United Nations Disaster App Now Includes 3 word addresses

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UN ASIGN integrates innovative address system what3words

UN-ASIGN is a free crowd-sourced report app used during a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis. Developed for the United Nations by AnsuR Technologies, it allows individuals to collect and disseminate crowd-sourced photos and reports. Data such as points of flooding, damaged buildings and hazardous electric lines are automatically mapped and help towards overall situational awareness and repsonse during a crisis.

The data is collected by UNOSAT who then shares the relevant data with UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and other responding agencies such as the Government and NGOs. The application has successfully been used in Haiti, Pakistan, Nigeria and flooding in Thailand.

The latest release of UN-ASIGN has integrated the innovative geo-referencing system, what3words. It means all photos and reports will be geo-tagged with their 3 word addresses.

what3words is a universal location reference system based on a global grid of 57 trillion 3mx3m squares. Each square has been pre-assigned a fixed and unique 3 word address. It works in multiple languages, offline with no data connection. The use of words means non-technical people can find any location accurately and communicate it more quickly, more easily and with less ambiguity than any other system. Words can easily be remembered, written, said, printed or shared digitally.

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In times of crisis the communication of location is key and due to their memorability using 3 words simplifies this; reducing errors and ambiguity. This integration will also enable the affected community to refer to any precise location; when they are there, once they have left that location or if they want to refer to an entirely different location. This will help all responding agencies to communicate the location of any area using a 3 word address.

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“3 word addresses are being used around the world to help important logistical operations, improve asset management and help businesses get found. It's fantastic that it can help easily and accurately log events in critical situations, and get aid to the people who need it most„Chris Sheldrick, co-founder & CEO what3words

 

what3words enhances what is an inclusive, rapid response solution with a simple way to communicate location making it more easily and more effectively coordinating a response.

 

 

ABOUT WHAT3WORDS

 

what3words is a global grid of 3mx3m squares where each square has been pre-allocated a fixed and unique 3 word address.

75% of the world suffers from inconsistent, complicated or inadequate addressing systems. 

This means that around 4 billion people are invisible; unable to report crime; unable to get deliveries or receive aid; and unable to exercise many of their rights as citizens because they simply have no way to communicate where they live.

It means that in remote locations water facilities can’t be found, monitored and fixed; and schools, refugee camps and informal settlements remain unaddressed. Even in countries with advanced systems, people get lost, packages aren’t delivered and businesses aren’t found.

Poor addressing is costly & annoying in developed countries, but limits growth and threatens lives in developing ones.

Our API is being integrated into businesses, apps & services. It works across all platforms and devices, in multiple languages, offline and with voice recognition.

What3words means everyone and everywhere now has an address.

 


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