TomTom Partners with what3words to Make Finding an Exact Location Easier

author: Eric Walz   

Many people has experienced having a package delivered to the wrong address or an Uber driver dropping you off at the wrong location a few doors away. The problem is that street addresses are often not precise enough, and they don't exist in parks or other rural areas. In a recent survey of new car owners, JD Power found that difficult to use and inaccurate car navigation systems is the most frequently reported problem.

TomTom, a leading GPS and mapping company is working on a solution to make navigating to a precise location possible. The company announced it will offer ‘what3words' integration to its automotive customers in the second half of this year.

Antoine Saucier, Managing Director, TomTom Automotive, said "Whether you're trying to find an address in the center of Turin, or on the streets of Tuvalu, TomTom wants to get you there quickly and efficiently. Our collaboration with what3words demonstrates our commitment to embracing new addressing technology that is easy-to-use and integrates simply into our navigation offering."

TomTom is a industry-leading automotive navigation and traffic technology company. Its navigation technology is built into cars from Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Citroën and Peugeot. The company is recognized as the one of the largest and fastest-growing telematics providers in Europe, and its easy-to-integrate navigation engine has been used in over 100 million devices.

About what3words

What3words enables drivers to discover, share and navigate to any precise location faster and more easily than any other system—using just three easy to remember words. The company has mapped the entire globe— dividing it up into 27 trillion, 3 meter squares. Each square can be identified and located globally by using just three words.

The company says that 75 percent of the world's countries lack a reliable address system, making it harder for people to find each other. This problem is compounded in the era of mobility-on-demand and e-commerce delivery services.

With what3words global address system, a user can find an exact location with common words (e.g. "table.lamp.spoon"). Using this method, addresses can be remembered more easily. The addresses can even be emailed or sent via SMS so others can find the precise location anywhere in the world.

The three word addresses make it easier to find locations with duplicate addresses as well. There are countless "Main Streets" in the U.S. and what3words has a specific set of words assigned to each of them.

The entire system works offline, and does not need a data connection. Emergency workers can locate a person no matter where they are using a three word address. What3word's code is being built into autonomous drones and other devices to make navigation more precise.

Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words said, "We are delighted that TomTom is bringing the benefits of more accurate addressing to its users. With what3words, drivers are able to navigate to any precise location – as specific as a side door, gate or parking spot. Equally, destinations that previously have been unaddressed now have a simple, reliable and easy-to-remember 3 word address."

Mercedes-Benz is the first automotive manufacturer to integrate 3 word address in its in-vehicle navigation. The luxury car manufacturer has built what3words into their next generation MBUX infotainment system, launching throughout 2018.

Mercedes Benz drivers and users of TomTom's navigation services will now be able to type or say 3 words to pinpoint an exact destination anywhere in the world.

Dominos Pizza is also testing 3 word addresses on the island of Sint Maarten. Domino's delivery experts cover 10 million miles each week in the U.S. alone, and deliver more than 1 million pizzas a day worldwide. Using three word addresses could have a far-reaching impact for any type of on-demand delivery around the world.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.