What3Words makes its debut in the C’bean

During the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association’s (URISA) 2016 Caribbean Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Conference this week at Hilton Barbados, a relatively new mapping and addressing application made its debut in the Caribbean.

 

Giving the keynote address at the conference, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of What3Words, Chris Sheldrick, explained in great detail the functionality and benefits of using the app in a variety of sectors.

 

Opening with a story on suitcases as we know them with wheels when they first came into being, Sheldrick formed the analogy that What3Words can similarly change the landscape of commuting from destination to destination. What3Words is a universal addressing system based on a 3mx3m global grid. Each of the 57 trillion 3mx3m squares in the world has been pre-allocated a fixed and unique word address. The geocoder on the app then turns geographic co-ordinates into these three word addresses.

 

Going further to explain how it works, Sheldrick showed how a desired point of arrival can be named using three words, which makes it easier to find rather than launching co-ordinates in a GPS system or trying to remember the name of an address that may not be ideal. For example, one location in his hometown, London, is pre-coded as tables.chairs.lamps. 

 

In giving a rationale for the use and outlining the benefits of the app, Sheldrick noted that 75 per cent of the world is poorly addressed and even those countries that have sufficient addressing systems have many complications. 

 

“This means that around four billion people are invisible, unable to report crime, unable to get deliveries or receive aid, and unable to exercise many of their rights as citizens because they simply have no way to communicate where they live,” explained Sheldrick. 

 

Likewise, many businesses and tourist at-tractions are difficult to find.

 

The app is being used in 170 countries so far and has proven to be a great success. Integrated in the system are Google map features as well as Helipaddy, which allows for a broader search. Most recently, the app was used in Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games by security personnel as well as patrons and athletes in search of venues for specific events.