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Is there a widely accepted open source alternative to What3Words? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago by notsosure@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

13 comments fedilink hide all child comments

It seems that what3words is proprietary. The app on AppStore expects 40€ annually for quite basic functionality, hard to see how something with potentially useful functionality can get global acceptance at these costs.

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[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (6 children)

It almost seems like a different use case. It seems like the plus codes are effectively like mailing addresses for places that dont have addresses (lots of countries). They still lack the ability to do clear, analog communication (e.g., over radio or just a person's memory in a search and rescue situation).

I will say, I've noticed the plus codes, but never looked into them. It's really good that they are open source and can be generated offline. Hopefully they have some adoption in other apps/devices.

[–] kevincox@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

While Plus Codes are less memorable they are very easy to share verbally. Especially since you only need city + a few characters to be unambiguous. They are very useful any time you need to share a specific location (GPS-style)

[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (4 children)

How does that work?

V75V+8Q Paris, France

If you reach "v75v+ paris", it's less detailed than the full plus code, and "paris+8q" doesnt get you anything.

[–] nitroemdash@lemmy.wtf 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

https://plus.codes/ click ミ > Grid

The full plus-code is actually 8 characters before the plus and 2–3 after. Usually you only need 4 to get within one city. Just like with phone numbers, where the first geographical part is often omitted.

[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Actually seeing the grid makes it way easier, I think. I bet there's a way to turn that on in the Google maps app itself.

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