birding-aus

What3words

To: Peter Shute <>
Subject: What3words
From: Carl Clifford <>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2015 00:37:21 +0000
Peter,

I suggest that you thoroughly read the information on the What3words web site. 
I think you will find all your answers there.

Carl Clifford

> On 24 Sep 2015, at 8:35 AM, Peter Shute <> wrote:
>
> I think the 3rd world would be where it's least useful, Carl. It's a system 
> that requires that you speak the same language as the person providing the 
> coordinates, that you can spell, and that you have an appropriate device 
> that's charged up and contains a proprietary database. I.e access to the 
> system is probably denied to most of the people it's claimed it's designed 
> for.
>
> For those who do have the knowledge and equipment to use it, I suspect it 
> would lose its attraction as soon as you have more than two or three of them 
> to try to remember. Then you'd realise you have to write them down, and 
> you're no better off than with numeric coordinates. Get just one letter 
> wrong, and it just tells you that it's invalid.
>
> For centuries cartographers have sought systems that allow easy calculation 
> of the bearing and distance between two points. I doubt they'd be impressed 
> with this one that prevents you even having a guess at the relationship of 
> two coordinates that are just 3m apart.
>
> I think this system is worse than useless. I can't understand why anyone 
> would even consider adopting it, and the only reason I can think of for 
> anyone to invent it is to force people to buy their database.
>
> Peter Shute
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Carl Clifford 
>> Sent: Wednesday, 23 September 2015 10:16 PM
>> To: Peter Shute
>> Cc: Steve Clark; 
>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What3words
>>
>> Peter,
>>
>> It was developed to provide accurate addresses for people in
>> 3rd world countries. Military targeting tech is somewhat more
>> accurate than Whar3words, to the extent that it is possible
>> to put a cruise missile through your front window, provided
>> that the GIGO law is followed.
>>
>> Carl Clifford
>>
>>> On 23 Sep 2015, at 7:10 PM, Peter Shute <> wrote:
>>>
>>> Steve, after a quick read about it, I think it's better
>> suited to a military coding system, provided one doesn't mind
>> bombing the wrong country every now and again.
>>>
>>> Peter Shute
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>>> On 23 Sep 2015, at 4:10 PM, Steve Clark
>> <> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> G'day all
>>>>
>>>> I just heard about this new app called what3words that
>> divides the globe up into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares and
>> converts the lat and long to a unique 3 word code.
>>>>
>>>> It was designed for the huge proportion of the world's
>> population without any address system.
>>>>
>>>> My home address is labs.assemble.rollers
>>>>
>>>> So all I need to do is tell you that and you can navigate
>> to my door.  Not particularly useful given I have a proper
>> address but brilliant for third world countries and I reckon
>> it would be good for birding.
>>>>
>>>> Check it out and share your thoughts.
>>>> iOS and Android
>>>>
>>>> Cheers
>>>> Steve Clark
>>>> Hamilton, Vic
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPod
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