What3words: putting.on.map

With the growing growth of e-commerce in the world, especially in developing countries, a problem that has existed for many years has been gaining more and more importance and giving headaches to virtual retailers: customers without an official address. In less privileged areas of these countries, such as slums, communities, ghettos and rural areas, it is common to find streets and alleys without an official name. In cases like these, how to deliver products purchased virtually? The delivery person often returns with the product or leaves it at another location, such as a post office. One way or another, the result is never total customer satisfaction.

Seeking to resolve these and other situations, in 2013 a pair of Brits created the what3words, a universal addressing system based on a 3m x 3m global grid. Accessible by any computer or mobile device, the system divides the entire surface of planet Earth into 57 trillion squares and assigns each a unique and fixed 3-word address. The goal is to guarantee addressing anywhere in the world and make life easier for common users by using a known set of words.

Among the benefits of the system, the following stand out:

• 3 words are easier to remember than equivalent alphanumeric characters or latitude and longitude coordinates, making it easier to remember and share;
• The system works offline, enabling use in remote locations without connectivity;
• what3words is currently available in a huge number of languages;
• The system is fixed and ensures that any place can be found regardless of the language used;
• The code is small, available on multiple platforms and devices, and works alongside existing georeferencing systems.

Through partnerships with other companies and initiatives, what3words is being integrated into navigation applications, car-sharing applications, logistics systems, travel guides and property search sites, among others. Interestingly, one of the main cases disclosed by the company shows the partnership with Grupo Carteiro Amigo, a company established in the Rio de Janeiro community of Rocinha.

In addition to helping companies deliver to customers without an official address, it is possible to visualize other interesting uses for what3words, such as facilitating the search for specific points in unusual and poorly signposted places, such as an environmental park or a desert, helping tourists on their trips or professionals during humanitarian missions. Finding a music stage or a food stall at a festival or some specific shelf inside a large Distribution Center can also be simpler using the app, for example.

The fact that the system requires a computer or mobile device with GPS and is still unknown to most of the population limits its application and does not allow users to extract some of the benefits expected by the creators. However, with the increasing investment in the company and the dissemination of the system by major newspapers such as the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, it is possible to believe in the increase in popularity of the application.

keep an eye

References

<http://what3words.com/>

<http://www.wsj.com/articles/startups-try-to-put-remote-e-commerce-customers-on-the-map-1468603499>

<http://www.carteiroamigo.com.br/>