What3Words

Sudbury is a geographically diverse community, meaning location services are of the utmost importance.

What3Words is an innovative global address system. What3words is an easy way to talk about location. Every 3m square in the world has been given a unique combination of three words which translates into a what3words address.

Following its success to help locate people in need of help in the United Kingdom and Australia; the Greater Sudbury Police 911 Emergency Communications Centre has recently adopted what3words. It will now be utilized to dispatch emergency services to incidents more effectively and reduce response times.

A number of Emergency Services across the UK have been using what3words for nearly two years. It has helped rescue people from a range of incidents including locating victims of motor vehicle accidents, people trapped in flood waters, kidnap victims and critically injured hikers and cyclists. It is relied upon by them on a daily basis and has been saving lives across the country.

Since emergencies can happen anywhere, identifying precisely where help is needed is critical in order to get resources to the scene quickly. However, this can be near impossible for a caller to do if they get into trouble in an area with no address, no memorable landmark or an address that simply isn’t good enough to accurately describe where they are.

By simply saying 3 words it means we can now locate callers with a powerful degree of accuracy, helping us dispatch the right resources to exactly where the emergency is.

What3Words can be used via the free app for both iOS and Android or via the online map at what3words.com. The best part about the app is that it continues to work offline, making it ideal for use in the rural areas that might have a poor or unreliable internet connection. However, it only works offline if the app is already downloaded on your phone. That’s why we are strongly encouraging community members to download it.

If a caller requires assistance and they don’t already have the app, 911 call takers are able to send an SMS link to them with the what3words online map. However, this function can only be used when the caller is within cellular range.

Individuals are also using the what3words app to navigate the world easily and to meet friends in places without addresses such as restaurants, parks, beaches and more. What3words addresses are being used by running clubs, hikers, sailors, and by hotels to guide guests to their entrance without complicated written directions.

This new service is far more useful than the traditional ‘ping’ technology currently used by our emergency services. This will now allow us to locate callers as quickly as possible knowing that these crucial minutes are sometimes the difference between life and death.

This is the ultimate reason why the Greater Sudbury Police Service is encouraging members of the public to download the free app and be ready to provide their what3words address in an emergency as they will begin using “What3Words” effective immediately.

Learn more about What3Words