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What Three Words

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What Three Words

Postby 9fingers » 16 Apr 2021, 22:44

You've possibly heard about this worldwide "postcode" system where evvery 3m square on earth has been allocated a string of three words.

My workshop has three such codes. the middle one turns out to be curiously wood related seems vaguely relevant.

https://what3words.com

Bob
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Re: What Three Words

Postby woodstalker » 16 Apr 2021, 23:26

Bob is it safe to put the exact location of your workshop on an open forum. There’s all sorts of ‘guests’ and bots searching through the threads?
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Re: What Three Words

Postby AJB Temple » 16 Apr 2021, 23:35

:text-goodpost:

He's right.

Post the location of some local scallywag instead.

I've been aware of 3 words for ages but have never found a practical use for it in real life. It was touted a lot on the motorbike group I belong to.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby jimmy s » 17 Apr 2021, 00:12

We live out in the sticks and the house is not really visible from the road, so I've used it a few times for getting deliveries and suchlike, it takes the guesswork out of trying to explain where we are and what the entrance is like for getting large vehicles up etc.

Also I do cat 4 firework displays and have the worst sense of direction known to man. My sense of direction is legendary for all the wrong reasons. I dread trying to find fields miles from home in the middle of nowhere and driving round for ages knowing time is running out so looking forward to using it for that when we eventually get back to some semblance of normality.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 17 Apr 2021, 06:15

AJB Temple wrote::text-goodpost:

He's right.

Post the location of some local scallywag instead.

I've been aware of 3 words for ages but have never found a practical use for it in real life. It was touted a lot on the motorbike group I belong to.


Have an accident in the back of beyond. Give them the three words and the emergency services will find you.

Where we live, we're also hidden from the road to a certain extent and I've given the words to my missus in case either of us falls ill/has an accident.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby Sheffield Tony » 17 Apr 2021, 09:17

If you have an accident in the middle of nowhere and use your mobile to make an emergency call, your phone (Android for sure using Google ELS, I imagine Apple do the same) sends your location automatically. Unless you have turned it off.

I installed What 3 Words as a way of giving position in the event of an accident when off walking on my own. When I did need emergency services, I found didn't need it.

I've taken to using the Outdooractive app for maps and tracking on major walks, this has what3words built in. (Yes, I always take a paper map too, I can navigate old school with map and compass, but using an app saves a lot of flapping around re-folding maps, always in the windiest spot !)
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Re: What Three Words

Postby ScaredyCat » 17 Apr 2021, 10:19

What 3 words... just don't use it.

Biker Down recommend using it and it's just a bad idea. We'll set aside that they've burned through 14 miillion in cash for a 400k turnover or that if you took your app to France for example it wouldn't work because the dictionary is localized, and concentrate on how Flames.Shirt.Gasp said over a mobile phone is similar to Flame.Shirt.Gasp but 48 miles apart. Or that limitless.limit.less limit.less.limitless are in use, in the same country.

I mean use it to invite friend to a BBQ at your house - or give them your address like a normal. but no way use it for anything important - especially if it happens at dots.dots.dots...
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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 17 Apr 2021, 10:38

ScaredyCat wrote:What 3 words... just don't use it.

Biker Down recommend using it and it's just a bad idea. We'll set aside that they've burned through 14 miillion in cash for a 400k turnover or that if you took your app to France for example it wouldn't work because the dictionary is localized, and concentrate on how Flames.Shirt.Gasp said over a mobile phone is similar to Flame.Shirt.Gasp but 48 miles apart. Or that limitless.limit.less limit.less.limitless are in use, in the same country.

I mean use it to invite friend to a BBQ at your house - or give them your address like a normal. but no way use it for anything important - especially if it happens at dots.dots.dots...



Mmmm...now let me see. :eusa-think: I'm lying in a ditch in the middle of nowhere and bleeding profusely. Broken leg and in pain. Right at this moment in time, I don't think I'd care diddly squat about their business model. Or that it might/might not work in France. Or that the three words might get misheard since I'll be sending a link with the three words in it and so not speaking. I'd just be very relieved that, thanks to What3Words, the emergency services will soon find me.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby 9fingers » 17 Apr 2021, 11:01

I live near the "in" end of a one way lane where all the houses have names and no numbers. For some reason most satnav postcode data bases incorrectly have our postcode centre down a close turning off our lane and further along in the direction of traffic so it is a PITA giving direction to strangers to my house.
I usually have to email them saying "as soon as you enter the lane, ignore your sat nav and stop immediately after the second lamp post and you will be outside our house".

I've yet to try it but giving one of the many 3 word codes seems to be so much easier and I cannot see how that either gives any commercial gain to the company or puts me at any disadvantage and will save my visitors doing circuits along the lane, phoning me and me standing on the driveway, waving my arms like an idiot.

