WashijaFighting Wildfires
Another thing What3Words has proved to be helpful in is fighting wildfires. Instead of starting from one point outside the forest and then trying to get directed from there, the fighters now know the exact position and plan out their route themselves in the fastest and most effective way.
Don’t Need Network
The best part is this app does not need cell service to function. Sheldrick described this feature is particularly helpful for people who are stranded somewhere with no reception. But the question is, how will a person communicate his location to the emergency services if they don’t have reception? Shedrick had an answer for that.
Reaching The Location
He explained, “Say there was a group of hikers up on the mountains and one of them gets injured. They don’t have a signal to make a call but they can find out exactly where they are. They will know their unique set of three words. One of them can then run out to get help and bring them back to their injured friend’s precise location.”
Hostage Girl
One of the more extreme cases in which this app helped someone was when a girl, who was held hostage by her kidnapper, managed to send her unique three words to the police and ask for help. The officers were able to reach the location much faster now that they had the unique three words, compared with when they would have to track her down on her own which was a time taking process.
Saving Lives
The amazing thing is Sheldrick created this app with his frustration about postcodes and addresses. He had no idea it would end up saving lives. In recent times, the app has successfully saved many people, a woman with a broken car in the middle of nowhere, a man who fell down a riverbank and many more. This app helped the world with more than just precise directions for sure.
Endless Praises
Jess only has endless appreciation for the app and its creator. She says she will never forget those three words that saved her life. She can’t thank the app creators and the mountain rescue team enough. They made it possible for her to return to her daughter and that means more to her than anything else in this world.