w3w

I think the concept of What3Words is fascinating. It’s a simple, memorable way to define geographic locations with high precision. The entire planet is divided into 3×3-meter squares, and every one of those squares has a three-word “address”.

For example, my address is endearing.sunflower.subculture. Bam.

The goal of the w3w organization is to use their mapping algorithm and technology to provide a new way to accurately locate points on the earth. The use cases are myriad, from self-driving cars to package delivery (by truck or by drone) to simply giving directions. I’m curious whether it’ll “catch on”. In the meantime, maybe when someone asks for directions to my house I’ll just tell them to head over to “endearing sunflower subculture”.