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What3words (1 Viewer)

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This has to be the simplest way to give directions for birds etc!
The whole world divided into 3m squares each designated with a unique 3 word code.

The app is good. You can speak the words then send it to a map app for navigation.

Could spell the end of looking for telegraph pole 11, after the Aspen, next to the dead tree!
 
I was looking for wasp spiders today. If the finder/reporter had used W3W I could have walked up to them. As it was I spent all my time hundreds of yards away����. Bring it on!!

Rusd
 
ditto with small Flowers!

The trouble with a grid ref, is that it sends you to the South West (?) corner of what could be a fairly big area if you don't have enough digits.


There are some pitfalls tho.. not least, if you have the app set to English, then you can't simply translate the words into another language! "databases" in other languages, I believe, are totally unrelated, which could be a problem abroad.
 
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It is a great system - I know our local police force use it so have it installed on my kids phones I case of an emergency. It definitely has great potential for use with wildlife sightings but will take a while for people to get used to using it.
 
I think most of us have heard about it, from a video where it is claiming it can save lives, by the emergency services using it. 3 words being easier to relay than a massive grid reference.
I'm not convinced, every possible 3 word combination must be used, and the chances of a typo, or mis-hearing over the phone are just as high. (Send three and fourpence, we're going to a dance! etc.)

But It *could* be useful for birding.. e.g. it's in the bushes at ///dividers.later.widen !
(That one is near you in Bempton area, there's nothing there as far as I know, before I get done for what3word stringing! )
 
peter.jones said:
But It *could* be useful for birding.. e.g. it's in the bushes at ///dividers.later.widen !
(That one is near you in Bempton area, there's nothing there as far as I know, before I get done for what3word stringing! )
Click to expand...

That could be very useful but how do you translate the 3 words to an actual location? Is there an app?

Dave
 
Oops, I didn't make that very clear. I have the W3W app. Is there another app that works the other way? If there is a bird at ///dividers.later.widen , how do you know where to go? The emergency services clearly have such an app. Is it available to the public?
Dave
 
You can use the Same app.. when you click in the grid and get 3 words. Type the three words you have been given in that same box, and the search results will pop up. Then you can navigate to it, which is good.. it either takes you to Google maps, or uses a compass/straight line distance app
On my phone

I think the race is on for the first genuine bird report using this format!
 
Dave Smith said:
WOW - that simple. Thanks Peter.
It also suggests close matches which could help with typos.

Dave
Click to expand...

Or you can just speak to phone, just tried it with gushes.environment.sanity. gave three options, the correct one on Jersey first, one in Canada (gushes.environments.sanity) and one in USA (gushes.environment.somebody).
 
Hi,

tarsigercyanurus said:
Only using 40000 words to cover the planet seems pretty neat to me.
Click to expand...

It is, though I have to admit that checking out the German version, the claims about locations for similar-sounding words being widely separated don't hold true, as it took me less than 5 minutes of aimlessly playing with the tool to find almost identical names in the same German state.

It also seems that there is a lot of reliance on easily confused Plurals, while at the same time many genuine German words aren't used at all.

Not to say the original idea isn't genuinely brilliant, and I suppose the English version is bound to be better since it undoubtly received a lot more tender loving care from the inventors.

(tender.loving.care is located in Kansas City, by the way ;-)

Regards,

Henning
 
Iā€™m wanting to go and see the hawfinches at Great Hampden. What3words would be so useful rather than in copse one mile west of house. And even better it works offline.
 
Had been quite sceptical but hadnt appreciated it went as focussed as 3x3 metre squares - my garage is "sulk.prom.improving" whilst my living room is "public.duke.zooms" šŸ˜®

Could be a great addition especially in identifying locations in generally featureless open countryside - which will be the first bird information service to use it?
 
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