Navi companies have been trying to remedy this shortcoming for decades. Google Maps has Plus Codes, a system specially designed to help users find a location in a location where addresses are not available.
what3words, on the other hand, takes a different approach. The company divided the entire world into three-meter squares, and each square is given a unique address made up of three random words.
This means that you can pinpoint a navigation app to a place on the map with an accuracy of three meters, once you use the words generated by this platform.
The benefits of using what3words are more than obvious and that is why several emergency services have already adopted it. With the three random words, firefighters can find the exact building that needs their help, and an ambulance can drive right to a doorway.
Now a navigation app is also bringing what3words to its users.
NAVITIME is currently the number one alternative to Google Maps in Japan. Starting this month, NAVITIME also has what3words integration, allowing users to accurately navigate to a specific location with an accuracy of three meters.
If you’ve used NAVITIME, you probably already know that the app has an impressive collection of POIs. This is exactly where what3words can come in handy as NAVITIME can use the random address to put users exactly where they need to be.
A typical example is a bench in a park. Once someone sends you the location generated on what3word, you can now enter the three random words into NAVITIME and let the application direct you to the correct bank.
The integration with NAVITIME supports multiple languages, and users in Japan can also type Hiragana.
It’s certainly a shame that NAVITIME is only available in Japan as its feature set would easily convince some Google Maps and Apple Maps to abandon ship. The application includes everything from pedestrian navigation, maps and POIs with support for over 700 million businesses, to hotel integration and route sharing.
A premium tier is also available for additional features including advanced route guidance, public transport, traffic information and voice navigation. In addition to support for the iPhone, the application also works on the Apple Watch.
The what3words integration is currently only available on Apple smartphones, but the parent company says it’s also available for Android devices. No ETA has been provided on that front, but the update is set to go live sooner rather than later. Of course, users who want to get the three-word address can also install what3words as a separate app on their devices in the stores.
