Tool to convert coordinates to 3 words from What3Words or convert 3 words to GPS coordinates on a map.
What3Words Coordinates - dCode
Tag(s) : Geography
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What3Words Coordinates
Convert 3 words to coordinates
Coordinates to 3 Words Converter
3 Words Combination Generator
Answers to Questions (FAQ)
What is What3Words? (Definition)
What3Words is a geolocation system that divides the world into 3m by 3m squares and assigns each square a unique combination of three words. These 3 words (accessible in various languages) then make it possible to easily represent and share a geographical position.
What3words is a proprietary system that locks users into a closed ecosystem through patents, copyrights and trademarks, while making addresses non-translatable between languages and dependent on their service. Unlike open standards, it limits innovation and interoperability, creating a monopoly that goes against the principles of accessibility and collaboration of the web. To avoid these limitations and promote more transparent and sustainable solutions, using What3Words is strongly discouraged.
How to convert coordinates to What3Words format?
What3Words uses an algorithm that assigns three words to every square on Earth (57 trillion squares). These words have been selected from the dictionary (probably randomly) of each language to cover these 57000 billion areas by as many combinations of 3 words. The 3-word <-> GPS match database is not available but What3Words offers an API to query it.
Example: GPS coordinates 12.345, 6.789 are coded with lusty.whisking.receivables (or 3 other words in another language, note that this is not a translation)
How to convert word from What3Words into GPS coordinates?
Only the What3Words site has the database that links words to GPS points. The What3Words API (paid) or the What3Words mobile application must therefore be used for the conversion.
Example: proper.binder.drivers is the English code geolocating the Eiffel Tower.
How to recognize What3Words coordinates? (Identification)
What3Words coordinates can be easily recognized as they consist of three words separated by dots.
The words are very diverse, often little known, sometimes plural, and all in the dictionary of a given language.
The presence of triple slash /// (three times the slash character) is a symbol of What3Words.
Why use What3Words?
What3Words coordinates are simple: 3 words which offers ease of communication but also devious methods to hide geographical positions in a text.
Source code
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Cite as source (bibliography):
What3Words Coordinates on dCode.fr [online website], retrieved on 2024-12-21,
- Convert 3 words to coordinates
- Coordinates to 3 Words Converter
- 3 Words Combination Generator
- What is What3Words? (Definition)
- How to convert coordinates to What3Words format?
- How to convert word from What3Words into GPS coordinates?
- How to recognize What3Words coordinates? (Identification)
- Why use What3Words?
