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August 16, 2019 06:45 pm

What3Words: The App That Can Save Your Life

Police have urged everyone to download a smartphone app they say has already saved several lives. What is it and how does it work? From a report: Kicked. Converged. Soccer. These three randomly chosen words saved Jess Tinsley and her friends after they got lost in a forest on a dark, wet night. They had planned a five-mile circular stroll through the 4,900 acre (2,000 hectare) woodland Hamsterley Forest, in County Durham, on Sunday evening, but after three hours they were hopelessly lost. "We were in a field and had no idea where we were," the 24-year-old care worker from Newton Aycliffe said. "It was absolutely horrendous. I was joking about it and trying to laugh because I knew if I didn't laugh I would cry." At 22:30 BST they found a spot with phone signal and dialled 999. "One of the first things the call-handler told us to do was download the what3words app," Ms Tinsley said. "I had never heard of it." Within a minute of its download, the police said they knew where the group was and the soaked and freezing walkers were swiftly found by the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team. "I have told everyone I know to download this app," Ms Tinsley said. "You never know when you are going to get lost and need it." What3words essentially points to a very specific location. Its developers divided the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring 3m by 3m (10ft by 10ft) and each having a unique, randomly assigned three-word address. For example, the door of 10 Downing Street is slurs.this.shark, while the area across the road where the press congregate is stage.pushy.nuns.

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