rdfb wrote:Boxkite wrote:...but I can't see a downside to W3W...
..
I'd prefer to see an open system be the ubiquitous one ... I find it quite offensive that despite there already being an open standard, W3W are trying to "take ownership" of location data in this way.
a bit harsh ? The 'open standard' (Lat/Long) was developed for sailors with sextants, chronographs and almanacs. Most users of smartphones (unlike most Forumites) may well not know what these are, and may not be used to seeing and using maps and charts (I learnt about such things as an Air Cadet, not as part of the school curriculum); and they may even be in an undermapped area when/if they get into trouble (but may have a 'phone, and receive a signal for it). I don't see W3W as trying to 'take ownership' of anything. But they have developed an App which (I gather) is easy to use, anywhere in the world, in a wide and widening variety of language vocabularies, and has greater granularity than any precision which I've ever achieved in flight. Such granularity may be important to someone whose lying in a ditch invisible from the road from which their car rolled and to any ambulance or helicopter crew trying to spot it. Where ambulance and other emergency services have adopted W3W, in UK and elsewhere, there have been convincing tales in impressive numbers to show it has been useful.
I can even recall when such granularity would have been very useful in an actual combat zone.. [deliberate imprecision follows.. ] .. A patrol of friendly military (with only a speech radio, albeit a secure one) reported their position as a particular spot height in a fairly featureless and uninhabited terrain identified from a relatively empty topographical map. HQ had to warn them that a (real) enemy unit was probably 'at' the 'same' position, but it took a bit of effort to persuade them. Actually, both were using the same map, but were serendipitously on opposite sides of the same hill. Fortunately, the 'friendly' force was thus more ready for the ensuing encounter than were the opposition. This was before the GPS era, but even with GPS the potential either not to read off coordinates to the second, or for those digits to be misheard on reception, would have been great.
Of course, it is entirely possible that in today's battlefield such details can be and are sent by garbleproof data channels with the necessary precision, but this may not be practical for what the typical civilian carries in the pocket.
[I do have a smartphone, a gift some years ago from one of my children who was astonished that I did not have one nor felt the need to, so now ageing. It does have a barely used PAYG SIM in it. I used actually to carry it outside the house only when flying. Now I do so almost only at JAM, and using the WiFi there, or when I expect that I might need to be contacted by someone also on the move. I suppose it would be prudent to do so when walking the dog, in case I slip and fall somewhere invisible, but I've never got into the habit. If I do, I might further be prudent to load W3W]
(mere guide at) Jet Age Museum, Gloucestershire Airport
http://www.jetagemuseum.org/TripAdvisor Excellence Award 2015
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction ... gland.html