What3words: The app that can save your life
Police want everyone to download a smartphone app they say has already saved several lives.
www.bbc.co.uk
I have just downloaded it.
What3 words smartphone app - useful for us riders
- Thread starter newforest
- Start date
I have just downloaded it.
I have been meaning to look at this, not sure how useful it would be on private land in the middle of the forest but still worth having I think 
The only thing that crossed my mind was I thought the emergency services could pinpoint you.
But the idea is this does to the 10ft square. I experimented in the house and each room does have it's own three words.
It's useful if you ride somewhere new and didn't know the names of the local roads I guess. None of tourists that visit here known the landmarks and farms etc.
But the idea is this does to the 10ft square. I experimented in the house and each room does have it's own three words.
It's useful if you ride somewhere new and didn't know the names of the local roads I guess. None of tourists that visit here known the landmarks and farms etc.
It works anywhere, in any place, land or sea, it will position you to within 10 metres. Whether they can come and rescue you is another matter!I have been meaning to look at this, not sure how useful it would be on private land in the middle of the forest but still worth having I think
Do you have to have phone signal to look up the 3 words? I assume yes, so that could be a sticking point
No it doesn't. This was in the BBC new article. I have the app on the home screen of my phone
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If people do not have the app, the emergency services can send a text message containing a web link to their phones.
But that requires a signal (85% of the country is said to have a 4G connection). The app does not need a phone signal to tell someone their three-word location, however.
"Say there was a group up a mountain and one got injured," Mr Sheldrick said.
"They haven't got any signal to call for help, but they can still find out their three word location.
"Someone from the group can then take that down and tell the emergency services, who then know exactly where to go to find the injured person."
No signal required - I think it uses GPS to give you the words from the downloaded database.
Just need the signal to tell them the code!
Just need the signal to tell them the code!
Yep I was just reading that, that's pretty legit ETA I just tried it out, I'm sat in my office, the GPS dot placed me in another part of the building, though I wouldn't know it were wrong if I was lost and without any visual landmarks to go by, it's great that it will get rescue services pretty close to you
How does it work with gps off? I don’t like having gps enabled I don’t know why, I just don’t like knowing that I can be tracked with it.
So how does it know where you are?
It sounds like an incredibly good app to have if you are out and about be that hacking or fell running or even just out walking on your own though.
So how does it know where you are?
It sounds like an incredibly good app to have if you are out and about be that hacking or fell running or even just out walking on your own though.
I have had a play around with it.
It wants a mobile phone connection with the Internet for an accurate spot.
I did switch the gps off, but downloading switched that back on - for that app only I looked, that's fine with me.
@Kite_Rider my Internet is always off unless I switch on so the app won't be tracing until you switch it on to use it. Though technically with a mobile we are traced to those three masts to get a signal, it's just the emergency services need permission from your service provider to get told what it is.
Our positions are known but less accurate with the masts as @GaryB has said.
I would say this is a modern updated version of the grid reference which a) people don't know or b) if they do the emergency services don't want because the 999 does position you, to an extent.
It placed me on a map where I am in the dry because it's pouring down.
I would like to know the square the cob is standing on today, but that's another day when it's not hammering.
It wants a mobile phone connection with the Internet for an accurate spot.
I did switch the gps off, but downloading switched that back on - for that app only I looked, that's fine with me.
@Kite_Rider my Internet is always off unless I switch on so the app won't be tracing until you switch it on to use it. Though technically with a mobile we are traced to those three masts to get a signal, it's just the emergency services need permission from your service provider to get told what it is.
Our positions are known but less accurate with the masts as @GaryB has said.
I would say this is a modern updated version of the grid reference which a) people don't know or b) if they do the emergency services don't want because the 999 does position you, to an extent.
It placed me on a map where I am in the dry because it's pouring down.
I would like to know the square the cob is standing on today, but that's another day when it's not hammering.
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