How what3words is being used in Michigan
With its varied terrain and expansive geography, Michigan is a place where communicating accurate location information is vital. Here’s some of the ways what3words is being used in the state.
Emergency Services
When 911 callers are struggling to describe a location, what3words can save valuable response time. Callers can use the app to find the what3words address for where they need help, and say it over the phone to a 911 call centre who can then locate them to the accuracy of a 10ft square. Several emergency services in Michigan are using what3words to find incidents quicker.
Berrien County Emergency Management has recommended people get familiar with what3words while, elsewhere in Michigan, Ingham County 911 Central Dispatch is encouraging hikers and campers to download the what3words app. This emergency call recording , courtesy of Gratiot County Central Dispatch, shows what3words making a real difference during an incident report.
To find out more about how what3words is being used in real life emergencies in the US, head here . We’ve also put together an extensive list of the emergency services using what3words stateside, including in Michigan, which you can look at here .
Festivals and Events
Save important locations
In recent years, what3words has become an essential tool for festival-goers and event organizers alike. Take world-famous events such as Glastonbury, Burning Man, and the Governor’s Ball in New York, for example. These major festivals have displayed what3words addresses on signs, maps and pre-event information to help people work out where they are and where they’re going.
It’s the same story with what3words and festivals in Michigan. At the Ann Arbor Art Fair – an event which gets 500,000 visitors a year – what3words is used to guide attendees and help manage the parking lots. During the lead-up to the Ionia Free Fair, Ionia County Central Dispatch used a Facebook post to promote the what3words addresses of important site locations.
For some handy tips on how to use what3words at music festivals and large events in general, be sure to check out our blog post on the subject.
For car navigation
Street addresses aren’t reliable enough for precise navigation and are unable to direct drivers to a specific building entrance or parking space. Many locations, like festival sites or the starting points of hiking trails, don’t even have an address.
what3words is integrated into the navigation systems of many vehicles in Michigan, including Subarus and Jaguar Land Rovers. This makes it easy for drivers to enter a what3words address straight into their vehicle’s infotainment system, and get directions to an exact 10ft square destination. what3words addresses are simple to enter, with some compatible cars even offering voice input.
Businesses and other notable uses
Park Rite Detroit uses what3words to help people find the exact locations of their parking lots. Elsewhere in Michigan, the off-road vehicle and snowmobile community has been encouraging intrepid drivers and outdoor enthusiasts to download the what3words app for safety purposes.
Try it now
Download the app to discover what3words for yourself.