Google Maps can be a lifesaver, in some cases quite literally, but there's a new app that's set to provide even more protection for users who find themselves in a tight spot.
Introducing what3words, an app created by a London start-up that is designed to determine your exact location anywhere in the world using just three words.
If you're wondering about its precision, the developers have arranged the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring 3m by 3m that all have their own randomly assigned three-word addy.
Advert
For example, LADbible's Manchester office is orange.period.lamp (sounds like a lovely bit of home decor), while the building next door is nets.policy.shrimp.
Already many emergency services around the UK are integrating the app into their operations, as it's proving to be a lifesaver to 999 callers who need to provide a location. It enables them to show where they are in a matter of seconds.
In a recent real life case showing the benefits of the app, 24-year-old Jess Tinsley spoke to the BBC about how she came to depend on what3words when she and her friends got lost in a forest on a dark and stormy night.
Advert
The pals were off on a five-mile walk through 4,900 acre Hamsterley Forest in County Durham last weekend when, after three hours, they managed to get lost.
"We were in a field and had no idea where we were," said Jess, from Newton Aycliffe.
"It was absolutely horrendous. I was joking about it and trying to laugh because I knew if I didn't laugh I would cry."
When they finally got to an area of land that had phone signal, one of them called 999.
"One of the first things the call-handler told us to do was download the what3words app," she added. "I had never heard of it."
Advert
Once they had downloaded it, within a minute the police knew exactly where the group were (their 3m by 3m location was kicked.converged.soccer) and they were quickly picked up by the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team.
"I have told everyone I know to download this app," said Jess. "You never know when you are going to get lost and need it."
That's us downloading it from the app store then.
Featured Image Credit: what3words