Life saving app...

[Wally]

Given the very sad news from Malaysia this App couls prove useful.

What3words: The app that can save your life


BBC News Item: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49319760

[DerekW]

Re: Life saving app...

What3Words is quite an intellectual challenge for quite a lot of people - once they get it it is OK.
It would be interesting to see which language the 3 Words would be in Malaysia or does that depend on the languagr version of the App on the phone.

If in the local language there would be pronuciation issues, but also if the words are English there would be potential problems for the receiver of the call to understand the language.

[Wally]

Re: Life saving app...

I suppose like most things it all boils down to the user/abuser requirements. I have just downloaded the App and the language side of things seems more than adequate to be useful, in as much as you have a good selection to set up the App.

I would think that for those who travel afar, English would be a second language to fall back on in times of need. Having worked in the near, middle and far East in Air Traffic, English is the standard. Same goes for my travels in the EU where English, for many is a second language.

[blu-by-u]

Re: Life saving app...

Sad news indeed. Yes, that what3words is available in english. BUT I doubt the authorities knows about it or even how to use it.

[Jim Ford]

Re: Life saving app...

Given the very sad news from Malaysia this App couls prove useful.

What3words: The app that can save your life


BBC News Item: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49319760

I downloaded the app a year or so ago and was impressed, but since then I've not used it and deleted it!

Jim

[Keith-369]

Re: Life saving app...

I downloaded the app a year or so ago and was impressed, but since then I've not used it and deleted it!

Jim

Surely the idea is to keep it on your phone just in case.

It seems to be an app that you never use ...... until you need it to save your life.

[DerekW]

Re: Life saving app...

The W3W website are claiming that the emergency services are adopting it, very useful for people lost in the woods, desert, mountains, et (as long as there is data access) to help the rescue services get to the stricken person.

It is worth while reading through the W3W web site - remembering back to the demise of John Archer sme 20 odd years ago and W3W location would helped the family find him before he expired and got the rescue helicopter to him in time.

However that was before 3G, 4G, Smartphones etc etc and how it would have wrecked the storyline Helen would not be so guilt ridden and Tom would not be the oldest male in the family....

[Bikie John]

Re: Life saving app...

There was a piece abut it on our local TV news recently. One of the air ambulances (Hampshire and Dorset, possibly) were talking about it and how useful they are finding it.

John

[peak4]

Re: Life saving app...

The W3W website are claiming that the emergency services are adopting it, very useful for people lost in the woods, desert, mountains, et (as long as there is data access) to help the rescue services get to the stricken person.

.........

My understanding is, that it only needs data access to download the app itself.
If it's already on your phone, all you need is GPS access so it can self-locate.

Many emergency services have now adopted it, and I believe it's nationally adopted in Mongolia, amongst other countries, in their case for the postal service.

Oddly I've just contributed to a thread on a Model Engineering forum on the same subject.

The app also has a voice option in a number of different languages.

[Jim Ford]

Re: Life saving app...

Surely the idea is to keep it on your phone just in case.

It seems to be an app that you never use ...... until you need it to save your life.

I've re-installed it!

Jim

[Internaut]

Re: Life saving app...

It’s a brilliant app. Everyone should know about it. But... it might be a bit limited if there is no mobile coverage?

[Otto]

Re: Life saving app...

I believe it doesn't need a signal to work, but of course you can't summon the emergency services without one!