SURVIVAL: Swift rescue due to precise location id

Monday, April 21, 2025

https://www.mytexasdaily.com/upper-gulf-coast/drone-technology-aids-in-swift-rescue-of-lost-hikers-in-sugar-land/article_6be1e49b-2992-524e-9181-d94f07a57e81.html?utm_campaign=6757289-USA%20B2C%20Newsletter%202025&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–6-0YPXZUeNVJWZmcGw3rUEhWwhuy5QKiNQmApKyaxgCwkgbTBKjPkNKeQo19VymN2krxjzFTAao8tEBeKpKhaQFn7kw&_hsmi=356333343&utm_content=356333343&utm_source=hs_automation#google_vignette

Drone technology aids in swift rescue of lost hikers in Sugar Land
Mathew Richards Feb 2, 2025 

*** begin quote ***

SUGAR LAND, Texas — Three hikers lost in Cullinan Park were swiftly located and rescued thanks to the quick response and advanced technology of the Sugar Land Police Department.

The hikers, who called 911 after becoming disoriented, were found within 15 minutes of the department deploying a drone.

The incident began just after 6:30 p.m. when a distressed female, accompanied by two others, contacted the police after they were unable to find their way back to the park entrance in the dark. Dispatchers used the What3Words application to pinpoint the hikers’ exact location, according to a press release from the Sugar Land Police Department.

*** end quote ***

I’ve cited what3words here in this blog many many times.  For all the junk that people put on their phones, this one should coexist with the rest of the bloatware that phone makers and networks provide “free”.

Now getting lost on a hike is inexcusable; some would say unavoidable.  Not being able to communicate your precise location can be fatal.

The use of the drone was very cost effective rather than rounding up a posse and searching even a small area.

So put the app on your phone and, if you never use it, you can say “told ya so”.  

Minimize confusion, promote efficiency, and possibly save a life.  

Talk to your family, friends, and enemies. 

The life you save may be your own or a loved one.

Argh!

—30—

Leave a Comment » | SURVIVAL | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

INNOVATION: Reporting potholes using what3wprods

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wsvWj6OPQg

Report your local ***hole with what3words
what3words  —  Mar 27, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Potholes are such a menace, we think they should be considered a rude word! They cause damage to cars, agony for drivers and a lot of frustration for communities and local councils. They can’t be fixed if they can’t be found, so many councils and highways authorities are asking people to use a what3words address when they report a pothole.

Next time you spot a pothole, find the what3words address and share it online, helping your council or highways authority to find and fix potholes easily.

*** end quote ***

Hopefully we can get this working in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee.

I’ll try and report back results of lack there of.

Sigh!

—30—

Put in ///forgot.golf.scan on the NJDOT webform. 2024-Mar-28 1240 

—30—

Leave a Comment » | INNOVATION | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: Tell 911 call handlers precisely where to send help is vital

Monday, December 18, 2023

https://what3words.com/news/blog/how-what3words-is-being-used-in-texas?utm_campaign=USA%20B2C%20Newsletter%202023&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=286051771&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8wcHBer7Uje11CKMMoLBg90Bgp1QOb6BCmnTtIKsRXT65ZtRu-xWfxrEmLitaIor6zhsbezVzhrUHb1tjRDBivi5Td8w&utm_content=285635558&utm_source=hs_automation

Getting help where it’s needed

In an emergency, being able to tell 911 call handlers precisely where to send help is vital – but this can be difficult when you’re out in rural areas or in an unfamiliar part of the city. A what3words address helps you to communicate any exact location easily and efficiently, no matter where you are. This means emergency responders will know exactly where to go, accurate to a 10ft square. Watch as the City of Austin Police Department put it to the test with Inside Edition.

Emergency service departments across Texas and the wider US are using what3words to find people faster and improve response times. You can read the full list of services using it and some of the incredible stories that have involved what3words.

https://what3words.com

—30—

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

SURVIVAL: Some apps you should have on your phone.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

https://theprepared.com/everyday-carry/reviews/mobile-apps/

Best survival apps for your phone
 UPDATED 4 WEEKS AGOBY GIDEON PARKER

*** begin quote ***

Your phone / mobile device is one of the few things you’re almost guaranteed to have nearby in an emergency. This list covers third-party apps worth downloading and lesser-known features built into Android and iOS phones.

*** and ***

  • Citizen (iOS, Android, free) is a crowdsourced incident alert system. If you or others see something such as a fire, police interaction, or terrorist attack, spread the word or even livestream video to notify other app users.

*** and ***

  • Signal (iOS, Android, free) is an all-in-one app for text, voice, and video. SMS text messages (ie. normal/classic texting) are terribly insecure, and most other apps like Telegram and WhatsApp aren’t much better. Signal is the trusted, encrypted king endorsed by security experts like Bruce Schneier and Edward Snowden.

*** end quote ***

And, of course, I recommend what3words to give you a very precise location description.

—30—

Leave a Comment » | SURVIVAL | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: WHAT3WORDS may not be suitable for the task? NOT-RECOMMENDED!

Saturday, May 8, 2021

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/05/03/1538256/what3words-sends-legal-threat-to-a-security-researcher-for-sharing-an-open-source-alternative

What3Words Sends Legal Threat To a Security Researcher For Sharing an Open-Source Alternative (techcrunch.com) 133
Posted by msmash on Monday May 03, 2021 @11:38AM from the how-about-that dept.

*** begin quote ***

A U.K. company behind digital addressing system What3Words has sent a legal threat to a security researcher for offering to share an open-source software project with other researchers, which What3Words claims violate its copyright.

*** and ***

But security researcher Andrew Tierney recently discovered that What3Words would sometimes have two similarly-named squares less than a mile apart, potentially causing confusion about a person’s true whereabouts. In a later write-up, Tierney said What3Words was not adequate for use in safety-critical cases.

*** end quote ***

Maybe Google’s system is better?

40.48453468598731, -74.42346811440515

As opposed to:

safety freed solo

AKA https://w3w.co/safety.freed.solo

WhatFreeWords should NOT be suppressed.

—30—

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210430/22510246716/what3words-sends-ridiculous-legal-threat-to-security-researcher-over-open-source-alternative.shtml

What3Words Sends Ridiculous Legal Threat To Security Researcher Over Open Source Alternative
(Mis)Uses of Technology
from the never-use-what3words dept
Mon, May 3rd 2021 10:47am — Mike Masnick

*** begin quote ***

The only proper response to this is never, ever use What3Words for anything that matters. Beyond not giving in to censorial, abusive bullies, their legal reaction to a security researcher doing reverse engineering work to help find potentially dangerous problems with What3Words screams loudly to the world that What3Words has no confidence that it’s products are safe. They’re scared to death of security researchers being able to really test their work.

Both of these reasons means that What3Words should be remembered as little more than a failed.dumpster.fire rather than the cool.mapping.idea it could have been.

*** end quote ***

—30—

Leave a Comment » | NOTRECOMMENDED, Technology | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

CLOUD: Google is “blind” to what3words addressing

Monday, April 3, 2017

https://what3words.com/ 

When I search for “where is what3words shed.varieties.menu”, I get send to the what3words website.

Doesn’t Google understand that shed.varieties.menu is a location using this universal addressing scheme.

# – # – # – # – # 

I guess not!

So much for google being the all-seeing all-knowing tool.

Argh!

# – # – # – # – # 

Leave a Comment » | CLOUD | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj