Calamity CEO Discusses What3Words Mapping Technology

Welcome back. Well, the new mapping system has been developed to help triple zero operators pinpoint a caller’s exact location using three random words.

Absolute genius, I reckon. Here to explain the new system is security expert and CEO of calamity. Daniel Lewkovitz

Daniel, this is what I’ve already downloaded it, it’s fantastic. Tell us how it works.

Right. So one of the problems that people have often had in an emergency say they’re in the middle of the bush, or they’re on a highway somewhere, and they don’t know exactly where they are. And when you’re trying to call first responders, triple zero police fire ambulance, and you don’t know where you are. That’s a real problem. Historically, navigation relied on attitude or longitude or knowing your exact straight location. And that was too hard.

So some people from what three words broke the entire planet up into three square meter blocks. And every one of those three square meter blocks has a name, and that name can be described using three words. And using those words, you can actually communicate any location anywhere on earth to a three meter accuracy.

Now what’s happened is the emergency services in Australia who answers the phone when you’re in triple zero, have now built that into their emergency plus app so that wherever you are, if you can’t describe your exact location using straight and cross street, you can actually open their app and it will give you three words, and you read those three words for an operator and the operator will say, Yep, I’ve got that and they can navigate to your location and it’s going to save lives. Oh, Daniel happened?

Because I mean, if you ringing triple zero, you’re panicked anyway. And even if you’re on a street, you can’t remember the name of it like Yeah, exactly. So can you give us an example if you’re in the bush or on a beach? Oh, so what do you actually do?

So one of the problems that people have is when seconds count and as you say they are under panic, and they might not be able to describe their exact location using geographical landmarks or something.

So I would encourage all viewers to get hold of the emergency plus app and if you want the What3Words app which has advantages as well that’s on our website at the moment, Calamity.com.au

You and once you download that, you can actually see exactly where you are, at any given time. Now it’s useful in an emergency. Let’s say you’re out in the scrub or you’re bushwalking and it’s already saved lives of bushwalking got injured and was able to call emergency services, but it also has benefits if say you’re just out with friends and you’re in a huge park or you’re at a music festival or you’re on a beach somewhere rather than saying I’m near the flagpole or something like that.

You can actually tell them I’m a pickle Blender handbrake and then they type pickle Blender handbrake into the what three words apps, and then they can actually navigate your location so it’s got benefits when it’s not an emergency. When there is an emergency and seconds count and you need to be able to accurately describe your location wherever you are at sea on land in the bush on the highway.

You can do it and save valuable seconds when it counts.

Wish I thought of this! It’s easy to download. I’ve done it so it must be easy. Emergency plus, I’m a green casual force. That’s a lot of words, I’m getting lost!

It’ll save you after a big night out when you wake up. You don’t know where you are or who took your trousers

That’s a cheap shot Daniel.

Thank you. I appreciate you coming on the show.

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