Online addressing system and mobile app what3words has collaborated with courier services company Dawn Wing, to help its drivers easily find the exact location for home and business deliveries.
The what3words addressing system and app is a geo-code system for the communication of locations with a resolution of three metres. It is used to locate people whose addresses are difficult to find.
The system divides the world into a grid made up of 3m x 3m squares, and uses algorithms to encode geographic coordinates into three dictionary words. While GPS coordinates need 16 digits to identify a location, what3words translates the GPS coordinates into three words which it will generate on its app. The words will never change.
Dawn Wing specialises in time-definite express delivery services for letters and parcels up to 30kg for both the B2B and B2C segments in SA, and international markets. Through sister companies, it has a national footprint, with key clients being large corporates and e-commerce firms.
Dawn Wing's back-end systems have now been integrated with the what3words addressing system so that customers can provide a what3words address for delivery and Dawn Wing will be able to deliver to that exact 3m x 3m square.
Its clients’ apps, Web sites and devices now accept and display what3words addresses from their customers.
"With this technology, it means we can pinpoint the recipient to within three metres and ensure accuracy, reduced delivery time and more accountability from the driver,”explains Hilton Eachus, chief customer officer at DPD Laser, which trades as Dawn Wing.
The what3words technology is popular around the world, and is now in 71 countries, rapidly adopted by businesses that need to reduce margins of error, from e-commerce Web sites to navigation apps and car navigation systems, he notes.
The company says millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money.
Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Vodacom, Triumph Motorcycles, Dis-Chem, the AA and many emergency services across the world.
Displaying their three-word address on their Web sites, business cards and entrances, or simply giving, or asking for the three words in advance from customers, the system helps provide a precise destination or meeting location.
The success of the tool has also impacted emergency services through its partnerships with the sector, as up until recently thousands of people struggled to tell emergency services exactly where they are and how to find them.
In areas without addresses, callers are often only able to provide vague descriptions or references to landmarks, which means emergency services spend vital minutes and often hours searching for those in need of urgent help.
“It is exciting to see what3words helping to change the lives of South Africans every day − whether that is providing them with a way to give their location in an emergency, or with Dawn Wing being able to ensure their delivery can be made to exactly where they need it,” saysChris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words.
The free what3words app is available for iOS and Android devices, and the online map enables users to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in more than 45 languages, to date.
Eachus concludes: "If this is what it is doing for the emergency services, we are excited about what it can do for deliveries. Our volumes have exploded over lockdown, so it has never been more important to be precise and punctual, ensuring great service to the rapidly growing e-commerce market. If your courier is using what3words, then you can expect both."
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