Parkstrasse in Berlin. Without knowing a single one of the residents personally, it is fair to say that most of them will have dozens of stories to tell about missing packages, lost visitors or pizzas delivered to the wrong addresses. That is because there are nine different roads called “Parkstrasse” in Berlin. They are bound to get mixed up from time to time.

The case of the Parkstrasses in Berlin is just one of many such examples. Logistics service providers, taxi companies and private individuals can all tell tales of incorrect or even just imprecise addresses, even in an age of cell phones and GPS navigation. The creators of What3words have made it their mission to bring an end to this misery with a geolocation-based system that divides the world into approximately 57 billion 3×3-meter squares. Each square is assigned a unique combination of three words. Using the website at www.what3words.com or the app for mobile devices, it is possible to localize places all over the world accurately, and to do so in a simple and user-friendly way even without entering a specific address.

Measuring the World

We’re going to stay in Berlin. Let us assume that a truck driver needs to deliver goods to an exhibitor at the Messe Berlin exhibition center on short notice. A Google search gives the address as Messedamm 22. This could conceivably be unsuitable for finding the right unloading point on the vast site comprising 26 different exhibition halls. This is where What3words comes in. The customer uses the app to localize exactly the right delivery point at Hall 6. The word combination is “twins.renews.rift”. That is easy to remember, even over the phone or radio. The app or, if it is compatible, the driver’s navigation system will then find its way to the destination by voice command.

Anyone who has ever been to Budapest and tried to find Széchenyi István tér, a much-visited square near the famous Chain Bridge, by using voice commands in Google Maps will know how useful What3words can be. The app will find the location easily if you use the words “mailing.stretch.impact”. The application is currently available in 54 languages. Word combinations are not translated directly but instead assigned entirely separately for each language. For example, German-speaking users will find Széchenyi István tér by entering “regelt.lenkte.gezielt”. Whether you speak German, English or Swahili, the app will automatically detect your language and adjust the search accordingly.

The app offers further benefits in places where a GPS signal and cell phone reception are hard to come by. That doesn’t just mean remote regions of Alaska or Lapland – even a walk in the woods can sometimes be enough to lose service. A GPS navigation system is useless without a signal. The world of What3words, with its 57 billion squares, is completely measured out. It works offline and anywhere in the world, whether you’re in the urban jungle or on the high seas.

The Idea Behind the App

In 2013, Chris Sheldrick, a 42-year-old from the UK, was fed up of constantly being led astray by his navigation system. As a manager in the music industry, he needed to make sure that his artists were in the right places at the right times. Sheldrick was finding this to be a real challenge, and this was what sparked the idea for What3words. Companies such as Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures and Mercedes-Benz AG have since invested in the London-based firm. New vehicles from Mercedes, Lotus and Mitsubishi are capable of navigating to a three-word address by voice command.

The address system is optimized for voice input, which can even save lives in an emergency. This is because emergency services tend to have their deployment locations sent through by radio. What3words makes that process quicker and more accurate, which is vital when every second counts.

The System Has Its Limits

It’s a great application, but the app has not triggered any great revolution in navigation. If you get lost and want to know where you are, What3words can’t help you. And it has of course long been possible to share the most accurate possible location coordinates using GPS. Yet the idea of the three-word combinations is smart and easy to remember – and comes with an entertainment value that should not be underestimated. The next time you want to visit Rheinmetall headquarters in Düsseldorf, give it a try using “runners.thinking.photos”.