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Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction

arXiv:2308.16025 (cs)
[Submitted on 30 Aug 2023]

Title:A Critical Analysis of the What3Words Geocoding Algorithm

Authors:Rudy Arthur
Download a PDF of the paper titled A Critical Analysis of the
What3Words Geocoding Algorithm, by Rudy Arthur
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    Abstract: What3Words is a geocoding application that uses triples
    of words instead of alphanumeric coordinates to identify
    locations. What3Words has grown rapidly in popularity over the
    past few years and is used in logistical applications worldwide,
    including by emergency services. What3Words has also attracted
    criticism for being less reliable than claimed, in particular
    that the chance of confusing one address with another is high.
    This paper investigates these claims and shows that the
    What3Words algorithm for assigning addresses to grid boxes
    creates many pairs of confusable addresses, some of which are
    quite close together. The implications of this for the use of
    What3Words in critical or emergency situations is discussed.

Subjects: Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC); Computers and Society
          (cs.CY)
Cite as:  arXiv:2308.16025 [cs.HC]
          (or arXiv:2308.16025v1 [cs.HC] for this version)
          https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.16025
          Focus to learn more
          arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Submission history

From: Rudy Arthur [view email]
[v1] Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:30:57 UTC (727 KB)
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