What3Words: The World Addressed

Credits & Description:

Title: The World Addressed
Agency: What3words
Country: United Kingdom
Entrant Company: What3words, London
Advertising Agency: What3words, London
Production Company: What3words, London
Cmo: Giles Rhys Jones (What3words)
Ceo: Chris Sheldrick (What3words)
Coo: Jack Waley-Cohen (What3words)
Creative Director: Ivan Pols (What3words)
Head Of Communications: Olivia Rzepczynski (What3words)
Campaign Description:
what3words is a location reference system based on a global grid of 57 trillion 3mx3m squares; each square has been pre-assigned a unique 3 word address. It means that everyone and everywhere now has a simple and usable address.It is available in multiple languages, offline and has built in error detection. It is easy to remember & communicate and quicker & more cost effective to implement than any other system. We have our own apps and with our APIs business are building in 3 word addresses to their own services.what3words is rapidly becoming an addressing ecosystem that everyone can use in more and more places around the world. Our model is to do good and do business. We charge a volume-based software license for businesses to use our code. There is a nominal charge for not for profits and the use of what3words apps is free.
Outcome:
Long term - We want to make the world a more efficient, less frustrating and safer place by giving everyone and everywhere a simple and usable address. Relevance - The applications for simpler addressing are almost limitless. From dramatically improving the efficiencies of postal, delivery, e-commerce, asset management and mobile workforce to reducing frustration for tourists, sports venues and at events. We enable businesses to be found easily, make it easier for aid to be delivered and offer a ready made and inexpensive infrastructure for governments. Scale - We operate a B2B2C model. Our code means we can grow efficiently and we provide all or partners with toolkits to communicate what3words to all their customers, dramatically increasing awareness. Investment - $15 - Intel Capital, Horizons Ventures, Aramex & Deutsch Bahn.Results - Accepted by 7 National postal services used by SuperBowl50, The Rio Olympics, The Red Cross & The UN.
Relevancy:
what3words is a disruptive innovation that has given everyone, everywhere and everything a simple address.Our algorithm converts complex coordinates to 3 usable words and back again.We have our own free app and sites and a licensed API for businesses to add 3 word addresses to their own services.Since we entered Cannes in 2015 we have partnered with over 400 business including seven national posts. Our voice product is being used by leading car, autonomous vehicle and drone companies. We are now available in14 languages, have raised over$15 and have grown from 5 to a team of 35.
Synopsis:
The world is badly addressed. Simply communicating a precise location is actually very difficult. Poor addressing means that deliveries go astray, businesses can’t be found, aid doesn’t reach the people who need it and remote assets are difficult to manage. Around 75% of the countries in the world suffers from poor addressing, and the remaining 25% still lack universal address coverage. In the logistics and ecommerce sectors, inaccurate addressing mean time-consuming and inefficient deliveries. For navigation apps, drones & automotive "You have arrived" very rarely means that. In humanitarian scenarios implications can be more serious.A street address often drops a pin right in the centre of a building, which can help find the building itself, but not the correct entrance. The promise of IoT and the simple voice input can simply not be realised when you are asked "Which of the 19 Church Roads in London did you mean?".
Execution:
The beauty of the system is its simplicity. A 12mb algorithm containing all the addresses in the world that can be used offline, has built in error detection and in multiple languages. With around 2 hours of coding our API can be added to any business for whom communicating a location represents a problem. Our wordlists have 25,000 words per language, 40,000 in English as we have done the sea as well as land. They go through multiple automated and human review processes including removing offensive words and homophones (sale & sail). We are now available in 14 languages.The words are sorted by the algorithm that takes into account word length, distinctiveness, frequency, and ease of spelling and pronunciation. Simpler, more common words are allocated to more populated areas that speak that language and the longest words are used in 3 word addresses in unpopulated areas. The algorithm shuffles similar-sounding 3 word combinations around the world to make it obvious if you have made an error in typing or when saying them. Our yet to officially launch voice product is delivery an unprecedented 97% accuracy for address recognition and is now being built into cars and drones.