What3Words? The app that everyone is downloading

This summer (2024), 90% of Brits are looking to enjoy outdoor activities, and almost half (47%) are planning to visit new areas of the UK, but many wouldn’t feel confident describing specific locations, causing issues in emergency situations  

Devon Air Ambulance, along with other UK emergency services, is recommending the free what3words app that can provide callers with their exact location. Devon Air Ambulance often use the what3words app to help locate patients in rural parts of the county.

About the app

What3words is an application that helps a user share their precise location. The app divides the world into units of 3 metres squared. Attributed to each unit is a unique 3-word address that will never change, irrespective of how the landscape in which that grid falls changes. 

For example ///nightlife.decide.crescendo marks the marks the helipad of the Exeter Devon Air Ambulance base.

What are the benefits of using the app?

Three-word addresses are easy to say and to share, and are as accurate as GPS coordinates, which is why people are using the app to direct emergency services to the right place. 

How is Devon Air Ambulance using the What3Words app?

Our HEMs dispatchers use the 3 words given to them when receiving a call and translate these into the coordinates they need to direct the emergency aircraft to the precise location where our critical care team is needed. For those who are calling for help from remote locations and might not have the grid references to hand, this application can be very useful.

How do I download the app?

If you have an iPhone then visit the App Store, or if you have an Android then go to the Play Store, and search for what3words. The app is free to download. You will need to permit the app to access the location of your device.

The app is simple to use; it will automatically identify the precise location of where you are holding the phone.

The evolution of technology such as the what3words app is an enormous help to Devon Air Ambulance and our patients, but we do continue to welcome your support to help keep us responding. 

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