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Re: What Three Words

Postby ScaredyCat » 17 Apr 2021, 12:29

RogerS wrote:Mmmm...now let me see. :eusa-think: I'm lying in a ditch in the middle of nowhere and bleeding profusely. Broken leg and in pain. Right at this moment in time, I don't think I'd care diddly squat about their business model. Or that it might/might not work in France. Or that the three words might get misheard since I'll be sending a link with the three words in it and so not speaking. I'd just be very relieved that, thanks to What3Words, the emergency services will soon find me.


Unless you've turned it off when you dial 999 on your mobile phone it automatically sends your location, but you rely on starting the app getting your location and texting it in you very specific accident case :eusa-snooty:
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Re: What Three Words

Postby ScaredyCat » 17 Apr 2021, 12:32

9fingers wrote:I live near the "in" end of a one way lane where all the houses have names and no numbers. For some reason most satnav postcode data bases incorrectly have our postcode centre down a close turning off our lane and further along in the direction of traffic so it is a PITA giving direction to strangers to my house.
I usually have to email them saying "as soon as you enter the lane, ignore your sat nav and stop immediately after the second lamp post and you will be outside our house".

I've yet to try it but giving one of the many 3 word codes seems to be so much easier and I cannot see how that either gives any commercial gain to the company or puts me at any disadvantage and will save my visitors doing circuits along the lane, phoning me and me standing on the driveway, waving my arms like an idiot.

Bob


There's no harm is using it for that. The issue is it shouldn't be used for emergencies.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby Vann » 17 Apr 2021, 13:31

Hmmm.... The urinal at work is "zips.bolt.humble" :eusa-think:

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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 18 Apr 2021, 17:39

Sheffield Tony wrote:If you have an accident in the middle of nowhere and use your mobile to make an emergency call, your phone (Android for sure using Google ELS, I imagine Apple do the same) sends your location automatically. Unless you have turned it off.

...


In case anyone wants to check, it's in Settings > Location. It uses the Fused Location Provider but, just like W3W needs a good GPS signal. And a mobile signal to make the call ! Accuracy is about 3m if the GPS is good.

As an aside, the muppets, who designed the s/w for the Google Nest camera, use only the mobile masts to triangulate your position. Doh :eusa-doh: In a marginal reception area, your location is all over the place as the mobile signal strength keeps changing.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 Apr 2021, 18:43

RogerS wrote:
Sheffield Tony wrote:If you have an accident in the middle of nowhere and use your mobile to make an emergency call, your phone (Android for sure using Google ELS, I imagine Apple do the same) sends your location automatically. Unless you have turned it off.

...


In case anyone wants to check, it's in Settings > Location. It uses the Fused Location Provider but, just like W3W needs a good GPS signal. And a mobile signal to make the call ! Accuracy is about 3m if the GPS is good.

As an aside, the muppets, who designed the s/w for the Google Nest camera, use only the mobile masts to triangulate your position. Doh :eusa-doh: In a marginal reception area, your location is all over the place as the mobile signal strength keeps changing.


I don’t disagree with your example earlier Rog, but in this message you have “hoist yourself with your own petard” again. As you correctly state, the inbuilt system requires a good GPS signal and a mobile signal. Well without both of those you ain’t sending a W3W link to anyone...

Let’s all agree that it’s good, but not perfect and no better or worse than a GPS coordinate, other than it might be a bit easier (except on those occasions when it isn’t!) :D
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Re: What Three Words

Postby Woodbloke » 18 Apr 2021, 19:57

TrimTheKing wrote:...the inbuilt system requires a good GPS signal and a mobile signal. Well without both of those you ain’t sending a W3W link to anyone...



I'm a bit of a klutz at this sort of malarky, but I've read of examples (can't remember when) where some individuals have been stuck on some remote and very inhospitable mountainside in the middle of Jocktland and needed a bit of TLC from the Mountain Rescues chaps. They did the W3W thingie and were promptly rescued in a timely manner by said MR complete with St. Bernard woofers carrying the obligatory barrel of 'the good stuff' (not really :lol: )

I would have thought that their location meant that the chances of them having a decent mobile signal were remote to impossible? - Rob
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Re: What Three Words

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 Apr 2021, 20:10

I was being particularly pedantic Rob. Roger talked about “sending a link” as in highlighting a web link to the W3W location and sending that to an emergency service. You can’t do that without a 3G signal.

You can still read them the words but in the previous use case of similar words being miles apart then there is a small chance of error.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very valuable service and I’m sure has helped a LOT of people, it’s just fallible, like many others. The world is a better place with it than without though, of that I don’t disagree.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 18 Apr 2021, 21:12

TrimTheKing wrote:
RogerS wrote:
Sheffield Tony wrote:If you have an accident in the middle of nowhere and use your mobile to make an emergency call, your phone (Android for sure using Google ELS, I imagine Apple do the same) sends your location automatically. Unless you have turned it off.

...


In case anyone wants to check, it's in Settings > Location. It uses the Fused Location Provider but, just like W3W needs a good GPS signal. And a mobile signal to make the call ! Accuracy is about 3m if the GPS is good.

As an aside, the muppets, who designed the s/w for the Google Nest camera, use only the mobile masts to triangulate your position. Doh :eusa-doh: In a marginal reception area, your location is all over the place as the mobile signal strength keeps changing.


