What is What3Words? System government is using to track the queue explained

What3Words is being used by the Government to livestream a map showing the queue’s location
The queue now stretches out to almost five miles
AP
Nuray Bulbul16 September 2022

In a bid to help to help those wanting to see the Queen’s coffin, the Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has directed people to a livestream of a map showing the queue’s location.

The DCMS had been relying on location service app What3Words.com to update people on social media where the new end point of the line is and how long of a wait it will be.

But on Wednesday evening a human error led to the live queue tracker promoting inaccurate locations for the line. The tracker led people almost 5,320 miles away to the city of Fresno, in California and to Charlotte, in North Carolina, or to a town near Leeds.

According to The Telegraph, DCMS said the errors were caused by civil servants manually typing out the codes and a new automated has since been introduced, with DCMS starting a new live-stream on YouTube showing the queue.

But what is What3Words and how do you use it?

What is What3Words?

What3Words is an app which uses geographic coordinates to pinpoint an exact location correct to three square metres, in order for people to be easily found in emergencies.

It also gives the billions of people without a formal address access to one for the first time.

The app was set up by Chris Sheldrick in 2013, following frustration at how difficult it was to get people meeting at the correct location.

It is being used by 60 UK emergency services.

How to use What3Words

You will need to download the free app to use it.

In order to get directions to a What3Words address, you will need to enter the What3Words address in the format word.word.word into the search bar.

Select the correct result, tap Navigate, then choose your preferred navigation app, such as Google Maps.

If you don’t know the What3Words address, you can retrieve this information by entering a place name or street address into the search bar, switching to satellite mode and zooming in until you see the grid. Tap on a square to see its What3Words address.

Likewise, to view your current What3Words, tap the icon above satellite mode to view your current location.

If your GPS accuracy is low, switch to satellite mode. Zoom in until you see the grid and tap the correct square.

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