[andy_e]

I've always been worried that what3words was an illogical system relying on people being able to spell in English, but there's a far darker side to it: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/03/why-bother-with-what-three-words/

[tomtom]

I've always been worried that what3words was an illogical system relying on people being able to spell in English, but there's a far darker side to it: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/03/why-bother-with-what-three-words/

Not sure I’d say darker - but certainly a far more corporate side than many might think...

[lukeyboy]

Just an idle musing, but have any guidebooks latched onto the use of W3W? I can imagine it being hugely useful in trying to find a specific boulder in a rambling boulder field, or somewhere like Font

[Steve R]

Franco's new NYMoors guide uses it

[teestub]

Leavenworth guide has QR codes which launch the coordinates in google maps, this works very well. Personally I’ve never found typing boulder coordinates out of guides into my phone particularly onerous either.

Font is a bit of a funny one, as per the 7&8’s guide it’s pretty easy to locate boulders provided there’s a circuit to reference from.

[Paul B]

It’s an app that converts your location into three easily distinguishable words. Apparently the mountain rescue teams like - asked for people to use it when calling in a location.

I don't think that's quite the case.

https://twitter.com/gruffowen/status/1176410959428145152?s=20

[SA Chris]

Regional accents easily make words even more indistinguishable.

[grimer]

I thought W3W seemed like a great solution to guidebooks. I have never typed oyt a lat long. I'mconvinced d get it wrong somehow. In guidebooks, transferring the written words to your phone would remove any accent / misunderstanging issues.

[SA Chris]

OS Locate app is great for this, also a lot of GPS watches can do similar, giving an accurate reference.

[Paul B]

I thought W3W seemed like a great solution to guidebooks. I have never typed oyt a lat long. I'mconvinced d get it wrong somehow. In guidebooks, transferring the written words to your phone would remove any accent / misunderstanging issues.

As long as the words are correct, because if one's wrong "but" not "hut" for example you'll end up in a different part of the world, whereas if you get the end of lat/long incorrect you'll be at the right crag, perhaps not the correct sector.

More reading:
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/03/why-bother-with-what-three-words/

[grimer]

OS Locate app is great for this, also a lot of GPS watches can do similar, giving an accurate reference.

Tried OS locate. It gives the grid reference where I am, but what can i do with that then if I'm trying to get someone else here?

I'm saying this in relation to guidebooks. If there is a remote boulder W3W seems a good way of getting someone there. In Paul B's caveat, that's ok if it's the last number you get wrong, but I would get some other number wrong, like the third.

Is there a common, free maping app where you can put in an 8-number grid ref?

[teestub]

You can use lat long in google maps and Apple maps and they can also both produce this data. If you get anything but the last digits wrong then it would be readily obvious as it would show you a map of the wrong county.

[spidermonkey09]

W3W instinctively feels to me like a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist, cleverly marketed with a glossy media campaign behind it purely to make money. As far as I can see there is nothing about W3W that is better than a QR code.

[Paul B]

I've used Google Maps to mark the location of work stuff using the E, N:
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/18539?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en&oco=0

I'm saying this in relation to guidebooks. If there is a remote boulder W3W seems a good way of getting someone there. In Paul B's caveat, that's ok if it's the last number you get wrong, but I would get some other number wrong, like the third.

...and in my example it doesn't matter which part of the word you get wrong, you'll be in a completely different place (it's either perfect or it's guaranteed to be completely useless). It's fairly easy to type a word that spellcheck doesn't dick up but is incorrect.

I've definitely used guidebooks where the grid reference wasn't perfect and I was at least looking at the crag / somewhere near a car park.

W3W instinctively feels to me like a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist, cleverly marketed with a glossy media campaign behind it purely to make money. As far as I can see there is nothing about W3W that is better than a QR code.

This, and dubious marketing tactics that the outdoor community should maybe take mild offense to?

[abarro81]

A solution looking for a problem. Only in a world run by idiots would it take off... Guess I'll expect it to be default in 5 years then.

[SA Chris]

It's fairly easy to type a word that spellcheck doesn't dick up but is incorrect.

Beautiful.

[Will Hunt]

I can see the benefits of What 3 Words but think the disadvantages raised are quite important (though not likely to be bothered about by the layperson).

For guidebooks, I'd go with a QR code. All smartphones can read them and you can set the QR code to navigate to an external website which immediately redirects to Google Maps. The advantage of this is double. You're future proofing against Google Maps changing how you link into their platform in the future (they've done this before, which would render QR codes in print unusable); you're also getting feedback from your users. Each QR code will have it's own redirecting webpage. Traffic trackers mean you can see which ones are being accessed the most/least and what devices are being used (helps understand your users if you're developing apps etc) etc.

[tomtom]

I’m not sure I get your logic here Will. QR codes are almost as ephemeral as what3words!

Lat and long. Eastings and Westings - have been around in some form for hundreds of years and will do so for many more I bet.

[remus]

I’m not sure I get your logic here Will. QR codes are almost as ephemeral as what3words!

Not so. QR codes are an open standard so anyone can implement a reader and you can encode pretty much anything you want (a typical QR code can hold ~4300 alaphanumeric characters). You could encode the lat/long directly in the qr code, so in some ways you'd basically just be writing down the lat/long in a more machine readable format. This is a bit risky though i.e. if you make a mistake, or some access details change and your parking coordinates are then wrong and printed in a few thousand books. That's why guidebooks have typically gone with a QR code > URL with a redirect > google maps setup.

On the other hand the what3words algorithm is private, so if they go under there's no guarantee you'll be able to resolve your 3 words to a location anymore.

[Will Hunt]

Basically what Remus said. You're still using the lat/long but doing that from your own webpage. The risk is that you'll no longer be able to service that webpage, but that is a risk that at least you control. On Android you need a QR reader, but as Remus says, they're widely available. I think the tech is so well embedded that with iPhones you need only point your camera at a QR code and it will navigate automatically i.e no need for a 3rd party app.

W3W might yet become as ubiquitous but they're not there yet.

[Oldmanmatt]

OS Locate app is great for this, also a lot of GPS watches can do similar, giving an accurate reference.

Tried OS locate. It gives the grid reference where I am, but what can i do with that then if I'm trying to get someone else here?

I'm saying this in relation to guidebooks. If there is a remote boulder W3W seems a good way of getting someone there. In Paul B's caveat, that's ok if it's the last number you get wrong, but I would get some other number wrong, like the third.

Is there a common, free maping app where you can put in an 8-number grid ref?

I use this as my primary nav tool when running on the moors or in the mountains.
Uses the open OS, down to 1:10000 and is accurate to within around a meter, on my iPhone. Grid, or Lat/Long.
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/uk-map/id365745482
I assume there is an Android variant.

Edit:
I should have said:
It’s a fully functioning nav app, with route planning and recording function. You can store routes in files etc and it graphs out elevation and pace etc.
I run it for navigation and have Strava running in the background. The two rarely diverge on pace etc, but the UK Map is more than detailed enough for actual navigation in unknown  territory. Takes a few minutes, at most, to download relevant tiles, even over 3/4G, and maps are available offline once downloaded; they use surprisingly little memory.

[tomtom]

@Remus. By ephemeral I meant fleeting - only here for a short period of time etc... nothing to do with the open ness of them

[teestub]

They’ve been well used for at least a decade (which is an age in tech) and don’t seem to be going anywhere. I don’t think anyone is suggesting not having the lat long in print next to the QR, the code just adds convenience for very little space used.