I don’t disagree with your example earlier Rog, but in this message you have “hoist yourself with your own petard” again. As you correctly state, the inbuilt system requires a good GPS signal and a mobile signal. Well without both of those you ain’t sending a W3W link to anyone...

Let’s all agree that it’s good, but not perfect and no better or worse than a GPS coordinate, other than it might be a bit easier (except on those occasions when it isn’t!) :D


Not at all, Mark. I was responding to Scaredycat's dismissal of W3W as a CoS.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby spb » 18 Apr 2021, 21:42

Just to play devil's advocate: in most cases, a reliable data connection requires a stronger signal than a phone call, which in turn requires a stronger signal than sending an SMS. It's absolutely possible to be in a situation where you could send a message with three words in it, but a voice call would be sketchy and anything relying on a data connection wouldn't work at all.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 18 Apr 2021, 21:49

spb wrote:Just to play devil's advocate: in most cases, a reliable data connection requires a stronger signal than a phone call, which in turn requires a stronger signal than sending an SMS. It's absolutely possible to be in a situation where you could send a message with three words in it, but a voice call would be sketchy and anything relying on a data connection wouldn't work at all.


That's why W3W can send a text ...doesn't need 3G. As Mark now knows ....tee hee :lol:
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Re: What Three Words

Postby spb » 18 Apr 2021, 22:22

RogerS wrote:That's why W3W can send a text ...doesn't need 3G. As Mark now knows ....tee hee :lol:

Right, whereas Google's ELS might be using SMS or data depending on how your mobile network decided to set it up. If it's over data, it's entirely possible that W3W might work even when the automatic location reporting doesn't.

When it comes to things like emergency use, I think saying "don't use this" isn't really helpful. "Don't rely on this exclusively," yes, but the more options you have available the better the chance that one of them will work. If you're out in the wilds, always have a backup, and a backup to the backup; having a couple of extra apps on your phone is a no-brainer when seen in that context.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby RogerS » 18 Apr 2021, 22:25

spb wrote:
RogerS wrote:That's why W3W can send a text ...doesn't need 3G. As Mark now knows ....tee hee :lol:

Right, whereas Google's ELS might be using SMS or data depending on how your mobile network decided to set it up. If it's over data, it's entirely possible that W3W might work even when the automatic location reporting doesn't.

When it comes to things like emergency use, I think saying "don't use this" isn't really helpful. "Don't rely on this exclusively," yes, but the more options you have available the better the chance that one of them will work. If you're out in the wilds, always have a backup, and a backup to the backup; having a couple of extra apps on your phone is a no-brainer when seen in that context.


:text-goodpost:
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Re: What Three Words

Postby ScaredyCat » 19 Apr 2021, 09:40

spb wrote:When it comes to things like emergency use, I think saying "don't use this" isn't really helpful. "Don't rely on this exclusively," yes, but the more options you have available the better the chance that one of them will work. If you're out in the wilds, always have a backup, and a backup to the backup; having a couple of extra apps on your phone is a no-brainer when seen in that context.


The problem with w3w is that *many* locations using very similar words (more often plurals) result in the locations being close to each other, not in different countries.

profiled.reply.interrupt - profiled.reapply.interrupt 39km
cost.good.human - cost.goods.human 43 metres apart.
tone.locals.ruler - tone.local.ruler 10 metres apart

Now while those location and distances might mean you just have to look around they could also mean at the top of a hill/mountain or whatever.

The big problem is W3w claim they've spread those similar sounding far apart. It's just not true. It's not that there are just a handful there's thousands of them. 29000 pairs under 1km, 44million under 100km...

I haven't even started on getting us into a situation where our emergency services start having to pay licensing fees for access to the data.

SMS messages are sent in the header packets, so when your phone talks to a tower if it gets any signal at all, it can send/receive an SMS (it's also why they shouldn't cost money to send but that's by-the-by).

Don't get me wrong, the idea is fine the implementation is sh*t and the licensing is a dark road. I'd rather more ambulances/fire crews/whatever than spending on licensing for something that's not even novel. You could look at pluscodes, that's an open system.
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Re: What Three Words

Postby 9fingers » 19 Apr 2021, 10:04

Plus codes look interesting especially if they are used by cut a paste or other electronic transfer means but otherwise even more easy to make transcription errors.

I'm curious as to why they use a retangular box shape not sections of a square grid.
The area seems to be about 100sq m which is plently fine enough resolution but the shape is around 8m x 12m measure with mk1 eyeball.

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Re: What Three Words

Postby droogs » 19 Apr 2021, 10:26

Hilarious location of my bed (and i don't mind people knowing where I sleep or poo. My bed is located at:

moral.soon.prone and the toilet is pizza.spent.stack

and the control console for the big SCM Accord CNC is: menu.edits.complains

Scary how well they know my life


:lol:
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Re: What Three Words

Postby SamQ aka Ah! Q! » 19 Apr 2021, 19:51

Droogs, I am quite often visiting at train.held.monkey. Lovely part of the world.

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