At my Outdoor First Aid training, the trainer spent time showing everyone how to get What3Words app to display 8-figure OS Grid Refs. I really wish the OS app was just slightly better at showing your location.
Everyone on the course loves W3W. The trainer did go through in detail why OS was better than W3W for mountain rescue, which was great, and he expressed frustration that the ambulance service will only accept postcodes and W3W.
Can't wait for #What3Words to go bust đŹ
What do the ambulance service call handlers say to someone who calls and canât tell them either of those but has both the grid reference and lat/long?
âYeah, I could convert that to what three words myself on desktop and confirm the vicinity with you to make sure it is right, or just give the lat/long to the response unit whose GPS will be fine with it, but it is against policy. Cheerio, have a nice day getting someone else to fulfil all your ambulance-related needs!â
@OccasionalDucks that's a really good question! I had a colleague who had to call an ambulance to a nature reserve and said he had a right nightmare because the handler didn't understand OS. I think he had to look up the postcode himself, or the handler figured it out from placenames.
The 1st aid trainer, who is mountain rescue, said it's doubly annoying because they all use the same mapping system... Licenced from OS!
Thatâs depressing, daft and very believable.
âI know how to install an app but I have not got enough signalâ and âIâm using a dumb phone and separate handheld gps as that gives me the battery life for a multi day walkâ spring to mind as confounding answers.
@OccasionalDucks @sarahdalgulls fortunately, I had enough signal but my phone had a faulty battery, so was slow to install things. The app also asks for lots of permissions and has some kind of privacy policy you have to click through, which is incredibly stressful when a loved one is injured and needs help quickly. I can also imagine it being difficult to use in other situations, like heavy rain when the touchscreen doesn't work properly.
Basically, W3W isn't fit for emergency purposes.
@sarahdalgulls I created a webservice for patent free fixPhrase last week because I wanted location fuzzing but didn't want to use what three words and the alternatives are about as readable as lat/long or not easily available.
I'm genuinely surprised that the AS doesn't accept OS Grid Refs though. It's what their system uses internally and as long as the handler repeats it back it should be quiet relatable on the phone.
David Wyld
Sarah Dal
Ben Curthoys
OccasionalDucks
Lucy B
Nature Punk
antmanbee