Technology

Posted on March 25, 2019 by staff

UK emergency services to use incredible addressing tech

Technology

The UK’s emergency services will use a novel new technology to more quickly find people in need of help.

The country’s biggest police, fire, ambulance and rescue services will use a GPS technology from What3Words, allowing people in distress to use three words as their location within three feet of accuracy.

The company hopes that its new technology can assist in emergencies in rural locations where a precise address is unavailable.

It also hopes that responders in cities where the person in distress may not be familiar with their surroundings, or able to share a location with accuracy.

The technology, which is available as free app and on its website, is now being introduced into emergency response training days.

Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Constabulary are now working alongside What3Words on pilot schemes.

“Being in need of urgent help and not being able to easily describe where you are can be very distressing for the person involved and a really difficult situation for emergency services,” said Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of What3Words.

“Today people nearly always have their phone on them. We need to use the tools at our disposal to improve public services and potentially save lives.”

Earlier this year, the tech start-up signed deals with both Ford and Mercedes to incorporate the technology into future vehicles.

Clare Jones, CCO of What3Words, was also recently names on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

“We are continuing to work with emergency services across the country to get what3words enabled in their control rooms and to encourage the public to understand how to find and share their 3 word address so that they can be found quickly when they need it most,” added Sheldrick.

“It’s been incredible to see UK police forces embrace technology to respond effectively and quickly to people in need.”