Ian-- Thanks for the explanation. That answers both of my questions.
Easier to remember, and less-likely for someone to mis-write one of the characters. I can see where there are applications where those qualities would be helpful. A lot of houses & cottages already have names, and so wouldn't it be good for people to be able to request that the square containing their front-door have the name of their house, if that word-combination (or something too close to it) isn't already in use? Thanks again. Michael Ossipoff On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Ian Maddocks <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Michael > > From reading the web site, as I understand it, they have chosen the words > from a big dictionary file. The interesting points were that they > deliberately choose smaller words for built up areas, going to larger words > elsewhere on landmass and the biggest words out to sea. This was to make > the most likely to be used combinations shorter and more memorable. They > also filtered out all the rude words. They have also taken the trouble to > ensure that similar groups of words are no where near each other. If you > try hovering over the map and looking at each square the words from one > square to the next are quite different. If you go to their map and type in > two or two and a half words till the suggestions come up you will see that > similar suggestions (maybe one ends in a plural) are nowhere near each > other to make typos obvious. Another feature is that different languages > are not just translations of the base English, in case words are longer or > more easily confused on the other languages. I haven't seen what grid the > system is based on ,though i presume standard 1984 Sat nav. > > Why? Will their main aim was to give accurate easy mapping to places > without road names or post codes. Even our post codes are only accurate to > 100 m or so but the situation is worse in less developed places. If you > live in an over crowded place you can still give an accurate address really > easily. If your delivery driver was using free open source map from > Navmii (sp?) , formerly Open Street Map he should be able to find you to > 3m. It's free mapping on your phone that understands w3w. Also the web > site streetmap.co uk does. > This is their target market. They don't expect you to radio the coast > guard with your coordinates in this format! > > It's more accurate than a post code , and easy to remember compared to lat > and long to the same accuracy. > > Merry Christmas > > Ian > Chester, UK > > Get Outlook for Android <https://aka.ms/ghei36> > > From: Michael Ossipoff > Sent: 7:34PM, Monday, 26 December > Subject: Re: Precise locations > To: Ian Maddocks > Cc: Douglas Bateman, Sundial list > > Two things that I ask someone to explain: > > 1. How does the 3-word position-designation work? Aside from the names of > the positions, what is the co-ordinate system? Latitude & longitude? How > are the 3 words chosen for each of the 3 meter by 3-meter locations? > > 2. What's wrong with latitude & longitude? > > ...or, if preferred, some widely-used plane-coordinate system? > > Michael Ossipoff > > On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 1:35 PM, Ian Maddocks <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Hi Doug > > If you haven't been concentrating I added the W3W address to my signature > a few months back. > > Given the 3 m resolution you actually get a few choices of what address to > pick for any given plot of land. frog.happy.froze is actually more my > living room than front door. I wandered the cursor around till I found > the most memorable three words > > At the moment if you want to navigate by W3W the NavMii free mobile sat > nav app (using OpenStreetMap data) understands the addresses. > > https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navfree.android.OSM.ALL > > in the descriptions says "*Local Place search (powered by TripAdvisor, > Foursquare and What3Words)"* > > The other site that uses them is www.streetmap.co.uk. For those of us > dial recorders who want to have a location converted to multiple formats as > easily as possible the "Click here to convert coordinates" under the maps > is invaluable, and includes the W3W reference on the last line see > http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idgc.srf?x=538955&y=177217 for example > > Ian > > Ian Maddocks > Chester, UK > 53°11'50"N 2°52'41"W > frog.happy.froze > > > *From:* sundial <[email protected]> on behalf of Douglas > Bateman <[email protected]> > *Sent:* 16 October 2016 15:58 > *To:* Sundial list > *Subject:* Re: Precise locations > > > > I have been told of another method called what3words.com > > Designed in 2013 and developed since then, it uses a grid of the world > made up of 57 trillion squares of 3 metres by 3 metres. Each square has > been given a 3-word address. what3words has named the 17 trillion squares > on land with 3 words in 10 other languages in addition to English. Of > potential value to less developed countries. My contact says: "A very > good idea I think as it is easier than numbers and covers the whole globe > (dependent of course on the w3w database continuing to exist, which let's > hope it does) to give e.g. addresses in African shanty towns or remote > villages in India as well as where there are postcodes." > > An intriguing system, based on the fact that three words, however > unrelated, are rather more memorable than a latitude/longitude. Typing > Greenwich Observatory comes up with oval.blast.improving. My house has a > similar unique set of words. > > Well worth a look. > > Doug > > On 16 Oct 2016, at 11:39, Martina Addiscott <[email protected]> > wrote: > > In message <[email protected]> > Douglas Bateman <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sundiallers like to give precise locations for dials, but (a little > off-list) I have a bottle of Campo Viejo Rioja 2014 wine in front of me > which gives at the top of the label N 42º 28’ 48†W 02º 29’ 08†. > Although in a small font it is clearly printed above the brand name. > > Google Earth shows a large vineyard, and indeed the brand, at this > location. > > This is a new one on me, and I wonder how many products are giving their > source location in geographical coordinates. > > Open for discussion! > > Doug > --------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > As far as physical 'products' are concerned, these days they would > probably have a "QRcode" - you know, one of those small square blocks > which just seem to contain a 'jumble' of black and white pixels. > > Those are mainly used to direct people straight to a website, but > they can contain a lot more information (if you needed to do so). > > If you want to include an actual geographical location, then one of > the best ways is to use a "NAC code" - which stands for 'Natural Area > Coding' also known as Universal Map Coding, or a Universal Address). > > It is usually included as a 'meta', within any website design coding. > > For sundial-related subjects, the only people I know that use these > methods are "Modern Sunclocks" - and (if anyone is interested), I > have 'attached' the QRcode they use to drive people to their website. > > Within the 'meta' code of that website they also display a NAC code, > so that any people can find-out their exact Latitude and Longitude. > > Sincerely, > > Martina Addiscott > > -- > > <QRcode.jpg>--------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > --------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > >
--------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
