A mobile app that has gained significant traction in emergency response communities worldwide is raising questions in Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily reports.
What3Words (W3W), which divides the world into 3-yard squares and assigns three words to each square, is touted as an easy tool for locating people in distress. The idea behind the app is simple: a lost or injured person can provide three words to emergency dispatchers, pinpointing their exact location and potentially saving valuable time in rescue situations.
The app has become popular with emergency responders in Great Britain, where more than 85% of rescue services have adopted it. However, its performance in Wyoming has been met with mixed results, especially in remote areas where reliable cellphone service is scarce.
The app divides the entire world into a grid of squares approximately 3 square yards in size, each of which is identified by three random words. For example, the words “jump, legend, warblers” might correspond to a location in Vietnam, while “flesh, unzip, whirlwind” could identify a spot in Russia. In theory, a person who is lost or in distress could open the app, find their current location, and communicate the three words to a dispatcher, ensuring that rescuers are directed to the precise spot.
Despite its global popularity, including some reported success in parts of Europe, the app has yet to convince many rescue professionals in Wyoming, particularly those in rural and mountainous areas with limited cell service.
Local outdoorsman Owen Miller tested the app and found that it was not always accurate, especially in remote regions of Wyoming. When trying it out, Miller discovered that the app pinpointed his location within a few miles, but he noted that if he were injured, that margin of error would be problematic.
“If I was out here with a broken leg, I’d want it to get a little closer than a few miles,” Miller said.
Wyoming’s vast, rugged terrain and often unreliable cell phone coverage add challenges for any technology relying on a connection to function effectively. Mike Estes, Teton County Search and Rescue Coordinator, pointed out that while What3Words could potentially be useful as a supplemental tool, it is unlikely to replace the technology already in use.
“We already have ways to track people’s exact location using 911 calls and texting,” Estes explained. “Texting requires less service than a voice call and can be more reliable in some areas.”
In places without cellular service, newer smartphones equipped with satellite emergency features can offer another lifeline for those in danger.
Some Wyoming residents, like Miller, are also loyal users of other mapping apps, such as onX Hunt, which offers detailed topographic maps and real-time location sharing. While W3W locates a person to within a 3-square-yard radius, Miller questions whether it can ever rival onX, particularly for outdoor enthusiasts and hunters who depend on not just location, but also detailed maps of public and private lands.
“If I put an elk down and want you to come help me, I can pin where I am and it will bring you right to me, within feet,” Miller said.
Despite some early issues, What3Words has shown promise, and some experts believe the technology will improve over time. For instance, smartphone features like crash detection, which initially flooded dispatch centers with false alarms, have become more accurate as the technology has evolved. Estes notes that as search-and-rescue tools like W3W develop further, they will likely become more reliable in critical situations.
“The technology is getting better,” Estes said. “We’re not getting as many false alerts as we did when crash detection first came out.”
