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What3words

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:05 pm
by overloaded
Hi everyone,

Sorry if this question has been asked before.

Has a list been compiled of the Munro summits using What3words?

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:15 pm
by gaffr
Why? When the digital map references seem adequate for the job.:-)

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:47 pm
by AyrshireAlps
I see Keswick MRT had an issue with W3W at the weekend, not good tbh, They ended up miles from where they should have been.

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:54 pm
by Sgurr
Was it the system that was wrong or did the casualty misremember the order of the words? Personally I would find it far easier to pass on "cat submarine olives" than a string of numbers, but can see myself relaying "cat olives submarine" in a crisis.

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 6:06 pm
by davekeiller
I don't think anyone's bothered because the OS grid references work perfectly well for the job. Grid refs have the advantage over W3W of being on a logical grid so it's easy to interpret - if 13 is next to 14 it's easy to find, but if "quick brown fox" is next to "over lazy dog" then good luck finding it!

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 12:23 pm
by overloaded
Thank you for replying all of you and I fully respect your responses but it does not answer my question.

Has a list been compiled of the Munro summits using What3words?

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 1:09 pm
by gaffr
Have really no idea if this has been done or not. If it has been done I guess that I would not use it. Having the Ordnance Survey maps and maps on my phone and able to get via the satellites a grid reference of features on the ground that will match closely those on the SMC list.....do I need anything else?
I too am an old guy....nearly eighty and have used OS maps and got used to using the referencing system.
Can I ask why another system is really necessary? Maybe I have missed something on this three words stuff.

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 1:12 pm
by jmarkb
I'm going to disappoint you by not answering your question :wink: , but it would be pretty easy to do this but extracting the Lat/Long co-ordinates for the Munros from the hills database / spreadsheet at http://www.hills-database.co.uk/downloads.html and feeding them into https://what3words.com/products/batch-converter/

Curious to know what you would use it for, though!

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 8:21 pm
by Sgurr
gaffr wrote:Have really no idea if this has been done or not. If it has been done I guess that I would not use it. Having the Ordnance Survey maps and maps on my phone and able to get via the satellites a grid reference of features on the ground that will match closely those on the SMC list.....do I need anything else?
I too am an old guy....nearly eighty and have used OS maps and got used to using the referencing system.
Can I ask why another system is really necessary? Maybe I have missed something on this three words stuff.



Like you, am getting on (82 this month) but do you have a grid reference in your phone? Me too, and in an etrex, so I would be all right. But consider people who ONLY have a phone, and no pencil and paper. They can find out where they are, but have to remember the numbers while they contact help. Ask yourself how easy it is to retain someone's phone number, even for a few minutes then their name. Personally, I would find it easier to remember words than numbers. What3 words also expects this. You find you are at spring cuckoo marigold, and can remember this long enough to text it for help. Or have I mi- remembered how what3words works?

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 10:15 pm
by overloaded
Thank you all.
I just feel that the more ways of pinpointing exactly where you are gives everyone a greater sense of comfort.
I realise there are times when it can fail but this is not always the case.
There was an incident last year where the location of some poorly equipped climbers, with little experience and in horrendous conditions were rescued by MR using What3words.

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 7:35 am
by Marty_JG
AyrshireAlps wrote:I see Keswick MRT had an issue with W3W at the weekend, not good tbh, They ended up miles from where they should have been.


Can we have some details on the exact problem, please?

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 8:08 am
by Lakeswalker
You can read about the rescue concerned here: https://keswickmrt.org.uk/rescue/base-brown-9
One letter difference between the two locations. Disbanded.measure.snapper and disbanded.measures.snapper according to https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what3words-not-suitable-for-safety-critical-applications/

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 8:32 am
by gaffr
More generally regarding this Topic. So to get the three words to use this system I looks like? that you have to obtain a Grid Reference to access this way to communicate. The only way to receive the three magic words?
I am right on this, if so, I don't quite see the point of this way to get a position through to the Rescue services?
If becoming immobilised on the hill. With the Ordnance Survey Locate service, one of the benefits of paying an annual subscription, it is possible to obtain six figure reference including the two letters for the 100 Kilometre and can be sent with the Share button with the minimum of battery available and without any typing of digits on the Mobile phone to a user on your Contact List. Never used this system ...maybe someone around here has?
Another way to communicate, never used this way either, is the ICE in case of emergency system to send message regarding a problem to the emergency services. Has anyone used this?

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 8:46 am
by shinenotburn
gaffr wrote:More generally regarding this Topic. So to get the three words to use this system I looks like? that you have to obtain a Grid Reference to access this way to communicate. The only way to receive the three magic words?
I am right on this, if so, I don't quite see the point of this way to get a position through to the Rescue services?
If becoming immobilised on the hill. With the Ordnance Survey Locate service, one of the benefits of paying an annual subscription, it is possible to obtain six figure reference including the two letters for the 100 Kilometre and can be sent with the Share button with the minimum of battery available and without any typing of digits on the Mobile phone to a user on your Contact List. Never used this system ...maybe someone around here has?
Another way to communicate, never used this way either, is the ICE in case of emergency system to send message regarding a problem to the emergency services. Has anyone used this?


OS Locate is free.

Re: What3words

PostPosted: Wed May 05, 2021 9:41 am
by gaffr
Thanks for that shinenotburn I did not realise that....it came at the same time as when I signed up for the annual subscription. :)