Re:Missing hiker found after man using computer at home pinp...
by Ichthypresbyter on Friday April 16, 2021 @04:20AM
(#26831088)
A few months ago I phoned Essex Police (via 999) to report a dangerous obstruction on a major road. Because it was part of the network of roundabouts and slip roads near Stansted Airport, I didn't know the exact name of that road- I could only say that it was the slip-road onto the A120. The 999 operator advised me to use W3W to give the exact location.
Now, this is only one anecdote, and maybe I just happened to get the one operator who had swallowed the what3words PR line- but at least some British emergency services are telling callers to use it.
Re:Missing hiker found after man using computer at home pinp...
by Nexxxeh on Friday April 16, 2021 @08:10AM
(#26832874)
2nd anecdotal - I've reported several issues such as debris in the carriageway to the South Wales Police via Facebook Messenger.
(Not urgent enough to tie up a 999 operator, and it's faster to pull in somewhere and message, than ring and report via 101.)
They've been happy with location given by w3w.
As others have said, it's proprietary, and I don't want to see a private company becoming a gatekeeper to such an important function. Open standards are available. Google Maps provides Plus Codes, for example, and pretty much all Android users have that without having to install an additional app.