Many people don't even know their own postal codes, let alone the addresses of their office, friends' houses, grocery store, etc., so 'what3words' is aiming to name every single segment of the planet with word addresses.
The hypothesis is simple: three words are easy to remember so use that for a street address, a postal code, a city, and a country. Capitalizing on this concept with the sheer size of languages, 'what3words' uses an algorithm to assign a unique three word code to each of the approximately 57 trillion 3 meter by 3 meter squares on Earth. Squares can be named anything, from "chill.once.waddle" to "stubbed.pining.petty."
More than a gimmick, what3words hopes to incorporate its word addresses into metropolitan areas to increase the accuracy and efficiency of deliveries, while improving mapping systems in less developed nations.
What's Driving This Trend
- Word-based Addressing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a word-based addressing system for online shopping platforms to improve accuracy and efficiency of deliveries.
- Geolocation Mapping
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create mapping systems that integrate word addresses to enhance navigation and location services in less developed nations.
- Memorable Location Identifiers
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build applications that utilize memorable word codes for easy recall and communication of location information.
Who This Affects Most
- E-commerce
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate word addresses into online shopping platforms to revolutionize the accuracy and efficiency of deliveries.
- Navigation and Mapping
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate word-based addressing systems into mapping technologies to improve location services in various industries.
- Geographical Information Systems
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop GIS solutions that leverage word addresses for efficient location identification and communication.
