This what3words app - does anyone see the point?
1 letter wrong and you are not even close.
Is it me being a luddite or is it a bit of a shit idea?
You are missing the other thread
Yeah cos when your mate is either in Altricham or the middle of Ocean it'll take some figuring out. Error detection / correction through operator misuse is far more reliable in W3W than it is with a system of coordinates like with OS GR or lat/long. Stop considering this as a tool solely for experience navigators and emergency services and start considering it from an average smartphone users to find things / each other.
no, its an extra layer on top of lat / long that is run by a company looking to make money. It also doesn't translate well for non-English speakers. Its also not open source so the algorithms for words use / generated aren't peer reviewed.
If you have a data signal to download the app then you should have lat / long and use the built in compass apps.
Is it me being a luddite or is it a bit of a shit idea?
There are cases where it's useful, but they are edge cases. Situations where you have a working smartphone, but no signal and need to communicate your position.
Agree with your general point, it's 99pc useless. (...and if it was useful it's still proprietary.)
They have terrific marketing, though!
Just read the other thread.
I am now happy to consider it a shit idea.
Just use grids.
