed to pull her out on the 4th attempt. The emergency services did finally arrive all in all they sent 4 fire engines, 2 ambulances, an ambulance responder, 3 police cars and........a helicopter! 
 

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30 minutes ago, discobob said:

and what were the three little words - nuclear explosion imminent???😂

I know, I think the whole lot was sent due to the Polish chaps struggling to explain what was happening. The helicopter didn’t land and flew off when I told the operator we had got her out.

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1 hour ago, Medic1281 said:

Major incident declared! 

Could be tricky getting resources to this! The w3w address for major incident declared! 

8A3614BA-33F7-4DD0-8D52-5DFE0D9ADB3B.png

That was a geuine laugh out loud moment for me.  There is now a very real danger of me disappearing down the rabbit hole and wasting so much time in trying to find ridiculous phrased places.

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I have used w3w once when I came to a car accident on a country road 

I now also ask when on Humane Dispatch call outs having more than once being given a post code that was not exactly nearby

It is invaluable for marking each mole trap when I am doing a big acreage with a lot of traps - especially in the winter when I might be checking using a headlamp and even more especially if the area contains cattle/sheep/deer who simply love treading on the interesting red sticks.

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Just not sure how useful it will be in true survival  situations, as u will need a phone signal and battery life, not something u want to depend on in the wild or remote places

A map and compas will always be king in my eyes as long as u can use them, which sadly is a dying skill

And u will run the increased risk among the numpties wrongly thinking w3w means they don't need any other maps or emergency survival gear. The sort of folk doing ben Nevis in flip flops which happens

To be honest it will make no difference for emergency services etc wether u give gtid refs, long/lat or 3 words and in most cases make no odds to user either as all 3 will most likely involve an app on ur phone.so makes no odds wot the app converts the info too

 

But I would say for say recording shot deer in records not much good as doesn't tell u were they are in relation to each other, u could look at grid references and know how close and wot direction deer were shot to even without looking at a map

 

I don't think spelling mistakes will make a massive difference as long as the folk know wot region ur in, I made a typo the other day and similar spellings came up

 India and America so as long as u give nearest town should be good enough.

 

Can u link 3 words app to a decent mApping app?

I was showing a driver it yest so he could use it to get fitters out to his harvester/forwarder. 

The map it was on just showed a mass of green with no forest tracks marked so completely useless to find that machine as sometimes the correct forest track might sweep in wrong direction for a bit.

Never used it yet to find a site  so dunno how useful, but it should be ideal, some forests are just a maze of tracks know a few that u can drive 20+ miles on the main drag into the wood not including the manyloops and dead ends

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4 hours ago, scotslad said:

Just not sure how useful it will be in true survival  situations, as u will need a phone signal and battery life, not something u want to depend on in the wild or remote places

A map and compas will always be king in my eyes as long as u can use them, which sadly is a dying skill

And u will run the increased risk among the numpties wrongly thinking w3w means they don't need any other maps or emergency survival gear. The sort of folk doing ben Nevis in flip flops which happens

To be honest it will make no difference for emergency services etc wether u give gtid refs, long/lat or 3 words and in most cases make no odds to user either as all 3 will most likely involve an app on ur phone.so makes no odds wot the app converts the info too

 

But I would say for say recording shot deer in records not much good as doesn't tell u were they are in relation to each other, u could look at grid references and know how close and wot direction deer were shot to even without looking at a map

 

I don't think spelling mistakes will make a massive difference as long as the folk know wot region ur in, I made a typo the other day and similar spellings came up

 India and America so as long as u give nearest town should be good enough.

 

Can u link 3 words app to a decent mApping app?

I was showing a driver it yest so he could use it to get fitters out to his harvester/forwarder. 

The map it was on just showed a mass of green with no forest tracks marked so completely useless to find that machine as sometimes the correct forest track might sweep in wrong direction for a bit.

Never used it yet to find a site  so dunno how useful, but it should be ideal, some forests are just a maze of tracks know a few that u can drive 20+ miles on the main drag into the wood not including the manyloops and dead ends

It uses Google maps. I’m not sure what would be better? If you press the icon in the bottom right it switches to a satellite view.

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19 minutes ago, wigeon jim said:

Do you have to remember the three words then phone emergency services or can you be on the phone to emergency and access the three words to read them out?

You can send/share the W3W link via text message (SMS) as long as you have registered your mobile with the emergency services and your phone can receive a GSM signal. Any network will accept/send 112 or 999 texts but only your 'home' network can recieve replies.

To get an accurate position you need to have GPS enabled on your phone and wait approx 30 to 45 seconds after turning on the app.

Edited by miki
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A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine came across a chap who had suffered a heart attack on a minor road about 1 1/2 miles out of the village. He called the for an ambulance and gave them the nearest postcode and house name that he knew of, somebody was sent to that house to meet the ambulance. He also gave the w3w details. Unfortunately there are 2 houses in the village with the same name, the ambulance crew went to the wrong house. It was later discovered that the w3w details were not passed on to them either. They lost around 20 mins looking for the location and the chap unfortunately died.

They may not have been able to do anything for the chap but they may have got there a bit quicker if they had the w3w details passed on to them.

 

It is not infallible and not as accurate as grid reference. I do not have a map on me all the time but I do have my phone and when out and about (looking for pigeons) on minor roads it does seem to give a reasonably accurate position.

 

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19 hours ago, wigeon jim said:

Do you have to remember the three words then phone emergency services or can you be on the phone to emergency and access the three words to read them out?

On most phones now you can in effect move the call screen to the background and carry on using the phones other features as normal. So you would call 999 and once connected close the "phone" screen and then you can go back into W3W and use is as normal while speaking to the emergency services 

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On 06/01/2020 at 12:05, Jonty said:

As a mountain rescue team member I have very mixed feelings about w3w.  I can see the benefits in urban and  rural areas for getting a vehicle to the right door etc, but for people out on the hills a good old 6 figure grid ref is what we like to see.  Firstly it would indicate you had a map which means that maybe all you need is a little assistance or local knowledge to get you right.  Secondly, it saves us having to translate w3w into a grid ref (MR, coastguard and air ambulance do not navigate by w3w).  In the last couple of months we have had 4 locations provided by w3w, 2 were accurate, the other 2 put our casualties in Alaska and Northampton when in fact they were actually in the Yorkshire Dales), they do get mixed up in translation/repetition.  We have now adapted our incident management platform to translate w3w into a grid ref, we don’t necessarily like it in our particular field of operation, but accept that it’s here to stay for now.

I recently called 999 and asked for coastguard to report a canoe over turned in the sea, 1 man clinging to it, 1 man drifting. I had a grid reference prepared but was asked to spell out what3words location. I did in proper phonetics but the operator kept asking stupid questions like is that B for butter instead of accepting Bravo.

When the coastguard turned up there where more chiefs than indians and I told them to go forth and multiply till they had finished arguing who was in charge and who was going to tell the RNLI which way to go. They tried several times to tell the life boat turn left or right. Zero co ordination. I asked the 999 operator to be connected to the RNLI boat and was. By simple directions of turn towards the coast (in this case starboard) and forward 500 i talked them onto the swimmer first.

My answer therefore is KISS. The simpler the better. 1 system everyone can understand. This should also be publicised widely. For the responders delegate responsibility before deployment not in front of the general public.

Incidently, im used to giving orders, taking charge and never accepting back chat and never ever backing down. 

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