When we enter areas off the beaten track or require defined addresses, navigating outdoors can be a beautiful adventure filled with challenges.
Traditionally, describing or finding exact locations in these environments has been imprecise at best.
Google Maps can’t do proper work sometimes, but a revolutionary app, What3words, is changing the game.
It divides the earth’s surface into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares. It assigns each one a unique 3-word address, offering precise location information like never before.
This guide will walk you through the practical steps to harness this app’s power for outdoor exploration, travel, and emergency responses.
What’s the What3Words app for?
Before we begin, it’s crucial to grasp the fundamentals of What3Words. The core concept is simple yet groundbreaking—assign three words to every planet’s 3m x 3m square.
The innovation lies in its ease of sharing and communication; it’s often simpler to remember and convey three words than longitudes and latitudes or complex address systems.
The app utilizes a unique algorithm that ensures similar addresses are far apart, dispelling any confusion.
Whether it’s a precise location in the heart of a dense jungle or a meeting point in the middle of a bustling city square, What3Words offers the specificity and standardization that GPS coordinates don’t.
How does the What3words app work?
Once you understand the premise, using What3Words is intuitive. The app presents you with a word-dotted map of the world when you open it.
You can explore the map to find a location that interests you, be it your favorite scenic spot, your front door, or the entrance to a concert hall for tonight’s performance.
The app operates on your phone’s GPS, ensuring real-time accuracy. Sharing your location involves nothing more than relaying three simple words, such as table, chair, spoon, or maybe something as exotic as a penguin, tiger, or bear.
It’s that straightforward, precise, and universal.
There are practical applications for What3Words.
The versatility of What3Words extends far beyond personal adventures and casual exploration.
Emergency services worldwide are adopting it to enhance their response times in locating incidents, from highway accidents to sea incidents.
For travelers and digital nomads, it significantly simplifies finding accommodations and sharing the location with friends or delivery services.
Outdoor enthusiasts use it for safety, adventure, and to connect with others who share their passion.
Use What3words for navigation in remote locations
Imagine you’re on a hiking trail in a remote section of a national park. The trail becomes less defined, twilight sets in, and you’re unsure if you’re on the right path.
With What3words, you can pinpoint your exact location and confidently share it with your support network or park rangers for assistance.
This level of precision can be a lifeline, ensuring that help reaches you when and where you need it most.
What3words emergency services
During an emergency, precise and rapid location communication is the difference between life and death.
What3words is being integrated into emergency dispatch systems globally.
Refugees fleeing conflict, victims of natural disasters, or anyone in need can provide a three-word address to guide rescue teams directly to them.
It’s leveling the playing field for those in unforeseen crises, providing a universal language for help.
Travel Planning
Vacations and travel itineraries can be fraught with coordinating locations, particularly in countries with poor addressing systems.
What3words eases this burden by providing a consistent and transparent way to share and find destinations.
It empowers travelers to plan their journeys precisely, identifying that quaint B&B in the countryside or that remote beach that’s everyone’s little secret.
How do you share the location on What3Words?
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of using the What3Words app effectively for your location needs.
Download and install the app: Begin by downloading the What3words app from your device’s app store. It’s available for both iOS and Android devices. Once installed, open the app to start exploring.
Set Up Your Account: You can use What3Words without an account, but having one allows you to save and access saved locations across devices. Sign up with basic information, set a secure password, and be ready. Remember to turn on notifications to receive any essential updates from the app.
Explore the Map Functionality: Spend some time figuring out the map interface. You can zoom in and out, pan across the map to different locations, and see the unique three-word addressing system. Tap on any spot to reveal its What3words address.
Share Locations: Find a place you want to share, tap the three-word address display, and select the sharing option that suits you. Whether it’s a text to a friend or family member, a social media post, or an email to your boss about your next remote work spot, sharing a What3words location is as simple as sharing a URL.
Use in Emergency Situations: Familiarize yourself with the ‘SOS’ feature in the app. In an emergency, accessing this feature will provide you with three-word addresses for your precise GPS coordinates. It’s a tool that can make all the difference when every second counts.
Using the app What3words on an Android phone or iPhone, you can navigate to a 3-word address and share it anywhere you want so your friends and family can reach you easily.
Tips and Tricks for What3words Mastery
Here are some bonus tips to make the most of What3words in various scenarios:
Can You Use What3words Offline?
Of course, While the app works online, it’s wise to prepare for the times when you’re off-grid.
Before you venture into areas with unreliable connectivity, download the map of your expected location for offline use.
Like Google Maps, this ensures you can still use the app even when you don’t have a signal.
The app integrates with other apps.
Check out how What3Words can integrate with other apps you might already use, like travel planners, survival guides, or even augmented reality tools.
You might discover more ways to enhance your adventures or stay safe in your travels with these synergies.
Is WhatsApp better than Google Maps?
Google Maps is an excellent tool for navigating public transportation and looking up points of interest. What3words has a very diverse function.
When you enter a street address into Google Maps, it drops a pin into the center of the building; it can’t help you find a precise location, like a specific entrance.
What3words addresses help you do just that; you can use them like street addresses. Simple.
Also, numerous places worldwide need street addresses, from informal settlements to parks or beaches.
what3words makes it comfortable to find, share, and talk about precise locations in these places.
Final words and real-life success stories with What3words
What3words is more than a novel idea; it’s a potent tool that changes how we communicate and understand locations.
The number of examples of successful uses in the real world is growing daily. As the app becomes more widespread, its utility becomes more apparent.
Remember the stories of hikers being precisely located in vast wildernesses, friends reuniting in bustling international cities at the same spot they intended, and medical aid reaching those who were off the map in emergencies? These are not hypotheticals; they are the present and the promise of the What3Words app.
For outdoor enthusiasts, What3Words can be a reliable companion on your expeditions.
For travelers, it’s a thorough guide through the well-trodden and less traveled paths. And for emergency services, it’s a technological spearhead saving lives.
With the What3words app in your arsenal, you’re more than a navigator; you’re a commander of precision in a world that’s becoming increasingly receptive to the unique language of three words.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful, and that it’s answered all of your questions.
If you have any other questions about What3words, ask them below and I’ll be happy to help.
I wish you the best,
– Brandon Evans
Download the app, learn its intricacies, and unlock a world of possibilities as simple as one, two, or three—the What3words way.
