what3words app identifies precise locations; police agencies put to use
BAYSIDE, Wis. - What if it only took three words to find the exact location of someone lost or in an emergency? A new app being used by dispatchers is doing exactly that.
In an emergency, every second matters.
"A problem is not every one knows where they are located when they are calling," said Liane Scharnott, Bayside Communications Center Director.
Scharnott said that is even if a 911 caller knows the address of where an emergency is.
"Say you are in an apartment complex or a larger building; it’s not very specific," said Hannah Ritger, Assistant Director Bayside Communications Center.
But there is a new tool that can help narrow down a person's location.
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"With what3words, we can find almost your exact location," Ritger said.
The app, what3words, works exactly like its name. It divides a map into 10-by-10 foot squares – naming each of them a different variation of three words that are unique to that exact location.
"If you are out on Lake Michigan, we can find exactly where you are within a 3-by-3 meter square. Because there is not going to be an address out in the middle of the lake," Ritger said.
The Bayside Communications Center just started using the app a few weeks ago – and is encouraging people to download it.
"Pull up that location on their phone using what3words, they can provide those three words to us, and they can also pinpoint their location," Scharnott said.
But the app is not exclusive to Wisconsin.
"Every 10-foot-by-10-foot square in the world has been given three words in the dictionary," said Chris Sheldrick, Co-Founder/CEO of what3words.
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As for privacy concerns…
"The user decides whether or not they want to share their location," Sheldrick said.
The app's founder said that depends on how much you are willing to share.
"Having that as a backup could be vital in saving someone’s life," Scharnott said.
So far, agencies in 49 states are using what3words to help locate people in emergencies.