A new app called What3Words is gaining popularity among dispatch departments.
The interface assigns a unique, three-word code to every 10 foot by 10 foot square in the world. Now Gratiot County emergency workers are using the app to locate people needing assistance.
The GPS system translates each word trio into a precise latitude and longitude.
Dan Morden, Gratiot County Central Dispatch Director of 9-1-1, said location is often the most important factor in an emergency.
“I've been in public safety for 30 years and it is so painful and frustrating when a caller is trying to relay to you where an emergency is, where people are hurting, and we need to get people there but they can’t tell us where they are,” he said.
Morden says a user doesn’t have to have the app installed on their phone for police to find them.
“If we are unable to easily determine your location with the other tools that we have, we can send you a text message, just a little hyperlink and it requires very little data,” he said. “You just click on that, it’ll take you to the website and it’ll show you what your 3 word location is.”
Morden said the app is a revolutionary piece of technology. It drastically decreases their response time, something Morden said has been an issue with outdated equipment.
“Sometimes we get a really, really high confidence level meaning that we’re really, really sure and it’s within a small radius but I would say the majority of the time we’re about 80% sure that you’re here and that’s within a 100-meter radius,” he said.
