what3words is an easy way to identify precise locations.
Every 3m square has been given a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. The words are randomly assigned to each square and always stay the same. what3words differs from most other location encoding systems in that it displays three words rather than strings of numbers or letters which, it is suggested, significantly reduces the risk of transcription error.
Now you can find, share and navigate to any location using three simple words. This is handy particularly as street addresses don’t always point to precise locations.
Features include:
- Find your current what3words address offline.
- Compatible with navigation apps including Google Maps.
- Save your favourite locations and categorise them into lists.
- Share a photo with a 3 word address.
- AutoSuggest prompts you with intelligent suggestions.
- Available in over 40 languages.
- Navigate offline with compass mode.
- Add a what3words address to a photo.
Use this app for things like:
- Share locations in an emergency.
- Organise meet-up with your friends and family.
- Save your parking spot.
- Tell car breakdown services where you are.
- Navigate to any destination easily. Plan routes effortlessly.
- Save your favourite memorable spots – spectacular views, waterfall, record nature sightings, or proposal location.
- Save key locations, from incident reporting to delivery entrances.
- Help people find your business or Airbnb.
- Plan a treasure hunt or meet for other adventures.
- Share start points easily.
- Guide people to accessible entrances.
what3words is a genuinely useful app that we’ve used on so many occasions. It’s got so many use cases.
The app has even got us out of a few difficult scrapes.
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Proponents of open standards sharply criticize the what3words system because, as proprietary code of a privately held company, it has not been published but, on the contrary, has been patented. It is also seen as a disadvantage that similar addresses are intentionally far apart.
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People that preach that I must only use open standards really get up by nose. It’s up to me what I install on my devices. And I’m perfectly happy using proprietary software. And I use tons of open source software. It’s not down to others to tell me what I should do.
TBH, I don’t see anywhere anybody, including those who “preach” open standards, telling you what to use. They simply give you information and why, according to them you should or should not be using certain code. I don’t see any obligation and no reason to feel bothered by that……but I’m not telling you not to be 😉
I really do not understand…my fault I admit….why people feel to comment that way. Info is just given then obviously it’s up to you what to use. If anything, it’s the opposite, with close standards based app forcing you to use certain apps.
Do you prefer that we all shut up so that you cannot make an informed decision but just follow marketing?
What is interesting is that you try to convey that you want, rightly, the freedom to decide. However, that is at the very core of the open mentality which opensource software is based on. When you decide to use closed standards, you give away those rights. So, again, you are perfectly free to do so but then do not complain with the opensource community for having your rights restricted. That’s a complain you should forward to those patenting the software you have decided to use.
I doubt this will get published.
Open source is vastly overrated. The vast majority of computer users don’t care two hoots about the software licence. Other factors are far more important: price, support, and such like.
Most open source projects are poorly coded with the code base in a complete mess. I reached that conclusion after peer reviewing a few thousands GitHub repositories of projects that have received at least 100 stars. Sure I cannot see the source code of proprietary software except for projects where I’ve signed an agreement.
There are so many open source fiascos, with fork after fork. What a complete waste of development time having 1000 distros.
You learn all the foibles of a distro and then its abandoned.