Paul CampbellFeb 11
Anyone know of an alternative to this? I suspect the mapping of locations to write proprietary, which probably means we need an open source alternative. One that doesn't need AI slop. #WhatThreeWords #AISlop
Show threadDavid MegginsonJun 24
@paul There's no need for an alternative. SAR apps for What3Words ping the phone to transmit the words to rescuers, rather than relying on the person in need to repeat them. That's just busy work, since the phone app could just as easily send the actual lat/lon.
Show threadPaul CampbellJun 24

@david_megginson There is a need for an alternative if I don't want what3words with AI slop on my phone, but still want a compatible word-to-location mapping.

I don't know what you mean by 'SAR apps'. What are those?

Show threadDavid Megginson

@paul What is the use case for a location-to-word mapping? W3W originally claimed it would make it simpler for people to share their locations manually (e.g. by talking on the phone), but that didn't pan out in real-life emergencies, so now the app on your phone sends it automatically.

That makes for a very silly workflow …/more

Jun 24 at 10:39pmWeb
Show threadDavid MegginsonJun 24

@paul

(cont'd)

You need help from search and rescue (SAR):

  • SAR queries your phone
  • Phone determines lat/lon
  • Phone uses lat/lon to look up W3W in a database
  • Phone sends words to SAR.
  • SAR uses words to look up lat/lon in a database
  • SAR uses lat/lon to navigate to you and provide assistance.

    • Do you see any redundant steps in this workflow? 😉

    #What3Words #geodata

    Show threadPaul CampbellJun 25
    @david_megginson Wasn't aware that SAR could query phones for their location without a warrant. Because that'll never get abused. I agree, busy work, with w3w inserting their proprietary app into the middle of it.
    Show threadDavid MegginsonJun 25

    @paul No, it's opt-in. You call SAR for help, and then they send you a link that authorises the W3W app on your phone to send your location. The it goes through all the silly back-and-forth conversion.

    The original idea was that you'd just call and tell them the 3 words, but that proved highly unreliable in practice.

    Show threadDavid MegginsonJun 25

    @paul I just haven't see any use case pan out for W3W (or a free alternative, which would be easy enough to create).

    Lat/lon is free, open, and inherently meaningful: even without a globe or map to reference, I can tell a lot about your location just from those two numbers.

    OTOH, converting them to three meaningless words — proprietary or otherwise — hasn't demonstrated any real-world value, despite the initial hype.