Photo: what3words
Emergency services across the world are constantly looking for ways to reduce response times and figure out where help is needed, and most recently, firefighters in Los Angeles have turned to what3words specifically with this goal in mind.
what3words is a service that divides the entire map of the world into 10-ft (3-meter) squares, and each square is given a unique address based on a combination of three random words.
What this means is that you can generate a unique address to any point on the map with a 10-feet accuracy, so anyone else using what3words should be able to locate it as conveniently as possible.
This is why the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) has recently decided to embrace what3words. When someone calls for help, they are required to provide the unique address generated by what3words, or they can be sent a link which when clicked, automatically retrieves their location and determines the 3 random words.
The emergency teams can then use the three words provided by the caller to precisely head over to their location, so they can reduce response times in remote areas with no address or on sections of the road without a name.
“Even if the caller does not have the app installed, City Fire is able to use advanced technology to see the callers three-word location on a map or send them an SMS message that contains a link to see their precise three-word address – which can be read to the call taker, saving precious time during an emergency,” what3words explains.
Of course, pretty much anyone can use what3words at absolutely no charge, as the application is already available both on the web and on mobile phones. So in theory, you can already generate 3 random words for any location on the map, allowing others to find it a lot more conveniently.
What this means is that you can generate a unique address to any point on the map with a 10-feet accuracy, so anyone else using what3words should be able to locate it as conveniently as possible.
This is why the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) has recently decided to embrace what3words. When someone calls for help, they are required to provide the unique address generated by what3words, or they can be sent a link which when clicked, automatically retrieves their location and determines the 3 random words.
The emergency teams can then use the three words provided by the caller to precisely head over to their location, so they can reduce response times in remote areas with no address or on sections of the road without a name.
“Even if the caller does not have the app installed, City Fire is able to use advanced technology to see the callers three-word location on a map or send them an SMS message that contains a link to see their precise three-word address – which can be read to the call taker, saving precious time during an emergency,” what3words explains.
Of course, pretty much anyone can use what3words at absolutely no charge, as the application is already available both on the web and on mobile phones. So in theory, you can already generate 3 random words for any location on the map, allowing others to find it a lot more conveniently.
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